How Long Should It Take to Do Pull-Ups Without Bands?

They may be a highly efficient move for building upper-body strength and muscle mass in your back and biceps, but pull-ups are not an easy move to learn. Fear not though, as you can still perform pull-ups as a beginner by using a resistance band. Simply secure the band over the bar so you make a loop hanging down. Place one foot or knee in the band, and perform pull-ups using the same technique as you would for body weight reps. (Ref 1) Eventually you'll be able to perform pull-ups without a band, though how long this takes depends on a number of factors.

  1. Muscle Memory

    • You'll progress to unassisted pull-ups faster if you've been able to perform them in the past. This is due to muscle memory. When you learn a movement, the brain works to remember this movement pattern and stores it for later. If you've been proficient at pull-ups but have taken a break from training, you'll be able to re-learn them quicker than if it's your first time doing them. The shorter the break you've taken, the faster you'll progress. (Ref 2)

    Speed of Progression

    • How long it will take also depends on how quickly you work your way through the band progression and to an extent, how many bands you have. You should work your way from a heavy band to a light one before performing unassisted pull-ups, notes trainer and kinesiologist Bram Swinnen of Functional Resistance Training. (Ref 3) If you only have one band, you'll struggle to progress as a heavy band won't be challenging after a few sessions, but a light band might be so difficult that you can't perform even one or two good reps. The best best is to buy a selection of bands at four or five different levels of resistance.

    The Body Weight Advantage

    • Pull-ups involve lifting your whole body weight and while you do need a decent amount of muscle mass to perform them, generally the heavier you are, the harder they'll be. Losing weight is a surefire way to speed up your journey from assisted to unassisted pull-ups.

    The Wrap Up

    • The real answer to how long it should take you to do pull-ups without bands is the same as the answer to how long a is a piece of string? There really is no specific answer, but it does depend you'll certainly get there quicker if you perform pull-ups regularly so that the technique becomes second nature, use a variety of resistance bands, lose body weight in conjunction with gaining strength and put maximum effort into all your workouts.