The Pull-Up You're Still Chasing
Almost everyone has a movement they've filed under "not for me," and for a lot of adults it's the pull-up.The strict pull-up is one of the most achievable "impossible" goals there is — not because it's easy, but because it responds reliably to the right progression.
The reason the pull-up feels impossible is that most people only ever attempt the finished version — jump up, fail to move, conclude they can't. But the pull-up isn't one thing you can or can't do; it's a strength you build in stages, each one a real exercise in its own right. Ring rows build the pull at an angle you can manage now. Hanging from the bar builds the grip and shoulder strength that has to come first. Slow lowers — jumping to the top and taking five seconds to come down — and band assisted pull ups train the exact muscles of the pull through the exact range, and they work astonishingly well. None of these is a lesser version of the pull-up. Each is the pull-up, at the stage you're at, doing precisely the job that gets you to the next one.
Ring rows twice a week, progressively lower and harder. Hangs, building the seconds. Slow lowers, adding control. A band to bridge the gap when you're close. Done consistently, this is a matter of months for most people, especially if you are looking after your nutrition and shedding unwanted body fat at the same time.Your first unassisted rep, in your forties or fifties, after a lifetime of assuming it was beyond you, is one of the better feelings training has to offer.
The pull-up is worth chasing not because the movement itself is essential, but because of what training for it builds: a back, grip and shoulders that carry over to everything, and the proof that "not for me" was never true. You were never too old or too weak. You'd just never been shown the correct route. We can improve our fitness at any age, I’ve seen it time and time again and the strict pull up is an amazing way to prove it to yourself.
If you'd like someone to map those steps for you and get you there, book a free, no-obligation 15-minute chat with Jeremy or Beth at crossfitchiltern.com — no hard sell, and most of us hadn't trained in years when we started.
