Pull ups are a powerful exercise that unfortunately, many people avoid like the plague. The reason is simple, pull ups are difficult! Many people have trouble doing one pull up, much less a workout incorporating many. That's too bad because pull ups have the ability to dramatically increase shoulder, back, and grip strength in no time.



Like many body weight training exercises, pull ups are an efficient exercise that incorporates a multitude of muscles during each rep. Few other workouts can hit your upper body and grip strength the way that pull ups can. Try busting a few and you'll find that your arms, shoulders, back, and abs all get hit at once.

It doesn't matter if you can't even do one pull up; once you start trying you'll be reaping the benefits of the exercise. You just need to build up to the point of incorporating entire sets into your workout plan. The best way to work up to this is by using a technique call Greasing the Groove.

One of the absolute best methods in increasing your pull ups that worked tremendously well for me is something called Grease the Groove. This method was taught by Russian Kettlebell instructor, Pavel Tsatsouline. The idea is that if you can only do one pull up, you obviously aren't going to be able to pump out a few reps. If you have access to a pull up bar, every time you pass by it, do that one pull up. Never go to failure, just do that one pull up or as many as you can do, but a few less. As the hours pass, you'll have done 10 or more pull ups. This is greasing the groove.

You might say, that looks good in theory, but what if I don't have access to a pull up bar. The answer is to grease the groove during your workout. Let's assume that you are at the gym for about an hour. During that hour in between sets of other exercises, go to the pull up bar and just do a few pull ups, not to failure. Perform pull ups every 5 minutes or so. As the hour passes, you'll have done about 10-15 pull ups. So, start working on your pull ups and you'll be reaping the benefits of having a powerful upper body, ridiculous grip strength, and the impressive ability to lift yourself over and over in no time.

One piece of equipment that gave me the ability to do pull ups at home or anywhere I wanted was the Tactical Athlete Pull up System (TAPS). It assembles to become a free-standing pull up system. I use it at home or take it with me. It assembles in about 15 minutes and is perfect for group training or outdoor training.

The height, portability, and stability of the Tactical Athlete Pull Up System are what make it special. The adjustable height allows you to do exercises with a full hang, no matter how tall you are. The portability also allows you to put it up wherever you want to workout, whether that be in your garage, backyard, or at a park. For doing pull ups, nothing beats it.