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Aaron Marino of alpha m. is going to show you two easy ways to get better at pull ups and to incorporate pull ups into your workouts. Pull ups are the toughest body weight exercise out there, but they are also the best for building back, biceps, and shoulders.
The Smith Machine | Assisted and Negative Pull Ups
Use the Smith Machine to do assisted pull ups: Start low (eye level) and hang. Toes and feet are on the ground but knees aren’t touching. Start to lift yourself up using your upper body. When it gets tough, start incorporating your feet. At first, it’s a lot of upper body, but you will incorporate legs when it gets tougher. When you get better at it, raise the bar.
Use the Smith Machine to do negative pull ups: You can also try a wide grip, jump up, and hold yourself up there. Let yourself down nice and slow with a 4 count. Repeat. You are doing negative pull ups because the biceps, lats, and shoulders are engaged but it’s a different way to train yourself to hold your body weight.
If you practice with assisted pull ups and negative pull ups, you will get better over time. You will get a great workout too! You will get to where you can do one rep and then two, three… try it! You’re going to love it!