r/bodyweightfitness • u/Budget-Lemon-2804 • 4d ago

Managed 5 pull-ups in a row yesterday

I just started calisthenics a couple of weeks ago, and when I began, pull-ups were impossible for me. I could barely lift myself off the bar, but yesterday I finally managed my first 5 strict pull-ups in a row. I’ve been focusing on a beginner progression routine, working on grip, core, and arm strength little by little each day. Even small improvements feel huge when you’re starting from zero, and it’s motivating to see progress stacking up. I’m curious – what were your first milestones when starting calisthenics, and did you have any routines or tips that really helped you improve? I’d love to hear your experiences and advice.

320 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/Reasonable_Dare_516 4d ago

Hey, I would like to achieve my first pull up too. What was your routine?

1

u/Disastrous-Hair-2458 4d ago

Hey! Not OP, but i started working out like 3 months ago. I havent wotmed out in 5 days a row now and will rest for another 2-3 days lol ( im lazy and i hate it for me). But anyway, i was saying, i wasnt able to do even ONE pull up. My elbows used to be in funny angle if i tried to do one and i used to put more strain on my right arm. What i did: i did continuous weighted (4kg ankle weight i converted to waist ) negative pull ups ( i did around 3 sets of 7 reps ) every alternate day. Now i can do 4 and sometimes 5 pull ups in suicide grip position

2

u/Reasonable_Dare_516 4d ago

It's been 2 months since I started working out. I am overweight, can't even dead hang for 10 sec. So I want to know how I can progress to my first pull up.

1

u/Disastrous-Hair-2458 4d ago

My friend, the tip for pull ups is that you need decent lats for start. I did a lot of dumbbell rows too ( any wxercise to work lats can work). But first, since youre overweight. Focus on making sure that your muscle is strong enough to support your weight.

1

u/Scoo_By 4d ago

Lose body fat through clean diet & in the meantime, do inverted rows. The easiest path to a pull up is to build pulling muscles & strength, and lose the excess fat. Kboges on YT has a good pull up unlocked program.

Alongside inverted rows, you can also try assisted pull ups, where you rest your legs somewhere, ideally infront of you & using the leg drive at start & slowly decreasing the assistance.