And kipping. Kip, yo.

It can take a looong time, and even then, I don't think every woman can do them. It takes a *lot* of upper body--and abdominal--strength, more than most women can reasonably build. I used to be able to do them when I was rowing, but that was a while ago, and even then, I was one of the few on my team who could.

Anonymous wrote:assisted pull up machine or use those portable pull up bars you hang in the door way and use a chair to assist you.

Yes, start with the pull-ups bars that expand in the doorway. Start with the bar at shoulder height, hold the bar and walk forward about 2 steps, this will make you lean back a little, hang from your arms with your feet on the floor, do some pull-ups where you are not pulling the full weight of your body. Each day, keep increasing the reps that you do until you get comfortable with a fair amount (say 25 or so reps) at that height. Lower the bar 6" or so and take an extra step forward, you should be more inclined before and your arms will be supporting more of your body weight. Daily either increase the reps or increase the incline until you have the bar about waist height and you are essentially lifting most of your upper body with your feet/heels on the floor. Move the bar back to shoulder height and now step backwards 2 steps and bend your knees until you are hanging by your arms with your toes on the floor. Do pull-ups giving a little more support from your feet/ankles if needed. Keep making adjustments, slowly bearing more and more of your weight on your arms.

There is really no way to do this without slowly increasing the muscles in your arms and training those muscles. You can get expensive equipment to do it or just learn to use your body weight and start with what you can do and slowly increase the amount of your weight you bear. It will take months.

As PPs have said, do reverse pull-ups and use the assisted pull-up machine. I think the real key is consistency. I used to have a pull up bar over the bathroom door and do one every time I went to the bathroom. I got so I could do seven in a row. That's the most I ever did though and that was years ago.

Anonymous wrote:There's a stage in the New Rules of Lifting for Women where you supposedly work up to being able to do a pull-up. I'm not there yet, and I seriously doubt I'll be able to do a pull-up, but you should check it out.

You beat me to this post! Love NROLW! You need to do all the stages, not one. It builds towards doing a pull up.

Look, if I'm 52 and can do a pullup, anyone can do a damn pullup. The way to train is by doing pullups. Use an assisted machine, do reverse pullups, and also use a low bar so part of your weight is supported.

There's a stage in the New Rules of Lifting for Women where you supposedly work up to being able to do a pull-up. I'm not there yet, and I seriously doubt I'll be able to do a pull-up, but you should check it out.

Even with intensive training, only about a quarter of women can do pull-ups:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/why-women-cant-do-pull-ups/

"Men and women who can do them tend to have a combination of strength, low body fat and shorter stature. "

assisted pull up machine or use those portable pull up bars you hang in the door way and use a chair to assist you.

Ha! I've tried the same thing at the park and cannot do a pull up or chin up despite the push ups I do regularly. I recently read a tip that said start with "negative" pull ups until you build enough strength to pull up, so that's where I'm starting. good luck!

Try the Armstrong Pull-Up Program established by Marine Maj. Charles Armstrong. Here is a link to the program here: http://manlypat.wordpress.com/2009/02/24/armstrong-pull-up-program/.

Note: Despite what PP says above, Maj. Armstrong's morning program is heavy on push-ups to develop and strengthen the shoulder girdle.

Pushups don't do much for your lats, which are the muscles chiefly involved in pull-ups. If you are a member of a gym, use the assisted pull-up machine and keep reducing the amount of help it gives you over time.

Get to the point where you can do 50 push-ups, then try again.

How about doing push up and doing some rowing on a rowing machine?

I was with my kids at the playground today and was just fooling around and tried to do a pull up--not even close!
I have never been able to do one.

I am a healthy weight, and I workout. I run 3 times per week (total distance approx. 20 miles per week) and I do strength training with weights (videos, not at a gym)--but are there specific excercizes I should try to build up strength? Or do I just keep attempting pull ups?

Thanks