First Pull-Up for Beginners Fit Drills Training Plan

This plan brings you safely from zero to eight pull-ups.

It is based on the popular youtube video How To Do Your First Pullup! (Then 8 more!) or Pull-Ups for the Total Beginner. With the Fit Drills plan for this progression, you will get all the details for each workout to build up the required strength, stamina and skills and reach your goal in the most efficient way.

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Don’t Rush

The efficiency of this program comes from a systematic increase of difficulty and variation in intensity and volume levels.

Use the Fit Drills duplicate function to repeat each phase until you safely hit the criteria and feel ready to proceed to the next phase.

If you can already do at least 2 pull-ups already, you might try starting directly from phase 4.

Program Structure

Phase 1:

  • 10×30 seconds dead hang
  • 1 min rest between sets
  • 3 workouts per week or every other day if you want to follow the original program

Move to phase 1 once you can complete 10 sets.

Phase 2:

  • 5×8 negative chin-ups from the chair
  • 1 min rest between sets
  • 3 workouts per week or every other day if you want to follow the original program

Move to phase 3 once you can lower yourself slowly in about 2 secs on each repetition.

Phase 3:

  • 5×8 negative pull-ups from the chair
  • 1 min rest between sets
  • 3 workouts per week or every other day if you want to follow the original program

Move to phase 4 once you can lower yourself slowly in about 2 secs on each repetition.

Phase 4:

  • 5×8 negative chin-ups from the chair
  • try to make the first two reps of each set as much of a chin-up as you can
  • 1 min rest between sets
  • 3 workouts per week or every other day if you want to follow the original program

Move to phase 5 once you can do 2 chin-ups.

Phase 5:

Monday:

  • 5×8 negative chin-ups from the chair
  • start each set with as many chin-ups as you can
  • 1 min rest between sets

Thursday:

  • 5x as many chin-ups as you can
  • end the last repetition locking out as long as you can
  • 2 minutes rest between sets

Move to phase 6 once you can do eight chin-ups.

Phase 6:

Monday:

  • 5×8 negative pull-ups from the chair
  • start each set with as many pull-ups as you can
  • 1 min rest between sets

Thursday:

  • 5x as many pull-ups as you can
  • end the last repetition locking out as long as you can
  • 2 minutes rest between sets

Continue this phase until you can do eight pull-ups.

You Got It!

CONGRATULATION!

You can do 10 pull-ups now and this is only the beginning!

Exercise List

References

YouTube scooby1961

Author: Fit Drills AG, Andreas Schneider

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2016 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Last Updated: 2017-11-03