Pullup Expert is built around a simple idea: pullups should be trained like any other major strength exercise.
Beginners often avoid pullups because they cannot yet lift their full bodyweight. More experienced lifters may perform bodyweight pullups for a while, but abandon them once higher repetitions stop feeling challenging. They replace them with barbell rows, pulldown machines, or other back exercises.
I believe there is a better path.
Beginners can use assistance to train the full pullup movement while gradually building strength. Once bodyweight pullups become manageable, lifters can continue progressing by adding weight. The exercise does not need to disappear from a program simply because someone has moved beyond the beginner stage.
I created Pullup Expert to share practical advice for every part of that progression, from performing a first unassisted repetition to building serious weighted pullup strength.
From Avoiding Pullups to Adding 180 Pounds
I was not naturally good at pullups.
I started lifting through high school football workouts and later adjusted my training to support wrestling. As a heavier kid, pullups were difficult, so I often avoided them. I experienced the same frustration that prevents many larger beginners from seriously training the movement.
Over time, my approach changed. During the past 10 years in particular, pullups have become one of the most important exercises in my training.
Rather than treating pullups as a bodyweight test that I was either good or bad at, I began treating them as a strength exercise that could be progressively overloaded. I trained different grips, assistance methods, repetition ranges, and weighted variations. I also worked through plateaus, grip problems, torn calluses, elbow discomfort, and shoulder irritation.
At a bodyweight of approximately 180 pounds, I performed a neutral-grip pullup with 180 pounds added. The repetition began from a dead hang and finished with my chin clearly above the handles. I have also performed roughly 50 bodyweight pullups in one set.
Those results took years to develop. They were not the product of a single routine or training trick. They came from consistent practice, progressive overload, and a willingness to keep pullups in my program as my strength improved.
My Strength and Sports Background
I have been lifting for nearly 20 years. My training has changed depending on the sport and goal I was pursuing.
I began with general high school football workouts, then trained to support wrestling. I later focused more heavily on powerlifting, where I developed a much stronger understanding of programming, recovery, technique, and progressive overload.
In 2023, I placed third in the 90-kilogram class at USPA Nationals. My best bench press is 405 pounds.
Today, much of my training supports my judo practice. In 2026, I placed second in the 90-kilogram brown-belt division at the USA Judo Senior Nationals.
My experience in wrestling and judo has also allowed me to see both sides of the strength spectrum. I was an average high school wrestler and often felt weaker than the people I competed against. After years of serious strength training, physical strength became one of my clearest advantages in judo.
That experience shapes the advice on this site. I understand how discouraging an exercise can feel when your bodyweight is difficult to move, but I also understand what becomes possible when strength is trained systematically over time.
Helping Beginners Build Their First Pullups
My coaching experience is limited to working closely with two people, but I was fully involved in both training processes. I planned their workouts, adjusted their assistance and training volume, and attended most of their sessions.
One friend began at approximately 210 pounds and initially required about 65 pounds of assistance on an assisted-pullup machine. He had no meaningful athletic or gym background.
He trained pullups roughly every three days as part of a push-pull-legs routine. His pull workouts centered on assisted pullups and dumbbell rows, with occasional curls.
Progress did not mean setting a personal record every workout. Sometimes he reduced the assistance. Sometimes he completed more repetitions at the same assistance level. Sometimes the improvement appeared in total training volume rather than his best set.
Over roughly two years, he progressed from needing substantial assistance to performing multiple pullups with 25 pounds added.
I also helped my wife progress from being unable to perform an unassisted pullup to completing reliable singles.
She had played soccer in high school but had little gym experience. She trained pullups approximately twice per week, primarily using an assisted-pullup machine with dumbbell rows as a supplemental exercise. Her training included occasional interruptions for travel, school, and other responsibilities, but most weeks were consistent.
She achieved her first unassisted pull-up after roughly six months.
These are only two examples, and they do not guarantee that everyone will progress at the same rate. They do demonstrate how I apply the principles discussed on this site with real beginners.
The Pullup Expert Training Philosophy
I believe most people should spend more time practicing the actual movement they want to improve.
Static holds, partial repetitions, rows, pulldowns, and negative pullups can all be useful. However, I think beginner programs often rely too heavily on substitute exercises. When possible, I prefer having beginners perform full-range pullups with enough assistance to complete the movement properly.
My general order of preference is:
- Band-assisted pullups
- Assisted-pullup machines
- Lat pulldowns
- Negative pullups
- Rows
The best option still depends on the equipment available and the individual trainee.
For most beginners, I like training pullups about twice per week. That provides frequent practice while leaving enough time to recover and make progress between sessions.
I also encourage regular attempts at unassisted pullups once someone is reasonably close. Assisted repetitions build the necessary strength, but practicing the goal movement helps a trainee learn what a full repetition feels like.
My standard for a complete pullup is straightforward:
- Begin from a dead hang
- Do not kick or swing to create momentum
- Finish with the chin clearly above the bar or handles
I once placed much more value on overhand pullups than other variations. Over time, I have become more accepting of neutral-grip and underhand pullups. Different grips can all be trained seriously, and the best choice may depend on comfort, equipment, and the person’s goals.
How I Create Content and Recommend Products
I do not hold a personal-training, physical-therapy, or medical certification. Pullup Expert is based on nearly 20 years of lifting, approximately 10 years of focused pullup training, competitive strength and judo experience, and hands-on experience helping two beginners progress.
When relevant, I distinguish between:
- Methods I have used personally
- Methods I have used with trainees
- General training principles
- Information supported by outside research
I only plan to recommend equipment that I have actually used. Pullup Expert may earn a commission from qualifying purchases, but that does not increase the price paid by the reader. Product recommendations are based on usefulness and personal experience rather than the size of the available commission.
The information on this site is educational and is not a substitute for individualized medical diagnosis or treatment. Readers experiencing persistent pain or an injury should consult an appropriate healthcare professional.
Start Training
Pullup Expert is intended to help larger beginners, new lifters, experienced athletes, and anyone else who wants to make pull-ups a more productive part of their training.
Start with the guide that best matches your current level:
Begin training weighted pullups
Get your first pullup
Improve your pullup technique
Increase your repetitions