The pull up is the ultimate test of strength and one of the best exercises you can do. It exercises your back, your arms and your core muscles. However many people think that because they can't do a pull up now they will never be able to do one. So today I am going to explain how to do a pull up and how you can train to get there!

To be able to do a pull up you have to have a strong back, strong arms and a strong grip. The first exercise you should start doing is a bodyweight row (the final exercise of this video is an example). I used a swing but if you have access to a bar or trx use them as well. The lower the bar the harder the exercise. During the exercise concentrate on keeping your core and glutes tensed and pulling your shoulders together as you pull yourself up. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps before increasing the difficulty.

The next exercise improves your grip strength and is very simple. It is called a hang. For this you need a pull up bar and a box or chair. Climb on the box and hold the pull up bar using overhand or underhand grip in the finish position of a pull up. Keep your arms flexed and hang there for as long as possible. Aim to do 3 sets of 30 seconds before moving on to the next exercise.

Negative pull ups are the next exercise. For this you get into the same start position as the hang but you concentrate on slowly lowering yourself to the bottom position of the pull up. Concentrate on keeping your core and glutes tight and using your back muscles as you lower yourself. Practise until you can do a negative over about 20-30 seconds before moving on.

Now you can try assisted pull ups. This can be done with rubber resistance bands or a chair (you can use the weighted pull up machines in gyms but I don't like these as you don't get the proper technique when using them). To use the chair you just have one or both feet balanced on the chair for support as you do a pull up. If you are stuck push through your feet to give you some help (though only use it as much as you need). Resistance bands will also take some of the strain off and come in different strengths. Tie one end to the bar and put your foot through the other end as you do pull ups.

Once you can do about 8-10 assisted pull ups with very little assistance you are ready for the real thing!

1. Hold the bar with your hands about shoulder width apart. If you hold the bar with an overhand grip this is called a pull up. If you use an underhand grip this is a chin up. A chin up uses your biceps a bit more than a pull up but they are both good exercises so use whichever hold is best for you.

2. Concentrate on tensing your back muscles and pulling your shoulder blades together as you pull up. Keep you core and glutes tensed during the movement. This will stop your body moving about.

3. As your body comes up to your arms keep your elbows as close to your body as possible.

4. Pause at the top once you have your chin over the bar and then slowly lower yourself back down.

5. Congratulations you have done a pull up!

Now all you have to do is keep on practising, the more you practice the easier they get and the more you can do!