You Can't Even Do 1 Right Now)
Most of us in our adult lifetimes will never have to clamber onto a roof under our own power to chase a suspect; nor will we likely have to hoist ourselves onto a rocky ledge thousands of feet above ground level, like Sly Stallone in the movie Cliffhanger.
But, it's nice to know that you could, if you ever had to. The way to develop this type of strength is to do pull-ups, sometimes referred to as chin-ups. If your pull-up capacity is weak or non-existent, don't worry, you can build it.
If you're female, that's not really much of an excuse either. Yes, it's more difficult for women since their power is typically concentrated in the lower-, rather than upper body, but it's eminently doable.
Developing the ability to bang out pull-ups is similar to the method for getting to Carnegie Hall, although the former is considerably easier: Practice.
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How do you practice something you can't do in the first place? In music, you begin with scales, then easy songs, then gradually build on the length and technical complexity of songs played.
For pull-up aspirants, the process is not much different. Use the following methods to improve your back, arm and shoulder strength and you will eventually become quite the capable climber:
1) Start off slow and easy, with assorted rowing exercises using barbells, dumbbells and machines: bent-over rows, seated rows, lat-pulldowns - anything that will strengthen your latissimus dorsi muscles (the wide, wing-like muscles that span most of the back.)
2) Gradually increase the weight on all these movements, perhaps by 2 ˝ to 5 pounds per week. Recall the Greek myth of Milo of Croton, who eventually shouldered a full-grown bull by carrying it every day from the time it was a calf.
3) Perform bicep curls and possibly forearm exercises to improve pulling power and grip strength.
4) Use an assisted pull-up machine if one is available, or have a partner lift you at the shins while you're using a regular pull-up bar. Gradually decrease the assistance over time.
5) Practice with both an underhand (easier) grip and an overhand (palms down, more difficult) grip.
6) Attempt to do pull-ups any chance you get. It's worth your time and money to install a doorway chin-up bar in your home if this is a real goal
7) Lose any extraneous body fat that's simply weighing you down.
8) Ditch useless, limiting beliefs; you are what you think about most, so think about being strong and capable - even (especially) if your past indicates otherwise
9) Chart your progress - as management maestro Peter Drucker famously said, "What gets measured, gets done." Use your workout workbook, a spreadsheet and graphing program on your computer, use whatever it takes to keep the numbers constantly in your face and prodding you to keep at it.
10) Observe the Balance Principle. As you're training for this particular task of performing a pull-up, remember to train your chest, triceps, legs, core and so on, so that you avoid injury.
One really effective method for building toward a full-blown pull-up involves jumping up while grasping the bar to clear it, then resisting gravity on the way down. This manner of strengthening is also known as "negative resistance," or "negatives."
As far as the actual movement, once you develop the strength, you should endeavor to have your chin clear the bar, without kicking or undue swinging. Use your muscle rather than momentum.
As you can see, it's not rocket science, it's merely the result of performing relatively small, simple actions consistently. You may recognize this as the definition for -- don't run away screaming -- discipline. Integrate your pull-up-specific training into your workouts two to three times per week - that's just enough to stimulate growth but not so much as to make you feel stale and unmotivated from overtraining.
Any able-bodied, open-minded person can develop the strength and mental attitude to do multiple, unassisted pull-ups. Just make up your mind to do it, and then start, a little bit at a time.
