The pullup is one of the classic tests of a person’s strength. Generally if a man can’t do at least one he’s regarded as weak and not a real man. And if a woman can do one or more she’s strong.

Many people write about training to achieve your first pullup. But that’s not what this article is about. Instead I’m going to be discussing what to do next. Where can you go with pullups?

The most common things are to add more reps. This is great. A phenomenal goal to shoot for that puts you at a high level is 20 reps and anything above that is gravy.

The other common route is to add weight. You can use a weight belt or hook a kettlebell in your toes. A common but great goal here is to pullup with an added 50% of your bodyweight hanging onto you.

There’s also lots of articles and training plans to help you achieve those two goals. Here I’m going to show you a bunch of bodyweight only exercises, that make pullups harder.

Extended Range of Motion

Hopefully you’re already doing full range of motion pullups. I see lots of people never lower all the way to lockout on their reps. Make sure you do that (unless you have injuries that prevent you) to strengthen the joints and tendons.

But what I’m talking about here is going further on the way up. Although pullups are commonly considered complete when you get your chin over the bar, you can actually pull further. This last added range of motion takes much more strength especially in the lats.

This is kind of like doing handstand pushups. Touching your head to the floor is considered full range in one sense, but there is also much further to go.

Try pulling to your collar bone.

Try pulling to your chest (nipple line for men and top of the breast for women)

By doing this you’ll be better suited to do the next exercise.

Muscle Up

While I’m not a big fan of kipping pullups, a kip on a muscle up is necessary for many people, especially in the beginning.

In the muscle up you pull as far as you can in the pullup, and then move your arms so that you complete the movement with pressing up as in a dip.

Doing this on a bar has a much different feel then on the rings. In either case a false grip is almost essential. A false grip is where you wrap your hands deep on the bar or rings as in this picture.

To kip swing your legs through extending your body. Then pull your legs up towards the bar and explode the upper body over them while making the arm transition.

To do this without the kip is easier on the rings. To do it on the bar you need all that extended range of motion.

Side to Side Pullups

This exercise starts building strength that is useful towards the one arm pullup, which is basically the end goal of pullup strength and what we’re working towards.

Pullup to the top. Once here, shift to your left as far as you can go, then to the right. Come back to the center and then lower down.

An alternative version involves pulling to the top towards the side then shifting to the other side and lowering down. Regardless of which version you use make sure you work both sides evenly.

One Arm Assisted Chinnups

Here I’m specifically moving from the pullup grip to the chinnup grip, because when you go on one arm it feel much better. Try it for yourself but I’m sure you’ll agree with me.

This series of exercises is one of my favorites. You’re chinning with one arm with the other in a position to assist, though it won’t lend the full help as when it’s on the bar.

• Wrist Assist
• Mid Forearm Assist
• Low Forearm Assist
• Bicep Assist
• Shoulder Assist

By moving the assisting arm further down on your main working arm you’ll be able to use it less and less. The top range of motion will then be done completely with the working arm once you’re past your assistance arm. This is because unlike doing a similar setup with a towel, you can’t press down on your body to help you get to the top.

This progression alone can eventually lead to the true one arm chinnup.

Of course, all these exercises can be tested with biofeedback and made to fit inside your workouts, to help you achieve your goals. I recommend you give them a try and report how they go for you here.

Logan is an experienced physical culturist that started his passion for gymnastics after high school. You can read the knowledge he shares with us on his personal website where you can learn things like how to do a backflip and many more.

One thing I have been working on over the past several months is more body weight training and this includes hand stand push ups. When I started, even putting my head down caused me to be dizzy and feel horrible. Now I can do elevated partial hand stand push ups and getting closer to a full handstand and then a full hand stand push up.
Today I have a guest article from Danavir Sarria on this very topic. Take it away……

How To Do Your First Handstand Pushup by Danavir Sarria

There aren’t many things that will make you look any more athletic than standing on your hands and repping out a couple of pushups with the grace of a gymnast.

The problem with handstands pushups are that their hard, extremely hard. For a lot of people it will take months to get your first handstand pushup down. Personally, it took me about 3-4 months to get my first full rep with my feet against the wall. I was so excited that I attempted a second rep.

I made it to about a quarter way down before I had to bail. This was a couple of months ago and eventually I got to 5 full reps before stopping all handstand training once I couldn’t use my same old space to do it.

Now I’m here to tell you how I did it.

It’s all about progressing to a harder version to build strength, stability, getting used to the movement as it takes time getting used to the blood rushing to your head and above all staying safe as one thing you will have to get over is the fear of staying in such a position for an extended period of time, so here we go.

Pike Pushups – Work Up To 3 X 12

Start with the Pike Pushup. This position will introduce you to the vertical push movement while having your head in a good position to handle the blood rushing through. Keep progressing from workout to workout until you’re able to complete 3 set of 12

Elevated Pike Pushups – Work Up To 3 X 12

Once you can complete the Pike Pushups, elevate your legs to put more weight on your arms and again help you handle the blood rushing. Work up to 3 sets of 12 as before.

Walk Up Wall Handstand Hold – Work Up To 2 X 1 Minute

\Now it’s time to get on the wall. As every time I have to get someone to just do a regular handstand against a wall, they always get scared so I always tell them to start by walking up against the wall to get into position and practice doing that first. Do the same and hold that position for 2 sets of 1 minute each.

Wall Handstand Hold – Work Up To 2 X 2 Minutes

This time around, you want to do a regular handstand. It takes courage for some people to do this so take your time but eventually you will have to get over it and just do it. Hold it for 2 sets of 2 minutes. It’s going to suck but it will help you get ready for the next one. (Mike’s note, some people find a good transfer from holds and some do better with moving into the position and out and then on to the next step at even ¼ instead of ½)

Wall ½ Handstand Pushups – Work Up To 2-3 X 5

Now let’s add some handstand pushups going halfway down. You’re going to be glad you did all those handstand holds because it’s going to be tough. Work up to 2 or even 3 sets of 5 reps.

Wall Handstand Pushups – Work Up To 1 X 1

After everything, you will be more than ready to get your first full rep in. It won’t be easy and it’s going to feel like a LONG way down after doing partials for so long but you will get it in. Just try it out once. If you can do it, keep working on it and if you can’t, work again on some partials and try it again later when you feel ready.

Couple of Programming Points

Practice Often

Handstands and other forms of bodyweight training is gymnastics. It is as much about strength as it is about skill. Just like with other sports, you need to practice hard and practice often. If you want to get better at basketball, do you play once a week or do you try to go out as much as possible and work on your shot? Even if you’re not good, you’ll eventually get something out of it due to sheer perseverance.

Perform When You’re Fresh

Always perform your most important and hardest exercises at the beginning of your workout. After your warmup, go straight to whatever variation you’re working on at the time. If you leave it at the end of your workout, then you’ll never be strong enough to progress.

Never Max Out

There is no need to max out unless you’re testing for something specific and on my recommendations; it doesn’t happen until you test if you can do a full handstand pushup. With handstand training and just about anything else, always opt for sub-maximal loads or loads where you can do 2-3 perfect reps or higher.

Now How To Bail

Practice getting into and OUT of each position safely. This will allow you to relax more in the position and decreases the risk of injury.

Conclusion: How To Do A Handstand Push Up

It’s going to take a long time before you do your first full and explosive handstand pushup, but with perseverance and a smart program you’ll get there. Once you get it down you’re going to be the biggest bad ass on your block.

Bio: Trainer of the warriors, Danavir is a writer, trainer, consultant and martial artist who loves everything performance or regular fitness training.  He writes over at www.DanavirSarria.com. Head over if you want no B.S training information and bring out “the warrior from within”.

I get this question all the time.

“When is the best time to start a new fitness routine?”

Good question.

When is the best time to start anything?

For today’s Motivation Monday I will turn it over to Seth Godin

“When to start

* The best time to start is when you’ve got  enough money in the bank to support all contingencies.
* The best time to start is when the competition is  far behind in technology, sophistication and market acceptance.
* The best time to start is when the competition  isn’ttoo far behind, because then you’ll spend too long  educating the market.
* The best time to start is when everything at home  is stable and you can really focus.
* The best time to start is when you’re out of debt.
* The best time to start is when no one is already  working on your idea.
* The best time to start is when your patent comes  through.
* The best time to start is after you’ve got all your  VC funding.
* The best time to start is when the political  environment is more friendly than it is now.
* The best time to start is after you’ve got your  degree.
* The best time to start is after you’ve worked all  the kinks out of your plan.
* The best time to start is when you’re sure it’s  going to work.
* The best time to start is after you’ve hired the  key marketing person for the new division.
* The best time to start was last year. The best  opportunities are already gone.
* The best time to start is before some pundit  declares your segment passe. Too late.
* The best time to start is when the new generation  of processors is shipping.
* The best time to start is when the geopolitical  environment settles down.

Actually, as you’ve probably guessed, the best time to start was last year. The second best time to start is right now.”

Source: Seth Godin’s Blog

I agree with Seth that the time is NOW.

No waiting, start doing something TODAY!

No more waiting for the perfect time.

It does not exist.

Comments?

Let me know what you think and what you are starting today! Maybe it is just getting to the gym.  Maybe it is testing your exercises?  Whatever it is, post them below!

Rock on
Mike T Nelson

PS
Can I ask you for a favor? My site gets more referral traffic from StumbleUpon than any other outside source. If you enjoy this post, please give me a “thumbs-up” and short review by clicking button below.  I really think this one is worth spreading around on a Monday to get people going.   If you agree, hit the button below

Thanks and much appreciated!! You guys rule!

The Worlds Strongest Librarian

Video Challenge: Results Time!

Just a heads up that the deadline of Oct 15 has passed, so I have extended it to this Sunday Oct 24 at midnight to get those videos in!

Video Challenge: Increase Back Size and Strength with Chinup and Pullups

Just post a link to your video with your pull up progress shown to the post above!

The Movement News

Josh has a huge update on his FORMER battle with Tourette’s.  Check it out below.

The Final How To Have Tourette’s Post – Cured

Congrats Josh!

I am deeply honored to have helped you achieve a massive goal.

I am the movement.  Are you?

Much more coming!  Stupid busy this week.

Leave some comments!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

PS

Can I ask you for a favor? My site gets more referral traffic from StumbleUpon than any other outside source. If you enjoy this post, please give me a “thumbs-up” and short review by clicking button below. I really think this one is worth spreading around on a Wednesday to get people going. If you agree, hit the button below

Thanks and much appreciated!! You guys rule!

Hat tip to Ryan Lee and Carl Valle for this one.

Love it!

The time is NOW.

Do what you love.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.

Start today!

Integrity has no price.

Comments

Let me know what you think on this one! I loved it.

Rock on

Mike T Nelson