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"I get by with a little help from my bands" So far, we have worked towards building a strong foundation for our pull-up goal, but now it's time to start training for the full pull-up movement. After the first 3-4 weeks of this program, you should have noticed a substantial increase in your pull-up strength. Although, you might not quite yet have the strength to achieve a fully unassisted pull-up. This is where scaling options like exercise bands really come in handy. Even if you can perform a pull-up or two, scaling options will allow you to train the full movement with enough volume...

The inverted rows and all their variations are fantastic for strengthening your upper back and shoulders. It’s great prep for pull-ups and a safer alternative to barbell rows. You can do this exercise in a squat rack at the gym or at home with body-weight suspension bands.  Underhand Rows To start, set up your suspension bands so that they are approximately waist height (when standing).  Take a shoulder-width, overhand grip of the handles with palms facing the floor. Position your body so that you’re hanging at approximately 45 degrees to the wall with straight arms. Initiate by  retracting your shoulders and then flexing your...

In case you were wondering, no this is not a post where we are going outline the bad points of pull-up exercises — I thought that's what the comment sections are meant for...kidding!  Pull-up and chin-up negatives are another exercise that will help you develop the strength for a pull-up workout. A “negative” is another name for the lowering portion of a pull-up — starting from the top and slowly lowering yourself down to a dead hang. It helps by removing the hardest part of a regular pull-up: coming out of the dead hang at the bottom. It’s a good way to strengthen your lats until...