Perfect Pull-ups

Pull-ups are often thought of as an exercise that women cannot do. This could not be further from the truth. All you need to do to master the pull-up is put in a bit of practice. I recently put this statement to the test and could not have been more happy with the results. (No, that isn't me in the photo, but my arms are definitely looking more toned and defined.)

Step 1: Decide that you WILL do a pull-up. It is always easy to fail when you don't believe in yourself and tell yourself that you will do something. So let go of your fear and tackle this head on.

Step 2: Get the help of an ambitious friend from the gym or a pull-up machine with an assist bar for you to step on. Do 5 to 10 reps with assistance, repeating the cycle 3 times.

Step 3: Perform "negatives." To do this get a friend to give you a hundred percent assistance on the upward pull of the pull-up and then lower yourself as slowly as possible until you are hanging from the bar without assistance. Repeat for 5 to 10 reps, repeating the cycle 3 times.

Step 4: As you begin to feel stronger begin attempting 1 or 2 pull-ups on your own. After doing these drills for a few weeks you will be surprised how easy one pull-up becomes.

I did this workout at my gym for a few months and now I can do 10 pull-ups without stopping. It's an amazing feeling to accomplish this task and I know with some practice you will be a pro in no time. Good luck and happy training.

All the best,

Karen