Wall pull-up advice#1714

I’ve seemed to hit a wall with, well, wall pull-ups. The problem that I have is that I don’t really have anything to grip while doing it. I do it either in the doorframe at home(except that we don’t really have doorframes and it’s just a wall, long story) or just using a wall at work(I can allow myself to exercise at work, given the nature of my job in tech support — empty office). Both those locations are just plain brick/concrete walls with nothing to hold on to, so I struggle to perform even on level 1. Additionally, while doing that, at about rep 12 the muscles that make the line between shoulders and neck start to hurt.

I wanted to ask for some advice on that, or some alternative to that. For context — it’s currently winter and its fairly cold outside (about 0°C or 32°F, sometimes lower) and I don’t have any fitting close for exercise in those temperatures. Additionally, I can’t really afford to go to the gym currently. While both of those conditions will change for the better, I still need to get my fill of pulls to keep it balanced.

Hey. This is Chrys.
So it’s not a strength issue, it’s a setup issue. Wall pull ups only work if you actually have something solid to grip. Trying to “pull” against a flat brick or concrete wall turns it into a weird isometric where your neck and upper traps take over, which explains that shoulder to neck pain you’re feeling around rep 12. Your body is basically searching for leverage and finding it in the wrong place.

If you don’t have a ledge, frame, rings, or bar, wall pull ups just aren’t the right tool right now. In your case, the best alternative indoors is towel rows. Take a sturdy towel or bedsheet, loop it around a closed door, brace yourself back, and row that. It gives you an actual handle, lets your lats do the work, and takes stress off your neck. You can adjust how hard it is just by walking your feet closer or farther.

Until you can train outside or get a bar, focus on any pulling variation that gives you something real to hold onto. If the grip isn’t there, the exercise breaks down no matter how strong you are. Once the weather improves or your setup changes, you can slot wall pull ups back in easily. For now, keep the balance with rows that actually let you pull instead of fighting the wall

Hi, it’s me again.
So I managed to get my hands on an expander set with different weights and opted for reverse flys and side lifts. Would that count as suitable replacement for the towel rows and/or wall pull-ups? I tried to do them both, 2 sets of 20 each for starters.

Speaking of, will the movement library in the app expanded in some forseable future? Will there be exercises with equipment other than bar in it as well?

Thank you for your time.

Hey! Reverse flys and side raises are good exercises, but they’re not a true replacement for towel rows or wall pull-ups. They hit the upper back and shoulders, which is useful, but they don’t train the main pulling pattern your lats and mid-back need for pull-up progress. You can keep them in as accessory work, especially for shoulder health, but you’ll still want some kind of row or pull where your elbows move down and back and your torso is involved. If towel rows aren’t an option right now, even band rows anchored low or around a door will be closer to what you need than flys alone.

As for the app, the focus right now is keeping the movement library tight and beginner-friendly, mostly bodyweight and bar-based. I can’t promise timelines, but equipment-based options and more substitutions are definitely something the team is aware people want.