Priming for a Pullup: How to Do Negatives

If mastering a pullup is on your short list of fitness goals, training with negative pullups, or negatives, may help you reach your goal faster than ordinary strength training exercWhat is a negative pulluNegatives are the downward half of a pullup — the part where you lower yourself from the bar. Athletic trainers and physical therapists refer to negative pullups as “closed chain” exercises because your hands stay connected to the bar throughout the Here’s how to do Start above the Since you’re only executing the latter half of a pullup, you’ll need to start with your chin above the baYou can stand on any secure object to get you into the correct position — a stepladder or stable chair or exercise box all work well. You can also ask a spotter to lift you up and hold you in position until you’re ready to begin.

Pull your shoulder blades togethEngage your latissimus dorsi muscles and don’t rely on the muscles in your arms by lifting your chest slightly and pull your shoulder blades toward each other, as though you’re trying to make them meet. Think of your shoulder blades as “down and back” before you step off your supportLower slowLift your feet off of your step if they’re not already in the air. Then slowly lower yourself from the bar, controlling your descent to maximize resistance on the way down.

Maintaining control of the release is the hard part — just dropping off the bar won’t build muscle or teach your body the sequence of the muscle movementLower fulYou’re finished when you’re in a “dead hang” with your arms fully extended over your head and your feet touching either the floor or the object on which you initially stooYou can repeat the negative on its own or pair it with partner-assisted pullups to build strengthPausing at intervaWhen you’ve built the muscle control to complete a negative from start to finish, you can increase endurance by pausing for several seconds as you lower yourself.

Try one pause at first, then gradually increase the number of pausing intervals until you’re stopping for 5 to 10 seconds at one-quarter, half, andquarters of the way dowWhat’s the benefit of only doing half the exerNegatives are considered eccentric exercises, meaning that the muscle is lengthening during the movement rather than shortening or contractinLots of research has been done to determine whether lengthening muscles or contracting them is more effective at building strength and muscle masSome studiesTrusted Source show eccentric exercises and concentric exercises are equally effective at building muscle mass, and some researchTrusted Source indicates that eccentric exercises are more effective at muscle building, especially if you incorporate stretching.

The important takeaway here is that negative pullups build muscle in the same groups you’ll need to do a full pullupNegatives also give you a chance to increase your grip strength. Clutching the bar — even in a dead hang — requires power in the complex network of muscles in your hands, wrists, and forearms. Regularly executing a series of negatives gradually increases your grip strength and endurancNegatives teach your body how to perform a pullup. There are lots of ways to build muscle mass, strength, and endurance. The advantage of doing negatives is that you’re training your muscles in the sequence your body needs to know to execute a pullup correctly.