Can People with Little Upper Body Strength Ever Learn to Do a Proper Chin-Up or Pull-Up?

Of course, strength can build gradually over time. Everyone starts at the same place, with little to no upper body strength. With the principle of progressive overload and consistent effort, anyone can achieve their goal, no matter how seemingly distant it may seem at the start.

Mimicking the Movement of a Pull-Up

Start with exercises that mimic the movement of a pull-up, but are less strenuous. This includes:

Lat pulldown Assisted chin/pull-up Banded pull-ups Dead hang Bent arm hangs Eccentric slow, controlled lowering

Practicing these exercises with the right training principles, such as gradually increasing the difficulty, can help build up the necessary strength. Consistently training the entire body will also contribute to this process.

A Personal Example of Progress

This is possible. I am currently training a very close friend who has significantly less shoulder musculature compared to her lower body. This makes exercises like chin-ups or pull-ups particularly challenging. However, she is making progress. The goal is simply to be able to perform one rep. As she builds strength in her shoulders without adding additional weight in her lower body, she hopes to reach her goal soon.

My Personal Journey

At 12, I was skinny and struggled even to hang on a horizontal bar for a tenth of a second in gym class. I started moderate training at 13, and now at 43 years old, I have maintained my physique since I was 17, except during the period from 17 to 20 when I was 40 pounds heavier with more muscle.

A Detailed Plan for Building Chin-Up Strength

Use the cable lat machine, but instead of using the hand grips, use a chin-up grip with shoulder-width. Start by selecting a weight that allows you to do 3 sets of 8 reps, bringing the bar from full extension overhead to under your chin. Perform 2 to 3 workouts per week. Each subsequent workout, move the pin up one weight. If you cannot do 3x8, aim for 3x5, then progress to 3x6, 3x7, and finally 3x8. Once you achieve 3x8, move the pin to a heavier weight and repeat over the next few workouts.

Key weights to aim for include:

90 pounds or your body weight Then start doing real chin-ups on the chin-up bar Program the workouts like this:

Week 1: 3 sets of 5
Week 2: 3 sets of 6
Week 3: 3 sets of 7
Week 4: 3 sets of 8

After achieving 3 sets of 20, you can start using a weight belt and program in weighted chin-ups. Alternatively, you can continue to work your way up the rep ladder.

A former British SAS officer I know maintains by doing three sets of 50 chins every day for maintenance. He is impressive and does countless push-ups as well.