5 mistakes that stop you from
doing your first pull up -
And what you should do instead.

By Jakob, Founder JAAFIT
By Jakob, Founder JAAFIT
Last updated: 11 November 2026

Summary: Most people don’t lack strength — they lack the right training. Fix these 5 mistakes, and you are closer to your first pull up than you think. Read on!


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Best deal of the year on Jaafit pull-up bar
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1. You’re only pulling with the arms

Are you hanging on the bar and pulling but getting nowhere?

JAAFIT Pull Up Bar in the door
Start with the back, not the arms

Biceps alone are too small to lift your whole body. Pull ups start in the back: pull your shoulders down and away from your ears before you bend your arms. Practice this with “shoulder pulls” – hang with straight arms and pull yourself 2–3 cm up using only your back. 

👉 Learn the right technique

2. You only try the full pull up

Are you hanging there, trying, failing – and giving up again?

JAAFIT Pull Up Bar in the door
Get help with an elastic

If you can’t do one pull up, you don’t get stronger by failing it. You must train the whole movement with a little help. Pull up bands take some of your body weight, so you can do real reps from day one. 

👉 Train with an elastic from day one

3. You underestimate the lowering phase

Do you control the movement on the way down?

JAAFIT Pull Up Bar in the door
Build strength on the way down

Muscles are stronger on the way down than on the way up – and you can use that. Stand on a chair so your chin is above the bar, and lower yourself slowly over 3–5 seconds. 3–5 slow “negatives” a couple of times a week build exactly the strength you need to get up.

👉 Start with negatives today

4. Your grip and your core give out first

Do your hands slip, or does your body swing like a pendulum?

JAAFIT Pull Up Bar in the door
Strong grip, stable core

If you can’t hold on to the bar, you can’t pull yourself up. Finish the workout with 2–3 hangs for as long as you can, and tighten your abs and glutes, so your body is as tight as a plank. A stable grip on the bar and a calm body transfer all the force into the movement.

👉 See the 4 grip positions

5. You train too rarely and without a plan

Do you try a pull up now and then and hope for the best?

JAAFIT Pull Up Bar
Little and often wins

Pull ups are a skill, and skills require repetition. With a bar hanging in the door you can do a few easy sets every time you pass by. The program in the JAAFIT app shows you when to switch from heavy to light band — and finally to no band.

👉 Get the bar and the plan

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Jaafit pull-up bar

Jaafit pull-up bar

  • Hangs in the door in seconds – no screws or holes
  • Pull up band (medium) included, so you can start today
  • Free app with programs toward your first pull up
€89€119Save 25%

🎁 Free gifts included today

JAAFIT Training App
JAAFIT Training App
€99
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