The pull up is considered one of the most difficult exercises for anyone to do, but for those with the ectomorph body type it is an incredibly important exercise that provides you with upper arm strength, improved grip (a particular weakness of all ectomorphs) and the desired ‘V’ look. But don’t be scared by its difficulty, it’s not an impossible feat, you just need the right approach.
What is a pull up? Make sure you know what a pull-up is because it’s easy to confuse it with pull-ups. The simple but important difference is that a pull up is completed with your palms facing out, while with your chin up, your palms are facing you.
Where do you do a pull up? There are often places in gyms, or even in public places (parks, trees, etc.) where you can do pull-ups, but in the early days it can be embarrassing how many pull-ups you’ll be able to do. Also, your ineffectiveness is kind of a missed trip to the gym in the first place.
The solution is to purchase what is known as a door gym pull up bar. These are fantastic, affordable devices (mine is only $30) that lock into any standard door frame and make it the perfect station for both pull-ups and pull-ups. They’re easy to store, can be as temporary as you like, and are clever inventions.
How to do an effective pull up? Here are some simple ways to do proper and effective pull-ups:
- Start from a standstill, which means having your arms fully extended in line with your elbows. This will limit the number of push-ups you can do, but they will be more effective.
- Pause briefly in both the up and down position to remove momentum that can hamper the intensity of your workout.
- Just stay up to date. At first progress will be slow. In the early days, I could barely do 1 or 2 pull-ups. These days I routinely take out 8 or more, and these are completely out of momentum and using the dead hang position.