Life Training : Power of Pull-Ups + A Strength Workout

"Transformation is not a future event, it is a present day activity."
-Jillian Michaels

In 2012 New York Times released an article called Why Women Can't Do Pull-Ups. The article detailed a study of 17 women who could not do pull-ups. They were put on a strength training program designed to increase strength especially in the muscles involved in the pull-up as well an aerobic training program to decrease body fat. At the end of the training program, despite considerable increases in strength and decreases in body fat, only 4 of the 17 women could do pull-ups. The researchers credited the ability of men to put on more muscle and lose more fat in order to explain the discrepancy in ability, and concluded that women should not be expected to do pull-ups.

Many women were outraged at the article and quickly began posting images of themselves doing pull-ups. Ever since then it has been one of my goals to be able to do a complete set of 12-15 pull-ups. Apart from looking like a badass in the gym, the pull-up is a fundamental exercise and has several benefits including:

Looking like a total badass in the gym
Convenience (no equipment minus a bar)
Targets several muscle groups at once- leading to an increased release of growth hormone and increased muscle gains
Easy to increase intensity
Several variations
Increase your heart rate- i.e. increased fat loss
Looking like a total badass in the gym

Muscles Worked During the Pull-Up

Source

Major Muscles Worked: Back

Latissimus dorsi
Teres major
Rhomboid major
Rhomboid minor

Minor Muscles Worked: Forearms and Biceps

Brachioradialis
Biceps bracii
Brachialis

Progressions to Pull-Ups

Since pull-ups are a difficult exercise it is important to incorporate exercises that strengthen the muscles mentioned above before attempting your pull-up goal. Below are series of exercises you can use to progress to pull-ups as well as a sample total body workout incorporating pull-up progressions.

Assisted Pull-Ups: These can be done either with a partner to support your ankles or using an assisted pull-up machine at the gym. The assisted pull-up machine uses weight to support your body as you pull yourself up. Therefore, the more weight you have selected, the more help you are getting thus the easier it is.
Dead hang: For this all you do is grab the bar with your arms extended and hang. This will help build grip strength and core body tension.
Flexed arm hang: Similar to the dead hang, but this time you are holding yourself at the top with your chin over the bar. Once you can hold this position for 10+ seconds you are ready to move on to negative pull-ups.
Negative pull-ups: Starting from the flexed arm hang position, practice lowering yourself down slowly to the dead hang position. This is the easiest part of the pull-up, but will help you to build the strength needed for the pull-up.
Body row: Using a bar that is suspended around hip height (smith machine is great for this) practice squeezing your shoulder blades together and pulling your chest up to the bar. This uses the same muscles as the pull-up, but reduces the load on your muscles since you are not lifting all of your body weight.

Source

Total Body Workout:

This is a workout I've been doing more recently. After each exercise I do 3 assisted pull-ups (using 40 lbs of assistance) so by the end of the workout I've done over 70 assisted pull-ups. You can modify the workout by increasing/decreasing the reps or the weight in order to make it fit your abilities.

1.) 15 Squats (loaded- 35 Ibs Kettlebell)