How do I get stronger at pulling?

Author: Marguerite Prosacco  |  Last update: Thursday, September 25, 2025

The Top 10 Pulling Exercises You Need to Do
  1. Lat Pulldown. Lat pulldowns are an excellent way to build muscle and strength in your upper body. ...
  2. Deadlifts. There's no exercise more fundamental than the deadlift. ...
  3. Pull-Ups. ...
  4. T-Bar Row. ...
  5. Barbell Bent-Over Row. ...
  6. Pendlay Row. ...
  7. Barbell Shrugs. ...
  8. Yates Row.

Why is my pull strength so weak?

Lack of Specific Training: If you haven't been consistently training pull-ups or related muscle groups (like the back, shoulders, and core), your strength may decline. Injury or Muscle Imbalance: Any underlying injuries or muscle imbalances can affect your ability to perform pull-ups effectively.

How do I increase my pull-up strength?

A strong core supports your pull-up performance. Include exercises like planks, hanging leg raises, and Russian twists in your routine. Ensure you're consuming enough protein and calories to support muscle growth. Get adequate sleep and allow for recovery days to prevent overtraining.

How to strengthen grip?

Grip-strength exercises to increase hand strength
  1. Tennis ball squeeze. Squeezing a tennis ball might not seem like exercise. ...
  2. Towel wringing. This exercise works your crush grip and strengthens the muscles needed for support grip. ...
  3. Reverse wrist curls. ...
  4. Farmer's carry. ...
  5. Plate pinch. ...
  6. Dead hang. ...
  7. Pull-ups. ...
  8. Exercise for hand grippers.

Why do I have a weak pull-up?

Higher Resistance: Weak pull-up resistors have higher resistance values (typically in the range of 10kΩ to 100kΩ). Lower Current: Due to higher resistance, the current that flows when the pin is pulled high is relatively low.

How to Increase PULL-UP STRENGTH - Full Program, Reps & Sets to Get Better At Pull Ups & Chin Ups

Why am I not strong enough to do a pull-up?

You have to build the muscles and the form up over time to do a proper pull-up. The strength to do a pull-up comes from your shoulders and back, and for most women, even those who are athletes, these can be harder muscles to develop.

Why is my grip so bad?

Medical Conditions: A number of health conditions, including arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and nerve injuries, can result in weakened grip strength.

What muscle helps with pulling?

In the “push” workout you train all the upper body pushing muscles, i.e. the chest, shoulders and triceps. In the “pull” workout you train all the upper body pulling muscles, i.e. the back and biceps.

How long does it take to build pull-up strength?

Depending on the individual and how often you train for it, you can achieve your first unassisted pull-up in anything from four to 12 weeks. According to Dr Oluwajana, one of the most important things to remember is that you need to be consistent. “It may be tough, but don't be discouraged,” says Dr Oluwajana.

How much force can a man pull?

The strongest pull strength location was at extreme reach vertically above the shoulder for both males and females. The greatest pull strength of 400 Newtons (N) for males was recorded in the seated and standing positions. Females' pull strengths in the seated and standing positions were 222 and 244 N, respectively.

How to build strength to do a push-up?

You can gradually increase the difficulty of the exercise by first placing your hands on the wall, later on, a desk, then on a chair (or by progressing to lower stairs on a staircase). By progressing to lower levels of hand placement, you increase the intensity of the exercise and your muscle strength.

How do I get strong enough to pull-up?

OTHER WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR PULL-UPS
  1. Practice deadlifts and inverted rows. Get in your lat pulldowns to grow your lats.
  2. Train your core!
  3. Grow your biceps with curls. This can help with chin-ups.
  4. Add chalk to your grip.
  5. Train your grip by using thicker bars, like the Axle Bar.

How to train your core?

Classic core exercises include planks, situps and fitness ball exercises. A bridge is another example of a classic core exercise. To do a bridge, lie on your back with your knees bent. Keep your back neutral, not arched and not pressed into the floor.

Why am I so weak on pullups?

If you can't do pull-ups, one of these five reasons may be the cause: Not being able to hold onto the bar through lack of grip strength. A lack of latissimus dorsi (large back muscle), spinal erector (lower back stabilizer muscles), abdominal muscle, and biceps strength. A lack of “mind-to-muscle” connection.

How do I increase my pull reps?

You can increase the number of pull-ups you can do by improving your strength endurance. To do this, perform more than 12 reps per set for a few weeks. Improving your strength endurance will also increase your performance in the lower repetition range.

Is 20 minutes of strength training enough?

You don't need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. You can see significant improvement in your strength with just two or three 20- or 30-minute strength training sessions a week.

Is push or pull stronger?

The push‐up to modified pull‐up ratio for the males was 1.57:1, whereas females demonstrated a ratio of 2.72:1. The results suggest that for our group of healthy recreationally active subjects, the upper body “pushing” musculature is approximately 1.5–2.7 times stronger than the musculature involved for pulling.

Why am I strong but can't do pull-ups?

Another reason why you can't do more pull-ups is lack of grip strength. Even if you have the strength to do a few pull-ups, but it fails because you can't hold onto the bar, you won't make progress because you're not reaching your potential. This means you need to work on your grip strength.

Is 5 pull-ups good?

Fitness professionals recommend starting with 5 pull-ups during the first week, then increase the numbers each week. As for the frequency, you can do it twice a week at the beginning. You can also do other upper body exercises like lifting weights to help with grip strength and strengthening muscles.

How can I increase my pull-up strength without pull-ups?

4 pull-up alternatives for at home
  1. rowing on the edge of the table. To successfully use the edge of the table for your deadweight training, you need a stable table. ...
  2. lat pulldown with resistance band. This exercise mimics the pull-up movement. ...
  3. Australian pull-ups on rings. ...
  4. reverse elbow push-ups.

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