Help with Pull-ups

If you can do 4-5, then do multiple sets of say 3 a day. Like maybe 7 or 8 sets until you can do 7-8 at once, then do 7 or 8 sets of 5 daily, then after a while you should be able to do 10, then you can probably start moving on to weighted.

Do you have a pull up bar at home?

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granted I’ve never really worked specifically on pull-ups

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I find it most effective to set your goals such that you embrace training specifically to meet them. Meaning, if you really want to improve pull-ups, you should make them the focus of your training, as opposed to trying to modify your training as little as possible to accommodate them.

If this exposes the fact that you would not enjoy a regimen that focuses primarily on improving pull-ups, then that’s fine: just reframe your goal such that your training is correctly aligned with your expectations of improvement. You can make solid improvements by sprinkling them in as others have mentioned, but if your training is not structured to directly improve the strength and technique needed for the specific pull-up movement, you greatly increase your chances of failure. If it’s bugged you for a few years, I’d say to really make it a focus.

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I like negatives more than bands.

Usually people's weakness is at the top of the pull not the bottom. The band helps the most at the bottom

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Seconded. I saw a huge improvement from doing negatives that I wasn't getting from bands.

#1 Lose Weight - my weighted pull-ups are down 10+ lbs right now just due to gaining weight over the winter

#2 Lat Pull Downs - do this for a while instead of pull-ups. makes it easy enough to add 5lbs every week or two with consistency in what you are pulling.

#3 Do it first in your workout while you’re fresh. Maybe even try RPT with lat pull downs until you reach a 1 rep max that is the same as your body weight x 15

#4 15-20 pull-ups is not that easy. You really need to accomplish the above in my opinion. I forget the weight added that equates to body weight x 15 but you aren’t near that yet.

I struggle with it too. Neck issues hold me back. Been focused on lat pull down and other back exercises to get me up there.

You can google Russia Pull-up Program for some ways to really improve. This StrongFirst version is a good one: LINK /

As others said, though: small amounts throughout the day are really effective. Also might want to make sure your form is good and you’re pulling properly, engaging back and core along with arms and shoulders.

This is what helped me. I was in the same boat. Sucked at them.

Since 5 is your max, then work off that. Do sets of 3 clean reps. Maybe 2-3 sets per workout. Then build off that. Is those are easy, up the sets until you are in the 5-7 range. Then add in a rep and drop the sets. 2-3 sets of 4 reps, then build on that. It really helped me. I'm sure they're are other ways, this is just my input.

Also during our rona lockdown, to help my mental state, I'd go outside and do sets every hour. Really helped. But 1 huge advice note. Never stop doing them. It's one of those things that if you don't use it, you lose it. I slowly stopped doing them, now I'm back to getting maybe a set of 6. Sucks.

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But 1 huge advice note. Never stop doing them. It's one of those things that if you don't use it, you lose it. I slowly stopped doing them, now I'm back to getting maybe a set of 6. Sucks.

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Boy, that's the truth. I had them as part of my regular routine at one time, and I could rep out 15 or so. Now I'm down to like 5.

Just to clarify we’re talking about pull-ups, not chin-ups.

If so, workout your biceps, your back, and lose some weight. As you do all three your pull-ups will go up and up.

*I only do pull-ups on back day.
I like chin-ups. When I started I could only do two and that was without even going all the way down. Now I can do about 15-20 deadhang ones at a time.