What Are Negative Pull Ups & How Do You Do Them?

It’s no secret that doing a pull-up is among the many top gym bucket list exercises, but it will possibly be daunting for a brand-new gym goer.

While pull-ups are a cool-looking demonstration of strength, they will be barely intimidating. Often people assume they can not do one, in order that they never try to learn the skill. 

Yes, a pull-up is difficult, however it’s not inconceivable. You simply need to follow a strategic progression plan. If you happen to’re stuck and wish help determining where to start, negative pull-ups are an important place to begin. And lucky for you, we’re about to go over them. 

In actual fact, we’re about to debate them intimately, so you might have a firm grasp of how one can perform and program them. Let the pull ups begin!

Table of Contents:

• What Are Negative Pull Ups?
• Regular Pull-ups vs. Assisted Pull-ups vs. Negative Pull-ups: What’s The Difference?
• Negative Pull-ups Muscles Worked
• Advantages Of Negative Pull Up
• How To Do Negative Pull Ups
• Common Negative Pull-up Mistakes
• Who Should And Should Not Do A Negative Pull Up
• Negative Pull-up Progressions
• Programming Negative Pull-ups And A Sample Workout
• FAQs

What Is A Negative Pull Up?

Okay, so if a pull-up is pulling yourself up while hanging from a bar, what’s a negative pull-up?

The negative pull-up refers back to the lowering portion or eccentric of the pull-up. To do them, you may jump upward to begin together with your chin excessive of the bar after which slowly lower down under control. 

Through the eccentric portion, the muscle lengthens as a substitute of shortening, allowing it to resist a greater load. Slow eccentrics construct more muscle and improve muscular strength greater than concentric contractions¹. 

For instance, in case you performed a one-rep max on a bench press, you’ll discover a weight you possibly can control and press up once in your best day. If you happen to were to take that very same weight and slowly lower down while a spotter assisted you on the best way up, you possibly can do it several times. That is the great thing about eccentrics!

The identical rule applies to pull-ups. If you happen to give attention to controlling the negative and getting stronger there, you may be in your technique to with the ability to pull yourself up. 

Regular Pull-Ups vs Assisted Pull Ups vs Negatives: What is the Difference?

While these might look much like the untrained eye, they’re all pull-up variations with different purposes.

Keep in mind that a pull-up is a body weight exercise and a skill. This implies there’s a listing of progressions to follow so that you can perform one rep. Depending in your fitness, you would possibly start at the start of that progression system or somewhere closer to the tip goal. 

Assisted and negative pull-ups are essential steps along that progression toward your first pull-up. The cool thing about these is that they continue to be helpful once you may do a pull-up. You haven’t got to desert them, but your uses will change barely. 

Assisted Pull Ups

Assisted pull-ups using a machine or a band may have you counting on an external stimulus to enable you to perform the reps. The definition is within the name. They assist you on the best way up.

As the simplest variation, these are an important start line in case you cannot do pull-ups. Not only do you construct confidence every time you pull yourself up, you construct strength, coordination, and body control to arrange you for the following step. 

Negative Pull Ups

The following step is the negative pull-up. This variation shall be closer to the actual deal because there is no such thing as a more assistance from anything. You and your muscles are getting stronger to regulate it on the best way down.

The range of motion is smaller here since you are not pulling yourself up, but do not forget that strengthening that eccentric will do more for you than an assisted pull up². Build up your time under tension on the best way down will construct serious strength in your pulling muscles. 

Standard Pull Ups

Finally, the pull-up is the holy grail of body weight exercises and the tip goal you’ve got been chasing. But simply because you do your first rep does not imply you might have to stop doing the opposite two variations.

You will want to proceed to construct strength to do more reps, so after your standard pull-up sets, it’s still an important idea to perform negatives and assisted pull-ups. 

Negative Pull Ups Muscles Worked

On the subject of the pull-up, you’ll work almost all the pieces in your upper body, including:

• Latissimus dorsi (lats)
• Trapezius
• Rear delts
• Teres major and minor
• Infraspinatus
• Rhomboids
• Biceps
• Pectoralis major
• Erector spinae
• Rectus abdominis
• Transverse abdominis
• Forearms

To simplify, the pull-up will hit all the pieces in your back and help construct some awesome guns and forearms. It is the definition of a compound exercise and why the pull-up is so effective. All in all, it’s incredible for improving your upper body strength.

So is there any difference in muscles worked when doing a negative pull-up? You will work the vast majority of the identical muscles, but interestingly, EMG studies show that through the eccentric portion, the lats, biceps, triceps, and erector spinae are more lively than the concentric portion³.

What does this mean? It means you’ll get stronger doing the negative, and your muscles will grow.

You will notice the primary difference is the triceps’ further activation since they resist the lockout of your elbow through the lowering portion. This exercise may not construct horseshoe triceps, but it should strengthen them. 

6 Advantages Of Negative Pull Ups

Below are a few of the top advantages of this standout upper-body exercise. In search of more great pull-up advantages? Try our article: What Are The Advantages Of Pull-Ups?

1) Improves Grip strength:

The very first thing to likely fail, particularly if they are not strong enough to support your body as you hang from the bar, shall be your hands and forearms.

Negative pull-ups will strengthen these areas in order that your body may give your back muscles a probability to work. The grip is the primary link within the chain that controls all the pieces behind it during this exercise, and the slower you may lower yourself down, the stronger you will get. 

2) Gateway to pull-ups:

There’s nothing like progressing through a body weight skill exercise.

Doing negative pull-ups is only one step on the trail before you may do an unassisted pull-up. Not only does this construct strength, however it also builds confidence as you see yourself achieving different progressions.

3) Builds muscle:

As we mentioned, working on the eccentric portion of an exercise does a improbable job of constructing muscle and constructing strength.

You furthermore mght saw what number of muscles this exercise works in your upper body. It’s protected to say that in case you add these into your programming, you’ll construct some serious slabs of muscle. 

4) Improves body control and coordination:

It could sound easy to leap up, hang from the bar, and slowly lower yourself down. But after trying it just a few times, you may notice how squirmy and uncontrolled your body feels while you ask it to remain still and lower slowly.

Doing negative pull-ups will teach body awareness and improve your ability to keep up your position through the exercise. 

5) Transfers to other lifts:

You will notice advantages from this carryover into different exercises, corresponding to deadlifts and all rowing variations.

Not only does it strengthen the upper body muscles for pulling, but remember in regards to the upside to having a stronger grip. The stronger your hands and forearms are, the more weight you may control.

6) Beginner friendly:

You might not be ready for a pull-up yet, but the wonderful thing about negative pull-ups is that they’re a wonderful option for nearly everyone looking o construct muscle mass and strength.

Whether you’re brand latest or a seasoned vet, negative pull-ups have a spot in your program.

How To Do A Negative Pull Up With Proper Form

You will need to give attention to just a few things to keep up control through the lowering, so try our how-to!

When establishing to perform your negative pull-ups, in case you cannot jump up from the ground, position a box or step to enable you to get in position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/gbPURTSxQLY

• Place your bench/box underneath the pull-up bar so you may stand and reach it. Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip (palms facing away out of your body) barely wider than shoulder-width apart. 
• If you happen to cannot quite pull yourself up over the bar, you will want to do a small jump to enable you to rise up into position. Jump and pull your body up until your chin is above the bar. Squeeze your butt tight like you’re pinching a penny between your cheeks. You possibly can straighten your legs if you might have enough room. Otherwise, you may bend them at a 90-degree angle together with your feet behind you. 
• Keeping your shoulder blades pulled back and tucked down toward your spine, maintain an additional tight grip, slowly lower down, and let your arms straighten. Deal with keeping full body tension and never letting your body swing forward or backward. At first, you have to be aiming for 3-5 seconds on the best way down. 
• Finish the rep together with your arms straight in a dead hang. Pause for a second in case you can, then head back to the starting position on the box and repeat for indicated reps and sets. 

Common Negative Pull-Up Mistakes to Avoid

If you happen to’re just getting began with performing negative pull-ups, be certain you be careful for these mistakes.

• Lowering too fast: This could never feel like a free fall to the underside of the rep. Ensure you’re lowering as slowly as possible, or you will not get the advantages you are chasing. If you happen to cannot lower slowly, you could need to begin with dead hangs or assisted pull-ups until your strength builds. Remember, this is just a step within the progression.
• Loose core: Your body will wish to swing forward and backward like Tarzan swinging from a vine. To be certain this does not occur, keep your butt and hips tight, legs engaged, and either straight or tucked behind you at a 90-degree angle together with your knees right below your hips. 

Who Should Do a Negative Pull-Up?

Keep in mind that a negative pull-up is one step toward performing a standard pull-up and other pull up variations. This exercise is improbable for everybody, however it has a selected use for individuals who have been performing assisted pull-ups and can’t quite yet do a pull-up on their very own.

On top of that, it still has a spot for people who can do regular pull-ups. It may well be used after ending as many body weight reps as possible or as a weighted choice to help construct that eccentric strength. 

Who Shouldn’t Do a Negative Pull-Up?

As an alternative of interested by who should never do a negative pull-up, consider it as who shouldn’t do one yet.

If you happen to’re brand latest to any kind of pull-up, avoid this movement until you might have practiced some assisted pull-ups. That and dead hangs shall be an important start line until your body builds more strength. 

As well as, these 13 Pull Up Alternatives will enable you to work the identical muscle groups until you are able to perform the negative pull up.

2 Negative Pull-Up Progressions

As mentioned, this skill offers lots of progressions to enable you to master it. Whether you are just in search of variety or want alternate ways to construct your back, listed here are some common negative pull-up progressions.

Along with these 2 progressions, you may as well make the negative pull up harder by throwing on a weighted vest and performing a weighted negative pull up. To seek out the most effective vest for you, try: Your Guide To Buying A Weight Vest: Types, Sizes, Uses, And More.

1) Full pull ups:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/HRV5YKKaeVw

When you’re strong enough, add within the concentric portion and pull yourself up before lowering back down again. Standard pull-ups are top-of-the-line compound exercises you may do, and it’s what you’ve got been working hard to attain.

How one can do Pull Ups:

• Reach up and grab the bar with an overhand grip and barely wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Start in a dead hang together with your arms straight. Tighten your hands, retract your shoulder blades, and drive your elbows down while keeping your core tight until your chin is above the bar.
• Pause for a second at the highest after which slowly lower back down without swinging forward or backward. Be certain to squeeze your butt and hips tight. 
• Once your arms are fully straightened, repeat for indicated reps and sets. 

2) Pause pull-ups:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/trq6rUi5F5M

Pause pull-ups are a calisthenics trick to make a body weight exercise tougher before adding weight. As an alternative of just moving up and down, you’ll pause halfway up, at the highest, and halfway all the way down to construct strength and control.

How one can do Pause Pull Ups:

• Reach up and grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip and hands barely wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Ranging from a dead hang, slowly pull yourself up towards the bar. Once you’re halfway, pause for 2-3 seconds before continuing to tug up. 
• Once you might have your chin over the bar, pause for 2-3 seconds before lowering down and pausing halfway again. Lower until your arms are straight, after which repeat for indicated reps. 

Programing Negative Pull Ups

Everyone’s programming will differ barely based on their goals, fitness level, time, and injury history.

For essentially the most part, back muscles are trained twice every week since they’re a much bigger muscle group. Meaning you may do negative pull-ups on each of your pull/back days.

You’ll want to do them first, as they shall be tough to do under fatigue. Shoot for five separate reps with a 3-5 second negative in case you are brand latest. From there, you may work toward 3-5 sets of 10-15 second negatives before progressing to pull-ups. 

Sample Negative Pull-Up Workout Routine

Here’s just a method you may work negative pull-ups into your training program. That is an important routine for back day.

FAQs

Let’s dig in to a few of the more continuously asked questions.

What number of negative pull-ups should I do?

It is dependent upon your strength level and experience, but aim for five reps with a 3-5 second negative as a start line. From there, you may add reps and go until you might have 1-2 more left within the tank, or proceed with one other progression.

Do negative pull ups construct back muscles?

Yes, negatives can construct your back muscles just as much as a full pull-up so long as you’re difficult yourself.

What number of negative pull-ups equal one pull-up?

While there is not any exact science, in case you can do multiple sets of 5+ negatives with a 10-second eccentric lowering portion, it is likely to be time to check your concentric pull-up.

Are you able to get a six pack by doing pull-ups?

No, you will not get a six pack solely from pull-ups. Nonetheless, pull-ups are a few of the most effective indicators of relative strength, AKA how strong you’re in comparison with your body weight. Due to this fact, as you get leaner and stronger, you may have the ability to do more pull-ups. Lean body composition can result in a six pack, but abs are primarily made within the kitchen. For recommendations on how one can get a six pack, try The Ultimate Cutting Workout & Food regimen Plan.

Get Began With Negative Pull-Ups

Regardless of what level you’re starting at, there’s a progression that may enable you to. Pull-ups should feel loads less scary now that you already know there’s a plan to succeed in the ultimate destination.

Negative pull-ups are an important option that prepares you to finish a pull-up and strengthens your pulling muscles and core. As your confidence grows, so will your strength, and you will be closer each session to performing that first pull-up. 

Able to begin your pull-up journey? Head to our Ultimate Pull Up Progression Plan to start!

References:

1. Franchi MV, Reeves ND, Narici MV. Skeletal Muscle Remodeling in Response to Eccentric vs. Concentric Loading: Morphological, Molecular, and Metabolic Adaptations. Frontiers in Physiology. 2017;8. doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00447
2. Prinold JAI, Bull AMJ. Scapula kinematics of pull-up techniques: Avoiding impingement risk with training changes. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2016. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2015.08.002
3. Doma K, Deakin GB, Ness KF. Kinematic and electromyographic comparisons between chin-ups and lat-pull down exercises. Sports Biomechanics. 2013. doi:10.1080/14763141.2012.760204