Ok I need thoughts.

[episodic]

I'm eating lots of protein. Hitting weights 3 times a week. My lower body is a rock (distance cycling) - my upper body is not.

My goal is 15 unassisted pullups.

What exactly should I be doing to make that goal? I'm ashamed to admit that I still can't do but 1 unassisted pull up. I'm 188 lbs.

I've been doing 100 pushups a day (split through the day 25 at a time) for the last 2 months. I've been slowly increasing the pushups till I got to 100 a day. When I started in June, I couldn't really even do but 2-5 pushups in a row.

 

[MotF Bane]

If your location is permitting, just grab something and do a pull up or pull ups whenever you feel like it (frequently).

 

[episodic]

My problem is I can't do them yet - so I'm looking for a good bridge activities. Pushups don't seem to be helping my pull ups.

 

[JellyBaby]

Do partial pullups until you can do real ones. Use a chair or jump to get up there and then lower yourself down slowly. Do sets of those until you're strong enough for the real deal. Detailed help with video.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

30 pullups is unrealistic for the upper body strength athlete, let alone someone who focuses on lower body endurance sports. A goal of 10-15 is much more realistic and still very useful. Some of the fittest people I know can't even get to 20 and I don't see anything wrong with that.

You can start with an assistance band or use an assistance machine. You can do jumping pullups. You can stand on a stool and aid yourself with your lower extremities, both up and down. You can slowly lower yourself (which is great for strength gains, but be careful for excessive DOMS). You can also do many, many sets throughout the day, which will maximize your neural efficiency.

 

[arrfep]

Grease the groove. Google that phrase for the specifics. The gist: hang a pullup bar somewhere in your house you pass by a few times a day. Every time you walk under it, do as many pullups as you can. To start off, as mentioned above, do partial/negative sets, letting yourself down as slowly as possible. Eventually you'll get to do a complete rep, and then more. It helped me get to sets of 5, which I think is pretty decent for a 230 lb guy.

Edit: just saw SC's post above. I basically just repeated his last sentence.

 

[WraithETC]

Doing negatives or trying to do chin ups first (palms facing you) and then practicing those until you can do ~5 from dead weight. Negatives will make you sore as hell though.

 

[episodic]

30 pullups is unrealistic for the upper body strength athlete, let alone someone who focuses on lower body endurance sports. A goal of 10-15 is much more realistic and still very useful. Some of the fittest people I know can't even get to 20 and I don't see anything wrong with that.

You can start with an assistance band or use an assistance machine. You can do jumping pullups. You can stand on a stool and aid yourself with your lower extremities, both up and down. You can slowly lower yourself (which is great for strength gains, but be careful for excessive DOMS). You can also do many, many sets throughout the day, which will maximize your neural efficiency.

I was going for a high amount because I wanted to learn to climb next summer. I'll tone down my amount then.

 

[OptimumSlinky]

Once you can do at least one, just do a shitload of sets at low reps. When I could only do 3 chin ups, I'd do like 10-15 sets of 1-3 (assuming all were solid reps with no kicking or kipping). I'd do that maybe twice a week. After a month, I could crank out 12-14 consecutive chins, and started switching to weighted chins.

Until you can do one though, negatives will help (jump up, then slowly release down [8-10 seconds] and then repeat). Or get some assistance bands.

 

[wheresmybacon]

I used jumping pull-ups on a bar that was just high enough for me to wrap my hands around while standing flat-footed on the ground. Until I lost weight and gained strength. I also used the Gravitron as well as the Nautilus lat pull-down machine, but if you don’t have access to a gym, jumping pull-ups, negatives, and static hangs are a place to start.

What you’re up against is an exercise that requires a tremendous amount of upper arm and back strength relative to your total body weight. Folks who carry weight in their thighs and ass have a tough road to hoe with pull-ups. That’s not to say you can’t do it, it’s just some folks genetically are predisposed to being good/bad at different exercises, so don’t get too frustrated.

I can do 10 now, but 3 years ago I could do 1. I was also 45 pounds heavier. I’ve gained strength, but most of what’s changed is I’m a lot lighter. For reference, I’m 5’11” 185 today.

 

[tedrodai]

Yeppers, what they said. I was able to do 1 pullup about 3.5 years ago, but I wanted to improve that. I'd do about 5 sets of 3-5 reps, starting with as many pullups as I could do and finishing the rest of each set with negatives (so many sets were all negatives initially 😀). Worked my way up to 2 consecutive pullups, then 3, etc. It works!

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I was going for a high amount because I wanted to learn to climb next summer. I'll tone down my amount then.

Rock climbing is actually a LOT of legs and grip strength, as opposed to brute pull-up ability. I've seen great rock climbers do only 20 pull-ups. It's a lot more technique, once you have your basic strength foundation.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

I've been lifting for almost a year now. The Stronglifts program is all I have done. A week ago I was at a basketball court that had pull up bars on the side. I figured I'd give it a shot. I couldn't beleive how much strength I had. I did 2 just for fun and I was getting my ching about 3" above the bar without even trying. FWIW: currently 210 pounds.