Cross Training exercises: Top Reasons Why You Still Struggle with Pull Ups

Pull-ups are among the most versatile CrossFit exercises today. You can decide to do them simply with your bodyweight, using your narrow and wide grips, throw in some chains, or better still do the exercise with your palms turned over and doing a chin up. There are lots of benefits that pull-ups confer on your body amongst them strength, development, and muscularity.

While many CrossFitters appreciate these benefits, they also affirm to the fact that pull-ups is one of the most difficult exercises to do. Below are some of the reasons why you may still be struggling to master this workout.

You are Too Heavy

Pull-ups is one of those CrossFit exercises which requires a complete balance of strength. This means you should be stronger compared to your body weight and also light. Many times, athletes have had trouble with bodyweight movements because they are heavy and their general physical preparedness is minimal.

If you have a lot of fat that you need to lose and your shape is not in line, you need to first start tackling the obvious obstacles before you engage fully in pull-ups. For instance, your CrossFit nutrition should be in order to help you cut some weight. You should also focus on heavy resistance training with dumbbells and barbell and undertake other activities including walking, biking, swimming, sprinting, and rowing. Your pull up numbers will also soar if you tighten your nutrition plan and get rid of the excess body fat.

Your Grip Strength is Wanting

People who come from sedentary backgrounds are usually disadvantages in that they don’t play as many sports and their activity level is generally low. As a result, their grip strength tends to be lacking and this undermines their pull-ups. In order to enhance your grip strength, you need to undertake exercises which involve static contractions of the forearms, hands, upper back, and shoulders. Try hanging up on the pull-up bar for a few minutes, take a long walk while carrying two kettlebells, or load up barbells and time your holds for anything between 30 and 60 seconds.

You Over-Rely on Bands

Bands give you resistance or assistance at certain points in your range of motion. However, they can have a major disadvantage in these CrossFit exercises. The most unfortunate thing is that many people hit a snag when they try this and get their chin over the bar. At the top of the pull-up, the band gives you least assistance yet this is when you need it the most. On the flipside, they give you the most assistance on the bottom part of your range of motion. Because of this, people fail to gain a mastery of pull up even after months of exercise.

Inadequate Practicing

In CrossFit training, you are what you continuously do. If your specific work capacity sucks and as such forced to jerk your body around so as to get your chin over the bar, you are simply teaching your body to go through an inefficient movement pattern. Unlearning a bad form is difficult hence it pays to do it right the first time. You can start by hanging on a cheap pull up bar as you take the numbers and do your sets. Each week add reps as you grease your grove to take advantage of enhanced training frequency to perfect your movements.