It’s easy to get distracted seeking rapid gains without noticing plateaus closing in all around you. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know until it’s too late, especially when you’re new to the gym. Luckily, you don’t have to wade into training blindly.

Try this bodybuilding routine — specifically designed for beginners looking to build mass. But it’s not just for packing on size, it can also future-proof your body by building a foundation for every routine to come.

Beginner Bodybuilding Routine

• Push Workout
• Pull Workout
• Legs Workout

The Push/Pull/Legs Split

A push/pull/legs routine is one of the most common forms of splitting your training week, and for good reason. It focuses on synergistic movements (exercises that work overlapping muscles) that can build your physique extremely well as a beginner. From machines, calisthenics (bodyweight training), free weights, and cable work, you’ll catch a crazy pump and plenty of progress to show for it.

Push/pull/legs routines are often performed twice within the same week. Train each routine in order once before taking a rest day and starting the cycle again — three workouts, rest day, three workouts, rest day, repeat.

With this approach, each muscle group will have three to four days of rest while also being worked with a double-dose of training per week. However, don’t fret if your schedule only allows you to train each routine once a week. As long as your total weekly training (the number of hard sets) is consistent, you should see generally equal muscle gain regardless of whether you do it all in one day or choose to spread over two sessions. (1)

To get the most out of your early bodybuilding stages, think about using exercises that will help carry over into future routines. Look to build a foundation of strength, stability, and muscle by incorporating multi-joint exercises such as presses, hinges (deadlift variations), and squatting patterns.

These exercises will also help efficiently approach your core development by not having to specifically add in abdominal training during your beginner stages. As you progress through each day and get deeper into your programs, you can get more specific with isolation-type core training.

The Push Workout

A solid push routine will kick off your push/pull/legs split with a bang. Building up your presses, upper body stability, and finishing with some pump work will set you on a great path for continued progress. A good rule of thumb is to prioritize your biggest or hardest exercises, so line up your presses and calisthenics first. After that, drop into some more moderate weight and repetition work. Isolation-type training can round out your day and leave you walking away ready for your next routine in the split.

Regardless of the exercise or set and repetitions you perform, get each set as close to muscle failure as possible. When you do, most repetition ranges can help deliver an effective dose of muscle-growing stimulus. (2)

Machine Chest Press

• How to Do It: Take a seat on the chest press machine and tuck your shoulder blades together. Take a comfortable-width, palms-down grip on the pressing handles. Slowly lower the handles toward your body until you feel a light stretch across your chest. Press the handles back toward your starting position, stopping just shy of locking your elbows.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-12
• Rest Time: Rest two minutes between sets.

Dip

• How to Do It: Support yourself on an assisted dip machine or parallel dip station by gripping the handles with your palms facing in toward your body. Extend your arms, which allows you to begin each rep from a strong locked out position. Brace your entire body and bend your arms to slowly lower yourself. Allow your torso to lean slightly forward with your elbows aimed at an angle. Once you feel a light stretch in your chest or shoulders, press through your palms and push back toward lockout.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-12
• Rest Time: Rest two minutes between sets.

Machine Pec Flye

• How to Do It: Sit on the pec-deck machine with your entire back flat against the pad. Grab each handle with a slight bend in your elbows. Keep your arms “long” and nearly straight. Bring your palms together in front of your chest before returning to the stretched position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-15
• Rest Time: Rest 90 seconds between sets.

Cable Crossbody Triceps Extension

• How to Do It: Stand in the center of a dual pulley station with the pulleys set at the highest level. Grab the carabiners on each side with the opposite hand — your left hand grabs the right pulley and your right hand grabs the left pulley. Take a small step backward, tuck your shoulder blades back and down, and lean forward slightly with a stable body. Squeeze your upper arms to your sides. Straighten your arms by flexing and extend to lift the weights. Move with a strict, controlled motion.
• Sets and Reps: 2 x 12-15
• Rest Time: Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Single-Arm Overhead Cable Triceps Extension

• How to Do It: Set a cable pulley in the bottom position. Grab the carabiner or a single handle attachment in one hand and stand sideways to the stack with your non-working arm closest to the pulley. Get your arm overhead in a locked out position. Take a small step away from the machine, brace your body, and bend your elbow to lower the weight before extending your arm to lockout.
• Sets and Reps: 2 x 12-15 per arm.
• Rest Time: No rest between arms. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Muscles Trained in the Push Workout

The major muscle groups trained during a push workout will be your pectoralis major (chest), triceps, and anterior deltoids (shoulders).

Pectoralis Major

Your pectoralis major is the largest and most prominent muscle on the front side of your torso. This big patch of muscle is a huge contributor to a well-formed upper body and can help perform many of your upper body strength and muscle-building exercises. Specifically, your pecs help with presses, flyes, and many calisthenics.

Relatively larger muscles, such as your chest, may benefit from regional hypertrophy — where, even within a single muscle, you may get a bit more targeted growth in specific sections based upon your exercise choice and performance. (3) For example, adding an incline to your presses may be one thing to consider for long-term development. (4)

Triceps

Your triceps are a major contributor to arm size. The “tri” in the name triceps means that there are three individual muscle heads that make up the backside of your arm. Luckily for you, when an exercise extends your elbow and straightens your arm, all three triceps heads will make gains. Performing triceps exercises overhead is a great way to help with shoulder stability and recruit a bit more of the “long head” of triceps.

Anterior Deltoids

Your shoulders are the muscle group that caps your upper arm and can be split into three distinct major sections due to its multiple muscle heads and functions. The anterior deltoid, or front shoulder, is appropriately found on the front of your body near the upper part of your chest and it helps perform many similar tasks. Drawing your arm across your body during many pec exercises, such as pressing or flyes, will also hit your anterior deltoids to a large degree.

The Pull Workout

The pull workout will be a great second act in your split. While the muscles involved are arguably a little less “showy” than those worked in the pushing routine, the return on investment cannot be denied. Your physique will rapidly fill out and contribute to a sweet muscular frame to display your hard work. You’ll also hit biceps, which no one ever seems to mind. All in all, this session is a real winner.

You may struggle to feel specific muscles of the back working when you’re still a beginner. If this is the case, try using eccentric control — intentionally slowing down the lowering phase of each repetition. A two to three-second lowering portion can really help here. This shouldn’t have a negative impact on your growth, but may help you learn to execute each exercise more effectively for the long-term. (5)

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

• How to Do It: Grab a dumbbell and a bench to help support your posture. Rest one knee and one hand on the bench as a brace while the other hand holds the dumbbell. Stand on your free leg and brace on the bench with the opposite side of your body on the. Row the dumbbell toward your body until your elbow is near your ribs, before lowering back to a full stretch.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-12 per arm
• Rest Time: No rest between arms. Rest two minutes between sets.

Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Cable Pulldown

• How to Do It: Attach a single handle to a high pulley on a cable pulldown station. Step into a reverse lunge, resting your rear knee comfortably on the floor. Holding the handle in the hand opposite your “forward” leg in the 90-degree lunge position. Brace your entire body and draw the cable toward the front of your shoulder. Control the weight and allow it to return to stretched position overhead without moving your feet. When you switch arms, switch your stance as well.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-15 per arm
• Rest Time: No rest between arms. Rest 90 seconds between sets.

Chest-Supported T-Bar Row

• How to Do It: Take the wide handles on a chest-supported T-bar row station. Lean your upper body against the chest support and brace your legs on the platform. Draw the weight toward your body while keeping your elbows flared out at a comfortable angle. Don’t allow your elbows to “pinch” inward. Slowly lower the weights back to the starting position for a full stretch.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-12
• Rest Time: Rest 90 seconds between sets.

Cable Reverse Flye

• How to Do It: Set two cable pulleys slightly above shoulder-height. Grab the carabiners or a single handle each side of the cable, using opposite hands. Keep your arms mostly straight and take a small step backwards. Tuck your shoulder blades back and down, assume a stable stance, and brace your core. Draw your arms back, creating a “standing T” posture, before returning your arms in front to lower the weight.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-15
• Rest Time: Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Single-Arm Face-Away Cable Curl

• How to Do It: Attach a single handle the lowed position of a cable pulley. Grab the handle and face away from the cable stack. Take a small step forward and keep the handle by your side — aim to feel a “pre-stretch” in your biceps muscle. Lean slightly forward at your waist and perform curls, flexing to the top and extending your arm into a full stretch at the bottom.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-15
• Rest Time: No rest between arms. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Muscles Trained in the Pull Workout

Your pulling routine will cover a ton of muscular real estate, with many exercises crossing over to train several muscles at once. Working your pull muscles will recruit your latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, posterior deltoids, and biceps brachii — which is why this session would also be considered a back and biceps workout.

Latissimus Dorsi

The latissimus dorsi is of the largest muscles on your body. It is a big swath of muscle that spans most of your back and each side of your torso. Exercises that draw your arm from high to low and from front to back are going to be powered to, a huge degree, by your latissimus dorsi. This includes pulldowns and rows of all varieties but, particularly, variations that use an arm path close to your body (as opposed to extra-wide-grip rows), will be great here. 

Trapezius

Your trapezius muscle is another relatively large, triangular-shaped muscle that spans from the back of your neck down toward your mid-back. Your trapezius is used in many different exercises because of how broadly it attaches to your body.

Most commonly, exercises that pull your arms back towards your body — especially with a flare-out elbow position and a double-overhand grip — will be best. Think about squeezing your shoulder blades together while using a double-overhand grip to better target the traps in any pulling exercise.

Rhomboids

Your rhomboids are a close neighbor of your traps and they will be smoked by many of the same types of pulling exercises. Movements that require you to protract and retract your shoulder blades (bringing them together and apart) will have a big carry over to building your rhomboids. Performing exercises from a slightly low-to-high arcing motion might also help you hit the rhomboids slightly better, such as upright row variations.

Posterior Deltoid

Much like your anterior deltoids are trained during the pushing workout, your posterior deltoids — on the backside of your shoulder — are heavily targeted during many pull routine exercises. Similar to you rhomboids and trapezius, most exercises that bring your arm backward, while using an overhand grip, can help build some well-developed posterior delts.

Keeping your shoulder blades locked in the same position during these movements will emphasize the posterior deltoids a bit more, because it will shift focus away from your trapezius and onto your rear delts.

Biceps Brachii

One of the benefits of a pulling workout is that your biceps brachii (those good ol’ biceps) get a double dose of love during pulling routine. Effectively, all of your back exercises will have some form of biceps involvement due to your arms connecting you to the weights. After some indirect work through the your entire session, it’s common to finish them off with a direct biceps exercise or two that really emphasize flexing your arm.

Inescapable Leg Day

For some, leg training can be a necessary evil. It can be a grueling day at the office, but a huge set of wheels is a prerequisite for bodybuilding and muscular legs complement any overall physique. Although barbell work can eventually be an asset here, building some quality muscle and slowly working it into place is likely a better plan for long-term results.

As a beginner, too much barbell work, too fast can be disproportionately fatiguing. In the long run, you’ll get more than your fair share of barbell training but, for now, ease in with machines and dumbbells.

Your leg routine can be a great way to build full body strength in the long term as well. The goal will still be to safely perform each set to a high degree of difficulty (close to muscle failure). If you can, erring on the slightly heavier side of things can help with strength development development while still producing serious muscle gain. (2) 

Hack Squat

• How to Do It: Step onto the hack squat machine, resting your entire back — from your hips to shoulders — flat against the pad. Set your shoulders snugly into the shoulder pads, and lay your head flat against the support. Use a comfortable foot stance with your feet pointed slightly out. Brace your entire body, unrack the weight, and bend your legs to lower yourself as deeply as comfortably possible. Stand up to return to the starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-10
• Rest Time: Rest two to three minutes between sets.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

• How to Do It: Grab a pair of dumbbells and stand with them comfortably alongside your body. Take a hip-width foot and slightly bend your knees. Brace your entire body and squeeze the dumbbells tight. Slowly slide your hips back while keeping your knees in the same position and keeping your back nearly straight. Keep shifting your hips back until you feel a slight stretch across your glutes and hamstrings before standing up.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 8-10
• Rest Time: Rest two minutes between sets.

Glute Bridge

• How to Do It: Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent to roughly 90-degrees. Place a dumbbell comfortably across your lap and support each end of the weight with your hands to secure it in place. Brace your core and extend your hips by driving through your feet and flexing your glutes. When your hips are raised to form a nearly straight line from your knees to your chest, hold a strong squeeze for one second before lowering yourself back to the starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-15
• Rest Time: Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Leg Extension

• How to Do It: Sit on the leg extension machine, adjusting the seat so that the back of your knees rest comfortably against the pad. The ankle roller should also sit comfortably at the natural curve between your foot and shin. Grab the side handles for support before flexing your quadriceps to extend your knees. Squeeze in the top position for a solid second before slowly lowering your legs back to the starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12
• Rest Time: Rest 90 seconds between sets.

Lying Hamstring Curl

• How to Do It: Lie face down on the machine, placing your hips comfortably at the natural crease on the machine padding. The ankle roller should be adjusted to sit a few inches above your heels. Grab the handles and brace your core before squeezing your hamstrings to draw your feet toward your butt. Slowly lower your legs to a full stretch and repeat.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 12-15
• Rest Time: Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Muscles Trained in the Leg Workout

This leg workout will target the major muscle groups of the lower body. While your calves and inner thighs also could be trained directly, they should get some good initial growth from this routine as-is. The main targets will be the quadriceps, gluteals, and hamstrings.

Quadriceps

The quadriceps are the big muscles that compose the front of your thighs. There are four distinct muscles that make up the same “muscle group” but they all contribute to straightening or extending your leg. Hitting a good squat pattern and knee/leg extension are the meat and potatoes of quadriceps training.

Gluteals

The gluteals, or “glutes,” are your butt. They are actually one of the biggest muscles on your body and they contribute to many powerful exercises. Squats, deadlifts, and Olympic lifting are all very glute-dominant movements. Basically, anything that extends your hip requires your glutes to perform.

Although big movements moving potentially heavy weights can be key to developing big glutes, relatively smaller movement patterns like a basic glute bridge can help build up some much sought after muscle mass, too.

Hamstrings

The hamstrings are the beefy back portion of your legs. They are made up of three large muscle “bellies,” but they generally perform knee flexion (curling) and hip extension (straightening). This means that your hinge-based movements like Romanian deadlifts and hamstring curls will hit them quite hard throughout your lower body routines.

How To Warm-Up for Stronger, Safer Training

Warming up for a bodybuilding routine can be as simple as hitting some lighter weight, higher repetition sets of your first exercise. Depending on your needs, it could also be a lightweight circuit that helps mobilize and stabilize your joints for the task at hand. Regardless, if you’re looking for a straightforward, general, and effective approach to warming up for your bodybuilding routine, try these.

Upper Body — Push and Pull Day

Warming up your upper body will be very centered upon your shoulders. Most issues arise from a lack of mobility or stability around the shoulders and it can negatively impact both your push and pull days.

As a general rule, a solid amount of band pull-aparts, face pulls, and single-arm bottoms-up kettlebell presses can prepare you for a hard day at the upper body office. If you feel particularly stiff on a given day, you can also throw in some pec or lat stretches first.

Lower Body

Your lower body warm-up will be all about hip mobility and stability. This gives you the leeway to use certain unweighted exercises such as lunges, split squats, or single-leg Romanian deadlifts to help prepare.

You can also get a good general warm-up from most cardio equipment. A moderate-incline power walk or, better yet, a few rounds on an air bike can be just the trick when you want to think less and work more. If you struggle with core positioning, a few planks can set you straight.

Get Gaining

The beginner stage of bodybuilding is a wonderful time. Your body is literally adapting to training as quickly as it ever will. This can be extremely motivating, but it can also be easy for an overzealous trainee to leave gaps in long-term development. Using this push/pull/legs split can be just the ticket. Its frequency will help you grow some serious muscle while also giving you the programming flexibility to leave no muscle-building stone unturned. Get started today, begin gaining some quality muscle, and build the foundation that will serve you far down the line.

References

1. Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., & Latella, C. (2019). Resistance training frequency and skeletal muscle hypertrophy: A review of available evidence. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 22(3), 361–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2018.09.223
2. Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., Ogborn, D., & Krieger, J. W. (2017). Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 31(12), 3508–3523. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002200
3. Zabaleta-Korta, A; Fernández-Peña, E; Santos-Concejero, J. (2020) Regional Hypertrophy, the Inhomogeneous Muscle Growth: A Systematic Review. Strength and Conditioning Journal 42(5):p 94-101, DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000574 
4. Chaves, S. F. N., Rocha-JÚnior, V. A., EncarnaÇÃo, I. G. A., Martins-Costa, H. C., Freitas, E. D. S., Coelho, D. B., Franco, F. S. C., Loenneke, J. P., Bottaro, M., & Ferreira-JÚnior, J. B. (2020). Effects of Horizontal and Incline Bench Press on Neuromuscular Adaptations in Untrained Young Men. International journal of exercise science, 13(6), 859–872.
5. Bernárdez-Vázquez, R., Raya-González, J., Castillo, D., & Beato, M. (2022). Resistance Training Variables for Optimization of Muscle Hypertrophy: An Umbrella Review. Frontiers in sports and active living, 4, 949021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2022.949021

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This staple exercise should be the backbone of many pulling workouts for beginners and advanced lifters alike. You don’t even need a gym. Heck, you don’t really even a pull-up bar. A sturdy tree or swingset can be enough to deliver you massive back, shoulder, and arm gains. Mastering the pull-up will be a game changer in your fitness journey.

• Benefits of the Pull-Up
• How to Do the Pull-Up
• Pull-Up Variations
• Pull-Up Form Tips
• How to Program the Pull-Up

Benefits of the Pull-Up

The pull-up is a training staple for a reason. It delivers a myriad of benefits from mastering your own body to getting stronger to adding lean muscle. Let’s cover them all.

Functional Strength

Yes, functional training has been a trend in recent years. To specifically define what makes an exercise “functional” is a bit of headache, but there is a certain beauty and practicality in being able to move your own body around, just like with the push-up, running, or jumping. Mastering bodyweight movements and building coordination is a quality every human should strive for.

What is clear is that the pull-up can improve your overall strength and is transferable to many other activities and exercises, such as climbing, gymnastics, or even wrestling. Being stronger at the pull-up is being stronger at life, with improved grip strength and stronger back, arm, and core muscles.

Building Muscle

The pull-up shows up in so many resistance training plans because of its efficient ability to build size. It is one of the best, if not the best, muscle-builders for the back.(1) It is also a tremendous exercise for upper arm and forearm size. Moreover, it spares your lower back and legs from participating in the movement, which can be great if you’re injured or want to avoid excessive training volume in these body parts.

You can focus more on your pulling muscles, which improves your mind-muscle connection and provides quality volume to the target muscles. This will give you the best chance of building a well-developed back.(2)(3)

Better Grip

Grip strength can be easily overlooked, but is actually invaluable. Most exercises, even for the lower body, use your hands. The pull-up can improve your grip because you are required to lift your entire body and connect yourself to the bar.

This will directly be transferable to other pulling exercises and deadlift variations, but strong forearms and grip will also stabilize your wrists during pressing exercises such as the bench press, and can improve overall wrist, elbow, and shoulder joint health.(4) Grip strength is also linked to longevity and general health, which is a hefty bonus.(5)

How to Do the Pull-Up

The pull-up might be a bodyweight exercise, there is still technique involved if you want to master it and reap all its benefits.

• Set yourself in position by hanging from a bar with your arms completely extended using a slightly wider than shoulder-width grip and your hands pronated (palms facing away from you).
• Pull your shoulder blades back, raise your chest, and engage your core to prevent yourself from swaying.
• Pull yourself toward the bar by flexing your elbows and squeezing your back until your chin is over the bar. If you’re a taller lifter or have long limbs, you might need to stop sooner if your back and arms fully contract before that point.
• Exhale and hold the contraction for one second while keeping your chest arched and your body tensed.
• Lower slowly by extending your arms in a controlled fashion to prevent as much swaying as possible.
• Once you’re at a dead-hang, you’ve completed a pull-up. Repeat for the desired amount of repetitions.

Pull-Up Variations

The task ahead is daunting, but the challenge of the pull-up is worthy and you shouldn’t be intimidated by it. If you struggle with the movement, there are some variations that will help you towards your first good rep.

Negative Pull-Up

With this variation, you’re only doing the eccentric (lowering) part of the lift. To perform it, simply stand on a box, grab the bar and jump into the top position. Then slowly lower yourself in four to five seconds.

This is an excellent variation if you struggle with pull-ups, want to build pull-up strength, or cannot perform one strict repetition. You’ll be able to do these because muscles are stronger during the eccentric part of a lift.(6) This way, you can accumulate pull-up volume and practice the lift as well as gain strength in the desired muscles, even if you can’t perform a full range of motion pull-up.

Band-Assisted Pull-Up

A resistance band will “lighten” your body weight so the exercise requires less strength. This is a better variation to get better at pull-ups than the machine assisted pull-up, because the band incorporates some components of total-body stability and coordination.

Loop a durable resistance band around the bar and let it hang down. Put your feet in it, keeping your legs straight and your body tense. Now start pulling. The feeling and overall technique is very close to the unassisted bodyweight pull-up, so it will have plenty of direct carryover.

Inverted Row

This goes by many different names — horizontal row, bodyweight row, Australian pull-up — but it’s a relatively easier version of the pull-up because now you’re pulling horizontally and you’re moving a lower percentage of your body weight. It’s a perfect variation to master before trying pull-ups, as it recruits and trains the same muscles.

Set yourself under a fixed bar and grab it using a pronated (palms down) grip. Flex your core and legs so that your body is tense and in a straight line. Now, pull your chest to the bar. The inverted row is efficient because you can easily scale it down or up.

If it’s too tough, set the bar higher which improves your leverage and decreases the body weight being pulled. If it’s not challenging enough, reduce the bar height, and eventually elevate your feet to make the lift even harder. When you feel confident enough, the pull-up will be awaiting you.

Pull-Up Form Tips

If you want to really nail down your pull-up game, pay attention to these form tips. Proper technique is essential to prevent injuries and progress faster.

Brace Your Whole Body

You might think of the pull-up as only a back and arms movement, but that’s not the case if you want maximum efficiency. Studies have shown that the abs, for instance, are heavily involved in the pull-up.(7) Why is that? Your core — composed of your abs, lower back, and some hip muscles — as well as your legs have to work extra hard to stabilize your body.

During the pull-up, take a deep breath in and flex your abs as much as you can to prevent excessive swinging, which would otherwise alter the efficiency and mechanics of the lift. To recruit your core even more, straighten your legs and hold them together. If you still have trouble preventing swaying, take a few seconds between each rep to reset yourself and ensure picture perfect form.

Keep Your Chest Up

When the lift becomes difficult, it’s tempting to round your upper back and use the assistance of more muscles. The problem is that it internally rotates your shoulders (making them roll forward) and places the shoulder joint in a precarious position.

You have to keep your chest up and your back slightly arched if you want to avoid injuries and train the target muscles correctly. Keep in mind that it will always be better to do fewer repetitions with better form. Doing your pull correctly will ensure you use your lats as efficiently as possible.

Use a Full Range of Motion

If you’re doing half-reps, you’re not “really” doing pull-ups. Yes, pull-ups are a challenging exercise, but cutting the range of motion short is not a valid strategy to get better at them. By reducing the length of pull, you never work the hardest part of the movement and you reduce time under tension, resulting in poorer muscle gains and strength development.(8)

Sure, you really want to nail this exercise, but you’ll be better off practicing the alternatives with proper form, like negative pull-ups or band-assisted pull-ups, rather than performing half-repetitions and getting half results. Practice perfect technique, use the variations, and you’ll master the pull-up soon enough.

Programming the Pull-Up

The pull-up is a versatile exercise that can be suited to beginners and experienced lifters alike, for a variety of goals. All along your lifting journey, the pull-up is a valuable exercise no matter what your goal is. If you’re stronger, you can even add weight to your pull-ups to keep reaping the strength and size benefits of the exercise.

• For Strength: Perform three to five sets of three to five reps.
• For Muscle Growth: Do three to four sets of eight to 12 reps.
• For Muscular Endurance and Conditioning: Perform two to three sets of 15 to 20 reps.
• For Strength-Skill (Technique): Do eight to 12 sets of one to three reps using short rest periods and avoiding muscular failure.

Pull-ups, like many bodyweight exercises, are a skill dictated by your muscles as well as your nervous system. Remember that perfect technique should always be respected if you want to progress efficiently. Avoid reaching muscular failure while learning the lift. This will prevent excessive fatigue from negatively affecting your technique.

Don’t Pull the Plug on Pull-Ups

The pull-up is too valuable of an exercise to skip just because it’s challenging to learn. Set aside your anxiety, follow the advice laid out above, and start working towards your first pull-up. By the time you’re able to bang a few good reps, your fitness and physique will have drastically improved.

References

1. Hewit, Jennifer. (2018). A Comparison of Muscle Activation during the Pull-up and Three Alternative Pulling Exercises. Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine & Treatment in Sports. 5. 10.19080/JPFMTS.2018.05.555669.
2. Calatayud J, Vinstrup J, Jakobsen MD, Sundstrup E, Brandt M, Jay K, Colado JC, Andersen LL. Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2016 Mar;116(3):527-33. doi: 10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7. Epub 2015 Dec 23. PMID: 26700744.
3. Schoenfeld BJ, Contreras B, Krieger J, Grgic J, Delcastillo K, Belliard R, Alto A. Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2019 Jan;51(1):94-103. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764. PMID: 30153194; PMCID: PMC6303131.
4. Coombes BK, Bisset L, Vicenzino B. Management of Lateral Elbow Tendinopathy: One Size Does Not Fit All. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2015 Nov;45(11):938-49. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2015.5841. Epub 2015 Sep 17. PMID: 26381484.
5. Bohannon RW. Grip Strength: An Indispensable Biomarker For Older Adults. Clin Interv Aging. 2019;14:1681-1691 https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S194543
6. Hody S, Croisier JL, Bury T, Rogister B, Leprince P. Eccentric Muscle Contractions: Risks and Benefits. Front Physiol. 2019 May 3;10:536. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00536. PMID: 31130877; PMCID: PMC6510035.
7. Hewit, Jennifer. (2018). A Comparison of Muscle Activation during the Pull-up and Three Alternative Pulling Exercises. Journal of Physical Fitness, Medicine & Treatment in Sports. 5. 10.19080/JPFMTS.2018.05.555669.
8. Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, Little JP, Cochran AJ, Hector AJ, Cashaback JG, Gibala MJ, Potvin JR, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012 Jan 15;590(2):351-62. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200. Epub 2011 Nov 21. PMID: 22106173; PMCID: PMC3285070.

Featured Image: MilanMarkovic78 / Shutterstock

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4 Ways to Be a Good Training Partner: Getting Started in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Valerie Worthington)

One thing I have become pretty good at is helping people feel comfortable drilling and training with me; this, in turn helps me have a more enjoyable training experience.

How to Be a Good Training Partner, Part 2: What to Wear to Grapple (Valerie Worthington)

What message are you sending when you suit up for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class? Make sure it is the right message, one that will make people want to train with you.

5 Things I Wish I Had Known When I First Started Training BJJ (Valerie Worthington)

I’ve been thinking about how little I knew when I first began training BJJ. In the spirit of helping newcomers to the sport, here’s a list of 5 things I wish I had known when I first started

How to Spot a Toxic Martial Arts Club Environment (Sally Arsenault)

People new to martial arts might not realize how a healthy school should operate and might accidentally wind up at a toxic club with negative, even dangerous behavior. Here’s how to assess your club.

Surviving (Socially) the Beginner Phase of BJJ (Valerie Worthington)

Getting started in BJJ is hard enough, but chances are you’re also a bit of a social pariah around your academy. There’s a reason for this, and there are also better and worse ways to get through it.

Advice for BJJ Beginners: From MMA and BJJ Pros (Sally Arsenault)

Emily Kwok, Seymour Yang, Braulio Estima, the Miyao Brothers, Mackenzie Dern, and Alan Belcher give advice to beginner BJJ students. They share what they would have done differently in their training.

A Hotter Mess Than I Thought: 5 More Things I Wish I Had Known When I First Started Training BJJ (Valerie Worthington)

I had so much fun writing my last piece about things I wish I had known when I started BJJ, that I decided to write about five more things I wish I had known. Sadly, that turned out to be quite easy.

Tips for Choosing a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy (Valerie Worthington)

Looking for a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy? Here are some issues to consider so you can ensure a good, long-lasting fit.

Photo provided by David Brown Photography.

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I recently began teaching a women’s only Brazilian jiu jitsu class at Titans MMA in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Now that I am a purple belt, I feel as though I can offer quality guidance to new students due to my years of experience. I also have a strong team I can go to for the things I don’t know. I take the teaching role very seriously. I want to help my students develop excellent technique, of course, but I also would like to help them to avoid mistakes I made as a white belt.

Looking back, there are a lot of things I would have changed in my training approach. Since I feel that way, I wondered if there were others who felt the same. I started sending out emails to well-known fighters and BJJ players to ask their advice. Here’s what they had to say about being a beginner in BJJ:

Emily Kwok

Emily Kwok is a world champion and black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. When I asked her what she would have done differently when she began, she said:

Everything and nothing. I think my experiences have led me to where I am now, and I enjoy this place a lot. Sometimes I find myself lamenting that I wish I had a singular team or institution to have guided me throughout my career so that I could have had a legendary competitive resume! Certainly I wish there had been no petty team politics involved, but at the end of the day I am a better-off person for having gone through it all. I really enjoy working with others and keeping people inspired, and perhaps being a multiple time World Champion was not in the cards for me. Then again, perhaps I’m not finished yet!

BJJ has taught me so much about myself and how I engage with the world. All of my particular triumphs and challenges have led me to have a very colorful life. I can confidently say, as my friend Val says, “You don’t know what you don’t know,” which means that we lead ourselves through the dark much of the time and you have to hope that it’s all been worthwhile!

Seymour Yang

If you’ve ever bought or want to buy a Brazilian jiu jitsu gi or related gear, you want to know BJJ brown belt Seymour Yang – also known as Meerkatsu. If Meerkatsu could go back in time he would “not treat each spar like it was war.” He explained:

It’s easy to say with hindsight and a few years worth of experience and skill level, but my early years of sparring were quite frustrating. I am a very small and light chap, so when I rolled I was never going to be able to use strength as a way out. Unfortunately, as a white belt, I had nothing else to use so I tried real hard to fight strength with strength.

I would also forget the whole period where I became an obsessed nerdy technique hunter – I think everyone hits that period where they search for new techniques to satisfy their hunger for the next cool thing. I was doing this, obtaining hundreds of hours of instructionals, but I was neglecting the basics.

These days, I avoid pretty much all instructionals. I just don’t have time for them. I also long ago stopped writing a training log. It was pointless and, when I read them back after a while, meaningless most of the time.

Having said that, I’m not one to look back and regret anything. BJJ has brought so many positives in my life … and continues to do so. The bond I have with a person all the way across the world who trains the same as I do, man, that’s an amazing experience.

Braulio Estima

Braulio Estima is a second-degree black belt under Carlos Gracie Junior. He believes that everything he went through as a beginner made him what he is today. He said, “If there is anything I would do differently, probably I would start wrestling at an earlier age or more often in the later stage, as it is essential to have a strong wrestling skills to go far in MMA nowadays.”

The Miyao Brothers

The Miyao Brothers are a pair of purple belts who, according to their sponsors at Scramble, “are the hottest things coming out of Brazil, bringing an aggressive, exciting, and innovative guard game to all opponents.” One of the brothers spoke of his time as a white belt and said, “I only wanted to roll and roll; it is important to drill the basics. I think if I would do more reps during practice but of course, not taking away from time with sparring partners as that is also very important.”

Mackenzie Dern

Although BJJ black belt Mackenzie Dern doesn’t remember very much about her early years since she began at the age of four. She shared:

The biggest challenge for beginners would be to just stay consistent. A lot of the times I see people who train really hard every day for one month and then stop for the next two months. Like that it will be really hard to progress in jiu-jitsu! It does not matter if you just train two times a week but as long as you train every week you will get to your goals! Consistency keeps your muscle memory strong and your timing for the positions will just keep getting better and better!

Alan Belcher

At UFC on FOX 3 Alan “The Talent” Belcher won an impressive victory over Rousimar Palhares, a submission specialist known for his vicious leg locks. Defense is equally important as offense in jiu jitsu and Belcher was able to shrug off all of Palhares’s attacks. Belcher’s advice for new students: “Focus on details, and make your main focus drilling and not sparring. Sparring will train bad habits. Drilling slow will build a base and the core strength needed. I wasted a lot of time sparring. Be smart, drill, and speed up your progress.”

My Thoughts

When I was a white belt I found Stephan Kesting’s Beginning BJJ and downloaded A Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, but only after I’d been training for over a year. As a beginner I feel it would have been very helpful to have read that first to get “the big picture.” There’s so much to learn and at first I found it overwhelming. Getting bits and pieces in class and not really knowing how they fit into an overall game was confusing.

If you are new to Brazilian jiu jitsu, then “you don’t know what you don’t know,” but now you do know that it’s a good idea to attend class regularly, drill, learn more about how all of the pieces of BJJ come together, and that the mistakes you do end up making won’t hold you back in the long run. Train hard and always remember that it’s most important to have fun!

Alan Belcher photo by East718 at en.wikipedia (Transferred from en.wikipedia) [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons.

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