I cannot even do 1 pull up. What muscles should I train to improve this?

[this_and_that]

Proper pull ups use a lot of the upper back muscles.

So do some rows and lateral pull downs.
Pullovers are chest dips are good compounds.

Also, belly fats are solved by proper diet, good rest intervals and exercise.
Especially diet.
Exercise will only bulk up your ab muscles, it won't remove the fat on top of the muscles unless you live a healthy lifestyle.

[this_and_that]

Originally Posted by InHumanForm

Get one of these:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I have one and it's awesome. You can move it anywhere you want and do a variety of pull ups. Watching tv and a commercial comes on? Do some pull ups. Playing a game and waiting for it to load? Do some pull ups. You get the idea.

I have one of these too.

[MrMagic]

Do assisted pullups, chin ups, wide push ups, diamond push ups and military pushups.

[pejevan]

Originally Posted by Dynamito_2012

I am in decent shape, but I have just started trying to practice pull ups. I cannot even do one. What muscles should I train to improve this?
I see guys twice my size that are able to do 5-6 wide pull ups and it's embarrassing. I always shied away from bodyweight exercises, apart from press ups and sit ups.

advice, anyone?

lower the bar to your chin level. Then just tiptoe to get 100 pull-up in 30 seconds.

Just do it slowly. Try 1, then next month, 2, then next month -3 and so on. By the end of the year, you can easily do 12.

[doomsdayvillain]

lats
biceps
a little bit of front delts

[Manning]

http://www.fitness-equipment.com/acatalog/156gm.jpg

[Vysotsky]

Originally Posted by Emeritus

If you struggle to do pull ups try using a chair to help you so kneel on a chair and start from the top and slowly lower yourself slowly down until your arms are extended and you are not being supported by the chair.

Then get back on the chair and start at the top and repeat and keep doing these until you build up enough strength to complete one pull up on your own. Body weight exercises can be quite difficult dependent on your shape/weight/size so dont get disheartened because you see other people can do more than you.

Stick with it......pull ups will give you some very good benefits in terms of strength and improve your appearance to

THIS.

I started trying to do pull ups around age 17 and couldnt do one even though i had been lifting weights for a couple years already. I did sets of pull ups like this for 2 or 3 seperate work out sessions and when i tried doing an actual pull up on the 3rd or 4th session i had no problem. I didn't expect to be able to acually do them and was shocked at how quickly i progressed.

Get a chair so you start at the top then just lower yourself slowly until your arms are fully extended, do each rep like that as the guy above describes. After a few seperate sessions doing these you should be able to do normal pull ups.

[banny]

4 sets of 10 with a 30 second rest between each set

[bernie4366]

Emeritus has it right. Those reverse pulldowns are awesome for building your back and will quickly get you in shape for pullups.

[bernie4366]

Originally Posted by Manning

http://www.fitness-equipment.com/acatalog/156gm.jpg

Weak. I can do a fuckload of weight on pulldowns, never helped with pullups at all.

[Da Boxer]

On back day I start up my workout with 90 pull ups!

12X3 Sets
10X3 Sets
8X3 Sets

Follow up with Lat Pull Downs (Cable) Straight and Reversed, then Cable Rows, followed by Dumbells rows and close with Bar Rows.

War!

[markiepoop]

You can start with inclined pull ups (you can find those at parks) or assisted pull ups (at the gym).

Push ups won't help so much directly but will aid you nevertheless

[OMGWTF]

Build your self up to it from Lat pull downs.

Some gyms even have an assist counter weight on their pull up bar!

If you are at home try negative and partial rep pull ups, climb trees etc

Training muscles (bicep lats etc) is no where near as effecient as attempting the exact or simlar movement. So dont waste your time.

You may have to loose the weight before you can do a single pull up, the heavier you are the lower your strength to weight ratio when it gets to high body weights!

[viru§™]

Lat pulldown doesn't have much carry-over to pullups at all. The best way to improve pullups is to do them.

If you can't do a single one then negatives is by far the best way. You can also use resistance bands wrapped over the bar and placed under your foot or knee depending on the size of the band.

[viru§™]

Originally Posted by OMGWTF

You may have to loose the weight before you can do a single pull up, the heavier you are the lower your strength to weight ratio when it gets to high body weights!

This is not true at all. I've seen plenty of 250lbs+ bodybuilders and gym rats do 20 or more pullups.