I Accidentally Got 25% Stronger At Pull-ups - You Can Too Simple Guide)

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:00]I accidentally got 25% stronger at pull-ups.

[00:00:04]All right, for years I thought I had a strong grip. I could hang from one arm, no problem, but my pull-ups had plateaued. 45 lbs for five or six reps.

[00:00:12]And I had this constant low-level elbow pain from all the training and sports I do. One day, I went climbing. I was going to be traveling, so I squeezed in my pull-up workout after. I figured it would suck. I was already fatigued.

[00:00:22]Instead, I hit eight reps. I thought I had just gotten stronger, but next session, no climbing, back to six. So, I kept testing it. And every time I climbed first, I was stronger, up to 25% [music] stronger. And it wasn't a warm-up issue.

[00:00:35]If anything, I tend to over warm up.

[00:00:37]What I realized was this, my pulling was strong, it was just disconnected.

[00:00:41][music] I was leaking power. And once I started actually activating my grip, not just hanging, but actually training it properly, my strength went up. And my elbow pain, gone. And there's actually research to back this up. But more importantly, you can feel it immediately. Here's the 5-minute warm-up I use to get the same 25% bump without having to go climbing first.

[00:01:02]Every session starts with heavy rotations. Most people have tried this with a broomstick. It's not enough. We need load. An axe, a bat, a dumbbell, anything works. We all over train bending the elbow and never touch rotation. It's a recipe for pain, which is why most people who train pulling hard end up with golfer's or tennis elbow. This is the prevention we all need.

[00:01:24]>> I had um the inside >> Yeah.

[00:01:25]>> elbow pain, and this just doing heavy rotations here Okay. fixed it. And I'd been dealing with it for like a year.

[00:01:33]Wow.

[00:01:34]>> But more importantly, just like a weak rotator cuff will limit your bench, if you're not training forearm rotation, you're likely leaking power. Try it right now. Grab something around your house, you'll feel the connection immediately.

[00:01:46]Next, actual forearm strength. Not isolated wrist curls. You want your grip connected to your pull. The sandbag is perfect. You have to wrap your hands around to grab it. Rows are the real winner here, but no sandbag? Just wrap a kettlebell and row it. When your whole hand wraps, your lats and back light up immediately. That connection is what most people are missing. Calisthenics athletes and gymnasts have had this figured out for years. Wrap the whole hand, not just the fingers, and pulling strength goes through the roof. And if you've ever felt that dull ache in the front of your elbow, >> [music] >> this is what fixed it for me. That is so much harder, but I feel that like right in the spot that I can sometimes get a little bit of pain if I'm doing too many pull-ups, essentially. Right here. Oh my god, that's good.

[00:02:30]Speaking of gymnasts, they're some of the [music] strongest pullers in the world, and they all start with climbing the rope. It's the foundation, [music] but most of us skip that and go straight to bars. Same grip over and over. Our hands just become hooks connected to a bar or weight. You're not just pulling from a fixed position. Your hand and wrist are actually having to interact with the pull. The rope forces you to integrate the entire hand and forearm.

[00:02:57]If you don't, you slide down. Nothing feels worse. And this is [music] where we start to integrate the thumb, the missing piece for most people. Adam Ondra, regarded as the best climber in the world, thinks [music] what sets him apart are his freakishly strong thumbs.

[00:03:12]Think about it. Every strength coach in the world says squeeze the bar hard, including the thumb, and yet we never train it. You could pinch blocks or squeeze plates, but again, there's no connection to the [music] pull. You could simply climb the rope and get everything you need. But no rope? Just use a towel. Same idea. And I love climbing the rope because the asymmetrical pull [music] activates all the in-between muscles, like the obliques and rotator cuff, that everyone is aware they should be warming up and training, but let's be honest, never do.

[00:03:40]This whole routine should take you no more than 5 minutes. One set of each.

[00:03:44]Heavy rotations, 10 reps each direction.

[00:03:47]Sandbag or kettlebell wrap [music] rows, eight reps, heavier than you'd think.

[00:03:51]Rope or towel, five strong pulls on each side, or one climb to the top. I can't guarantee you the 25% bump like me, but I can guarantee your session will feel great and your elbows will feel better.

[00:04:02]And with these exercises, over time, your pulling strength will explode, and that means more muscle. This is why I moved lots of my training towards things like sandbags, rings, ropes, clubs, and maces. You don't have to think about this stuff. It's built in. No weak [music] links. Tell us in the comments what you would add to this list. All right, guys. You got to do one of these.

[00:04:21]Isn't it like one of those? All right. [laughter] Brother, yeah, let's not do that again.

[00:04:27]All right, guys. Later.

[00:04:29]>> [laughter]