First off all, the average number of pullups (palms face away from you) for women playing in the national team programs in North America is 10. NHL players average between 15-20 pullups. Those numbers are a lot more manageable than 29, but still pretty high if you are starting from zero.

Here are 3 ways that you can increase your chin-up scores:

1) Perfect Form Counts:

Every time I go to the gym, I see people doing pullups completely wrong (if I see anyone doing them at all). The biggest mistake people make is that they don't lower themselves down into complete extension on each pullup. This means that each time you lower yourself down, your arms need to be straight. Most people I see at the gym just bring themselves down until their arms are at 90 degrees and go back up. That may pad your pull-up stats in your own head, but those won't count when you are getting tested at the elite levels if hockey. You have to go all the way down on each repetition or it doesn't count.

2) Learn By Jumping:

One of the most common ways to start building the upper body strength necessary to do pullups is by doing "negative" pullups. This means that instead of starting from a full hang and pulling yourself up to the bar, you start at the top (by jumping up so that your chin is over the bar) and then slowly lower yourself down until your arms are fully extended under control. I usually start my young players off with 2 sets of 5 "negatives" with a 5 second lower. It is really important not to let your body drop down from the top position quickly - you need to lower under control for 5 seconds (or more) in order to get the strength building effects.

3) Start With One:

If you have never done 1 pullup before, the idea of doing 10 (or 29!) is really daunting. Elite hockey players don't just wake up one morning being able to do double-digit pullups. It takes years and years of work to be able to get there. First, you need to set a goal of being able to do one pullup. You may not believe it now, but once you can do 1 chin-up, doing 5 is easy. Do the "negative" pullups described above for a month or so, and then give a full pullup from a hanging position a shot. You might just surprise yourself. Doing your first pullup is a huge accomplishment and should not be taken lightly. Make sure you celebrate by telling everyone you know.

Remember - Rome wasn't built in a day. No one can do 10 pullups the first time time out. But if you put in the work and dedicate yourself to getting better everyday, you will achieve your hockey training goals faster than you ever thought possible and take your hockey performance to the next level.

To learn more about how to take your on-ice performance to the next level this season, visit:http://www.besthockeyseasonever.com. Kim McCullough, M.Sc., YCS is a highly sought-after expert in the development of aspiring hockey players and has played at the highest level of women's hockey in the world for the last decade. Kim's player development website gives coaches and parents of aspiring young players access to programs, articles and advice on how to help their players take their game to the next level.

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