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ASSISTED PULL-UP BANDS
Assisted Pull Ups, popularized by CrossFit, are a great way to strengthen your entire upper body by doing pull ups with the assistance of our power bands. Pull ups are an extraordinary multi-joint exercise, which means that it incorporates a set of complex movements that engage multiple muscle groups. This offers a few distinct advantages:
1. Efficiency : You burn more calories because more muscles are engaged.
2. Functional Training : Tones your body as a unit, training your muscles to work synergistically.
3. Decreased Risk of Injury : The simultaneous activity of multiple muscle groups creates a harmonious pattern that helps to prevent injury during a workout.
USING CROSSFIT BANDS
The single most important factor in dominating your pull-ups is to believe in yourself! Your age, gender and body composition are no excuse, especially with a boost from our assisted pull up bands. The best way to get better at pull-ups is to do pull-ups. Here is how with our flex bands:
Step 1 : Place a foot in the resistance band and then grab a hold of the chin-up bar and pull yourself up.
Step 2 : Release slowly, feeling the resistance band apply force against your bodyweight.
Step 3 : Continue until exhaustion.
Step 4 : Step down carefully and release yourself from the bar. Step one foot out first to avoid snap backs.
Purple – 1 1/8″, Green – 1 3/4″, Blue – 2 1/2″
WHICH BAND IS BEST FOR ME?
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| 90-120 lbs | 121-150 | 151-200 | 201-250 | 251-300 | 300+ | ||
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| 6 – 10 | |
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| 11 – 15 |  |
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| 16+ | |
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Some boxes in the chart call for a single band, but since the bands are all the same length, you can combine some bands to equal the same assistance as others.
Why would you do this?
Well, as you get stronger you can lower the assistance to account for your new strength by using different bands. For example a robust (purple) combined with a heavy (black) band, offers roughly the same amount of resistance as the power (green) band. This combination gives you three different levels of assistance (one with the heavy band, one with robust, and one with both bands)
This accommodates both gradual increases in strength and allows you to do drop sets – i.e. doing a set with just the robust band until you can’t do any more reps and then adding the heavy band to eek out a few more reps to maximize your energy. Before you know it you’ll be a pull-up cranking machine! See below for the substitutions:
| Substitute this band | |
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| With this combo |  |
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Keep in mind that all bands are the same length so you can always add or subtract bands depending on how much assistance you need. To determine which band is best for you, consider your weight and strength, the distance you travel during a pull-up, and the amount of reps you are aiming for, and see where you fall on the chart.
Example: a medium band stretched 38″ on the chart actually measures 78″ (40″ resting + 38″ stretch) and offers 27 lbs of tension.
| LIGHT (micro mini) | MEDIUM (mini) | HEAVY (monster mini) | ROBUST (light) | POWER (average) | STRONG (strong) | |
| Length (in) | Band Tension (lbs) | |||||
| 36 | 13.8 | 25.5 | 39.4 | 56.8 | 86.9 | 122.9 |
| 38 | 14.7 | 27.0 | 42.1 | 60.5 | 92.7 | 132.6 |
| 40 | 15.5 | 28.5 | 44.8 | 64.2 | 98.5 | 142.0 |
| 42 | 16.4 | 30.0 | 47.5 | 67.8 | 104.1 | 151.1 |
| 44 | 17.2 | 31.4 | 50.1 | 71.3 | 109.6 | 159.9 |
| 48 | 18.0 | 32.9 | 52.6 | 74.7 | 115.0 | 168.5 |
| 50 | 18.8 | 34.3 | 55.2 | 78.1 | 120.3 | 176.8 |
| 52 | 19.6 | 35.6 | 57.6 | 81.4 | 125.4 | 184.8 |
| 54 | 20.3 | 37.0 | 60.1 | 84.7 | 130.5 | 192.5 |
| 56 | 21.1 | 38.3 | 62.5 | 87.8 | 135.4 | 199.9 |
| 58 | 21.8 | 39.6 | 64.8 | 90.9 | 140.2 | 207.1 |
| 60 | 22.5 | 40.8 | 67.1 | 94.0 | 145.0 | 214.0 |
| 62 | 23.1 | 42.2 | 69.4 | 96.9 | 149.6 | 220.6 |
| 64 | 23.8 | 43.3 | 71.6 | 99.8 | 154.0 | 227.0 |
| 66 | 24.4 | 44.4 | 73.8 | 102.6 | 158.4 | 233.0 |
| 68 | 25.0 | 45.6 | 76.0 | 105.4 | 162.6 | 238.8 |
| 70 | 25.6 | 46.7 | 78.1 | 108.1 | 166.8 | 244.3 |
| 72 | 26.2 | 47.8 | 80.1 | 110.7 | 170.8 | 249.5 |
| 74 | 26.8 | 48.9 | 82.1 | 113.3 | 174.7 | 254.5 |
| 76 | 27.3 | 49.9 | 84.1 | 115.7 | 178.5 | 259.2 |
| 78 | 27.8 | 50.9 | 86.0 | 118.1 | 182.2 | 263.5 |
| 80 | 28.3 | 51.9 | 87.9 | 120.5 | 185.7 | 267.7 |
LIGHT RESISTANCE BAND
MEDIUM RESISTANCE BAND
HEAVY RESISTANCE BAND
ROBUST RESISTANCE BAND
POWER RESISTANCE BAND
Hi, this has tremendously increased the amount of pull-ups I can do. I have also gotten great value from the some of the accessories I picked up in the full band kit. Makes it quick and easy for me to get a workout in the morning.
I love my bands. I can take my workout with me wherever I go, be that Ethiopia, or New York City. There is something about knowing that you can workout and stay healthy no matter where life takes you. I use to travel for consulting and found the hassle of finding a decent gym in every new city a pain. I’ve also done some travel to remote parts of the world where there is no gym to be found, so these bands make my life a lot nicer.
Thanks!
-John
That’s awesome. Another simple yet effective way to use my bands. Can’t wait to try it out!
I weight 310lbs….could you please help me pick a chin up band that would work with my weight.
Sure! The Strong Band would be a safe bet to start. You can always combine bands if one doesn’t offer enough resistance. Hope that helps.
Hi,
I 5’1″, 150 and want to work towards doing a full chin up and pull up. What resistance would you recommend for me? I tried to do a pull up last week and got 1/2 way up. Thanks.
The robust band is probably your closest fit. With that said, for people around your size, I typically recommend to buy a robust and a heavy band instead of the larger power band, which is roughly the same price and gives roughly the same amount of resistance when combined. This gives you three different levels of assistance (one with heavy, one with robust, and one with both bands). This allows for both gradual increases in your strength and allows you to do drop sets – i.e. doing a set with just the robust band until you can’t do any more reps and then adding the heavy band to eek out a few more reps.
Hope that helps. Feel free to contact me if you need any additional information.
Best Regards,
- Ari
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