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How to Do 20 PULLUPS in One Set (WORKS FAST!)

3,505,072 views October 25, 2018 5:02

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ChannelATHLEAN-X™

In brief

This video shows how to build up to doing 20 pullups in a single set, even if you can’t do many yet. It focuses on a progression using one-arm inverted rows and fixing common energy leaks to improve efficiency and strength. It’s aimed at anyone struggling with pullup volume, from beginners to those looking to break through plateaus.

Questions & answers

What if I can’t do any pullups yet?

Start with the one-arm inverted row progression, beginning with your body upright behind the bar.

Description from the creator

Pullups can be one of the harder exercises to do a lot of reps of simply because they demand you have good strength and control of your own bodyweight. In this video, I’m going to show you how to do 20 or more pullups in a single set regardless of how many you can do right now. The key is to use the pullup progression I lay out as well as the instant fix that you can use to start doing more pullups in your very next set.

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First it is important to understand that a pullup is not just a back exercise. There is far more that goes into executing a proper pull up. You need strength in your arms, forearms, and core as well. That’s right. If your core isn’t strong enough or you are forgetting to activate it when doing this exercise then you are definitely costing yourself a chance to increase the amount of reps you are performing on this popular upper body exercise.

To increase the number of pullups you are doing you need to learn the right progression. I like having people set up a bar at about neck height and then grabbing it with one hand. The angle at which you align your torso to the bar is dependent on the ability level and your strength. If you are just starting out or consider yourself more of a beginner, you would start with your body more upright and behind the bar. If you were more advanced, you could get your body more beneath the bar.

Either way, you want to grab the bar with one hand and try and pull yourself up to it. The key is to keep your elbows out wide and not allow your body to twist as you pull up. This will demand that your core is activated here as well. As I already mentioned, this is going to come in handy and useful when it comes to plugging the energy leaks later on in this video. The other mistake people make when performing this one arm inverted row is that they allow their forearm to collapse as they pull in and the hand winds up making contact with the chest.

To perform this right, you want to make sure the hand is in line with the shoulder and touching the outside of the chest when your body is as high as it gets towards the bar. Keep working yourself down until your strength allows you to be under the bar. Make sure you work both arms each time you do this. You will be surprised at how quickly you will be able to make the transition to get lower and lower and this will quickly start translating over to your ability to do pullups.

Next, once up in the pullup position you want to be sure that you plug the energy leaks that are common and killing your ability to knock out a lot of pullups. Do this by tightening your quads, pointing your feet towards the ground, squeezing your glutes, and then contracting your abs. Your body will experience a tightness that has been lacking and will instantly help you to transfer more of the force you are exerting into the bar to do more pullups. No it is not a magic trick, it is just biomechanics and efficiency that is helping you to do this.

If you are looking for more detailed step by step instructions on how to do more than just pullups, head to athleanx.com and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System. I coach you through every workout and train you just like a pro athlete. Start seeing next level gains by taking your training to the next level.

For more videos on how to do more pullups and the reason why you can’t do more pullups right now, be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube at youtube.com/user/jdcav24

About this tutorial

ATHLEAN-X™ published this 5:02 video tutorial on October 25, 2018. It has been watched 3,505,072 times on YouTube.

Duration
5:02
Published
October 25, 2018
Views
3,505,072
Likes
96,599

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Further reading

  • How to Do 20 PULLUPS in One Set | ATHLEAN-X athleanx.com

    You can start doing 20 or more pullups in each set regardless of how heavy you are or what your current strength level is. There are two key techniques you need to know to get there. To build the arm strength you need,…

  • How to Do 20 PULLUPS in One Set (WORKS FAST!) - Health and ... healthandnutritiononline.com

    How to Do 20 PULLUPS in One Set (WORKS FAST!) Kim. February 4, 2020. 0. 27. Share on Facebook. Share on Twitter.

  • How to Do 20 PULLUPS in One Set (WORKS FAST!) aparat.com

    In this video, I’m going to show you how to do 20 or more pullups in a single set regardless of how many you can do right now. The key is to use the pullup progression I lay out as well as the instant fix that you can u…

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