Pullups are probably one of the toughest bodyweight exercises out there. Not enough people do them. They say they don’t have a pullup bar, and end up buying a cheap resistance band and end up performing pull downs for their back. So they excel in pushups and squats, but suck at pullups.

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I’m hoping I can convince you to start doing some pullups. First, lets solve the equipment “problem.”

• I have two pullup bars: one in my room and the other in my garage. The one in my room cost me around $30 from Model’s. I could have purchased it for half price at ebay or craigslist.
• Those Iron Gyms that they try to sell you on TV for $30, on ebay the biding starts at $.99 with free shipping. Now, all you have to do is keep bidding on the product, and set a price ceiling. If the maximum that you want to purchase your pullup bar is $15, then just stop your bidding at $15.
• Keep doing that until you find the right bar and price, and don’t be afraid to send them your cash. I’ve never had a problem buying anything from ebay. On Craigslist, you can get that same Iron Gym pullup bar for around for $20 although you have go and pick it up yourself.
• When I didn’t have a pullup bar, all I did was hang on the door frame. The door frame is that ledge-type thingamagig on top of your door. You can build up some nice forearms and grip strength if you do pullups this way. Another option is to hang on a door. Be careful of two things when you perform pullups this way:
  • Make sure the door doesn’t swing back and forth. Maybe put a chair or something by the hinge.
  • Put a towel over the top of the door. Your hands will start to hurt after a few reps.
• Lastly…what about a playground! The summer is just around the corner, and some parts of the world are already starting to warm up. Go out to the playground (when there aren’t a whole lot of kids), and start cranking out some pullups!

I come across people all the time who’ll spend $30 bucks on a suitcase full of resistance bands (you know who you are), but won’t spend a dime on a pullup bar, or take the time to improve their pullups. Improving your pullups isn’t rocket science.

The way I learned pullups was just by doing pullups. If, from the dead hang position, you can only move your body for a few inches, then that’s fine! That’s a greater range of motion than what the fat, lazy guy next door is able to do. There are also a lot of other options such as jumping pullups and negatives.

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Workout Without Weights is a complete bodyweight manual written by Coach Eddie Lomax which shows you over 150 bodyweight exercises you can perform in the comfort of your own home. The manual also includes templates you can use to design your own bodyweight programs, plus over 60 sample workouts to keep you challenged. Don’t forget to grab the Combo Package for even more high intensity bodyweight workouts.
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