Basic
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Pull-up | 3 | 6 | 1 min |
| Push-up | 3 | 8 | 1 min |
To unlock the next level in a single set
- 10 Australian Pull-up
Pro program
How to do your first pull-up: a 4-level program
You don't get to your first pull-up by attempting pull-ups. You get there by building the pulling strength you don't have yet. This program uses australian pull-ups and push-ups for two levels, and the real pull-up only shows up in the third. Eight weeks estimated, four levels.
The 4 levels, exercise by exercise
Only the pulling exercise gates a level: the australian pull-up in the first two, the full pull-up in the last two. Push-ups ride along to keep your pressing balanced, but they never block the level. And the mark is always for one single set.
Medium
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Pull-up | 4 | 8 | 1 min |
| Push-up | 3 | 12 | 1 min |
To unlock the next level in a single set
- 15 Australian Pull-up
High
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull-up | 4 | 1 | 2 min |
| Australian Pull-up | 3 | 10 | 1 min |
| Push-up | 3 | 12 | 1 min |
To unlock the next level in a single set
- 1 Pull-up
Advanced
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pull-up | 4 | 2 | 2 min |
| Australian Pull-up | 3 | 12 | 1 min |
| Push-up | 3 | 15 | 1 min |
To complete the program in a single set
- 2 Pull-up
All four levels are laid out on this page. Inside the app, levels two and up are part of Tatakae Pro.
Why you don’t train the pull-up by doing pull-ups
This is the mistake that leaves people years away from their first one. Hang from the bar, pull, don’t come up, repeat. Since no rep ever completes, there’s no training volume, and without volume there’s no adaptation: you’re practising failure, which trains nothing.
The way out is to train the same pattern under less load until the full load becomes possible. That’s the australian pull-up: the same pulling action, with your feet on the floor carrying part of the weight. There, sets actually get completed, and strength actually gets built.
That’s why the real pull-up doesn’t appear until the third level, and only once you can do fifteen australian rows in a single set. By the time it arrives, the bar isn’t a wall any more.
The first two levels: building the pull
Australian pull-up. Bar at hip height or a little lower. Body straight from shoulders to heels, glutes braced, and pull your chest to the bar, not your chin. Elbows drive back, close to your body. Lower under control until your arms are fully straight: half the gain is in that descent.
To adjust difficulty, change your body angle. The more upright you are, the easier; the more horizontal, the more weight. If the Basic level feels too easy or too hard, move your feet before you change the reps.
Push-up. They’re there so your pressing doesn’t fall behind while your back grows. Elbows at about 45 degrees, body in line, chest to a fist off the floor. They don’t gate the level, so a day where twelve doesn’t happen costs you nothing.
The High level: the first real pull-up
The session now opens with 4 sets of 1 pull-up. It looks like nothing and it’s deliberate: these are maximum-quality attempts with two minutes of rest between them, not a set to failure.
While the full rep isn’t there yet, those four sets are done as negatives: jump or step up to the top, chin over the bar, and lower as slowly as you can, aiming for three or four seconds. The lowering phase is what builds the strength when you still can’t pull yourself up.
The day one full rep goes up, the level clears. One. That’s what the entire program is for.
Where to put your phone
For australian rows, phone to the side and low down, with the bar and your whole body inside the frame. For pull-ups, side on as well, but check your head doesn’t leave the top of the frame at the top of the rep: it’s the most common framing mistake and it loses you good reps.
A clear background helps, and at a park it’s worth waiting until nobody is walking behind the bar while you count a set.
What comes next
Two consecutive pull-ups ends this program and starts the next problem, which is one of volume: going from two to ten. That jump is no longer about maximum strength but about endurance, and it’s trained with more sets of few reps, just like push-ups.
But that’s later. First, one.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get your first pull-up?
The estimate is eight weeks training three times a week, but it depends enormously on where you start and on bodyweight. Someone arriving with ten clean australian rows moves far faster than someone who can't hang from the bar yet. The program advances on marks, not on dates.
What is an australian pull-up?
It's a horizontal pull: you hang under a low bar with your body angled and your feet on the floor, and pull your chest to the bar. The more horizontal your body, the more weight you lift. It's the progression that transfers best to the full pull-up, because it trains the same pattern under less load.
Are resistance bands good for learning pull-ups?
They help, but they have a flaw: the band assists most at the bottom, which is exactly where you're weakest, and barely assists at the top. Australian rows spread the effort better and need no extra kit. This program takes that route.
Can I do this program without a pull-up bar?
A sturdy table works for the australian rows: lie underneath, grab the edge and pull. From the High level on you do need a bar, because that's where the full pull-up enters. A set of bars at a park works as well as a doorway bar.
How often should I train pulling?
Three sessions a week on alternate days. Your back and biceps need recovery between sessions, and in this program the quality of each set matters more than the total: one row with your chest reaching the bar is worth three half ones.
Why does a pull-up program include push-ups?
Balance. Training nothing but pulling for eight weeks pulls the shoulder out of balance, and pressing work keeps the joint healthy. That's why push-ups are in all four levels but never gate them: they aren't the goal, they're the counterweight.