The 5 Best Pull-up Alternatives (How to Get Your First Pull-Up)

So you want to do a pull-up but don’t have a bar?

Or maybe you just don’t quite have the strength yet to hoist yourself up?

Either way, no problem!

We’ve been teaching people how to do pull-up alternatives in our Online Coaching Program with “no-bar pull-ups.” Today, we’ll show you all these tried and trusted workarounds.

We’re going to work on increasing your “pull” muscles through a series of pull-up alternatives.

First up…

LEVEL 1 PULL-UP ALTERNATIVE: BENT-OVER DUMBBELL ROWS

‍

Bent-over dumbbell rows:

• 8 reps each arm (or as many as you can do)
• Rest for a 2-minute break
• Do another set
• Repeat until you hit 3 sets

What weight should you start out with initially?

Whatever allows you to get to at least 5 reps a set.

Once you can do 3 sets of 8 reps (each arm), it’s time to pick up a heavier dumbbell.

This will allow you to get stronger and stronger.

When you can lift a 25-pound (10kg) dumbbell or heavier, consider moving up to the next level.

LEVEL 2 PULL-UP ALTERNATIVE: INVERTED BODYWEIGHT ROWS

‍

‍

Bodyweight rows are the PERFECT precursor to pull-ups – they work the same muscles, and have you lifting your own body weight, just at a different angle.

Our goal here will be to work towards a lower and lower angle, increasing the difficulty of the movement.  

So at first, we’ll do rows with the bar higher up:

‍

‍

Then we’ll progress to getting the bar lower:

‍

‍

As soon as you’re doing bodyweight rows where your body is at a 45-degree angle or lower, you can progress to the next level.

LEVEL 3 PULL-UP ALTERNATIVE: ASSISTED PULL-UPS

At this point, you are going to start actually doing pull-ups…with a little bit of assistance.

We’ve got a few options for you.

1) Assisted Pull-ups with Chair

‍

Either one foot or two on the chair, depending on your needs. Your feet are ONLY there for support, use your upper body as much as possible.

2) Assisted Pull-ups with an Exercise Band

‍

‍

You can get different types of exercise bands with different levels of strength, or a variety pack for easy progression.

Put your foot in the exercise band and pull yourself up.

#3) Assisted Pull-ups with a Partner

‍

‍

Have a friend hold your feet behind you and help you complete each rep. Have them use the least amount of help possible to get you through your workouts.

Once you’re comfortable doing a form of assisted pull-ups, and can do about 10 repetitions, it’s time to advance to the next level.

This is probably the TOUGHEST level before getting your pull-ups. If you get stuck on “assisted pull-ups” and “assisted chin-ups”, you’re not alone. This is where most people get stuck.

LEVEL 4 PULL-UP WORKOUT: NEGATIVE PULL-UPS

‍

‍

Our next level on our path for a pull-up is what we call “negative pull-ups.”

1. Grab onto the bar with an overhand grip
2. Jump so your chest is touching
3. Slowly lower yourself under control until you’re at the bottom of the movement.

As you continue to lower yourself down, you’ll build strength, eventually creating enough muscle so you can pull yourself up.

‍