Earlier this week I explained how to do pullups using a pullup bar. But what do you do if you are not strong enough to do a pullup yet, and you do not have a machine to assist you? You can do what is known as a negative pullup.
To do a negative pullup, put a step near your pullup bar that is sturdy enough to jump off of but not so high that you can not do pullups. Ideally, the step should allow you to just barely reach the pullup bar by reaching. If you do not have a step handy, you can jump from the floor; it is easier and safer to be able to just reach the bar without touching.
Grasp the pullup bar and jump up to the top position of a normal pullup. Slowly lower yourself back to the ground. Take as long as you can. If you really want to work the muscles, pause halfway down and hold yourself there with your elbows at a 90� angle.
Your muscles will have to work hard at holding yourself in position, and you will eventually be able to work your way up to doing full pullups. Negative pullups are also good for those who can do pullups but who want to change things up a little, or whose workout calls for more repititions than they can currently do.
- Benefits of the Bridge Exercise
- This Week Last Year: More books, Lifting Weights, and Dick Pound
- Active vs Passive Resistance (or, why keep your balance on a swiss ball?)
- This Week Last Year: New Rules of Lifting, Law Suits, and Show Boating
- How To: Pullups
May 5th, 2006 at 12:17 pm
[...] The other way to encourage muscle growth is by resisting the movement of a mass of some kind. [..] The natural inclination when you are on a swiss ball is to roll to the side. You engage your obliques to prevent your body from twisting, and the fact that you are trying to prevent your torso from rolling onto the floor is a great exercise in and of itself. You are training your body to do more than one thing at a time, and you are causing your muscles to learn how to work together to accomplish a goal. [...]
February 23rd, 2007 at 7:20 pm
[...] how to do pullups in the continuation of my animated series. I also explained how to do a negative pullups when you are overloading your muscles or are not strong enough to do a full set of pullups [...]
April 20th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
[...] For another safe exercise that can be worked into any program from beginner to advanced, try negative pullups. [...]