Advice on how to improve with pullups?

[aquasalt]

I'm good with lots of total body workout stuff, particularly lower body exercises, and I've even seen some recent improvement with respect to dips(which I've also had problems with in the past, so that was encouraging), but pullups are still an issue for me. I can usually do 3 sets of even 5 pullups maximum. Can anyone provide any advice for me in this area? Pullups are probably the one exercise outside of solid-state cardio that I dread!

[lukamar]

Assisted will help fast.

[Shreddedgeek]

Perform your pull-ups with the assist machine as a drop set theory. Also try negatives after you have failed. A training partner is best for this, after you have failed have your partner assist you to the top of the pull-up and then slowly lower yourself (negative resistance) this will really stress the muscle group and help with your progress. Also mix it up with Lat pull downs, both wide and close grip. Be sure to focus on the back muscles when performing the exercise( back not biceps)

[Domkratos]

imo go for chinups (supinated grip, i.e. palms up). go for the ROM. when you reach 10 reps, feel free to add some weight concentrating on repetitions rather than on sets. you'll hardly be able to maintain perfect form throughout the entire set but that's OK.

[ServoScanMan]

In high school, I could not do one chinup. My upper body strength just wasn't there.

I started out (2 years ago) with an assisted chinup/pullup machine. I actually started with 100lb stack for assist. I would do 8 reps of chinups, rest 90 sec, 8 reps of pullups, rest 90 sec, etc. So I would alternate between chinups and pullups until I did 3 sets of 8 reps of each exercise. As time went by I gradually decreased the assist weight. Fast forward to last Wed. I did 7 reps X 5 sets unassisted chinups followed by 8 reps X 5 sets of unassisted pullups. Man, my arms were pumped after this workout! My goal is to do 10 reps X 5 sets of unassisted chinups and pullups.

It can be done. I takes time. It won't happen overnight.

[jackfast1]

for me, chinups and pullups are all about practice!
for some reason they are an exercise that unless i do them consistently, at least twice a week, i never progress!

they are hard!

what helped me the most was doing as many as i could, and then doing a set of negatives; walking up a ladder to the bar and just lowering myself down...this helped me break through my sticking point!
_________________

[fitnessman]

Weighted hangs.

[StartinOver-68]

When I was in high school it was not hard for me to rip off 20-25 chin-ups, of course I only weighed 155 lbs and did not lift weights regularly. I have not done a pull-up in years and I'm really not so sure I could do many, my focus is on lat pull downs which is certainly much lower than my body weight. Sucks to get old.

[Bob45]

Another thing is lower your bodyfat. Less weight to pull. I can do body weight exercises great when I'm lean.

[greyhair]

Originally Posted by Shreddedgeek

Perform your pull-ups with the assist machine as a drop set theory. Also try negatives after you have failed. A training partner is best for this, after you have failed have your partner assist you to the top of the pull-up and then slowly lower yourself (negative resistance) this will really stress the muscle group and help with your progress. Also mix it up with Lat pull downs, both wide and close grip. Be sure to focus on the back muscles when performing the exercise( back not biceps)

I substantially agree with Sgeek. I'd like to add to that.
You might want to also mix volume (lots of volume (repsxweigth=volume.) and intensity training (few reps and high weight). One contributes to learning to recruit muscle fibers and the other contributes more to muscle fiber break down.

The volume can be done using lat pull downs.
With all respect, I can usually guess my weight by how many pullups I can do.
I seem to get 1 rep for every 5 lbs I loose.

[EYE FOR DETAIL]

Check Out The P90x Workout For Chest And Back

[aquasalt]

thanks!

[Whiskeyjack]

Originally Posted by Shreddedgeek

Perform your pull-ups with the assist machine as a drop set theory. Also try negatives after you have failed. A training partner is best for this, after you have failed have your partner assist you to the top of the pull-up and then slowly lower yourself (negative resistance) this will really stress the muscle group and help with your progress. Also mix it up with Lat pull downs, both wide and close grip. Be sure to focus on the back muscles when performing the exercise( back not biceps)

X2.

[tj500]

How to Max the USMC Pullup Test
http://www.dragondoor.com/cgi-bin/ar...&articleid=220

there was a thread by papi long time ago talking about the guys over at dragondoor.com They really know their stuff. http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/69/

[blabber]

Originally Posted by Bob45

Another thing is lower your bodyfat. Less weight to pull. I can do body weight exercises great when I'm lean.

NOW he tells me!

[baker]

Originally Posted by fitnessman

Weighted hangs.

x2.

I have used this technique before, it does help with chins.
Deads too now that I think about it.

[heatwave13]

Try the "ladder" method......

It works best with a partner, but you can do it alone if you must. Basically it goes like this:

You do 1 pullup....then I do 1 pullup......you do 2 pull ups, then I do 2 pullups......you do 3, I do 3......you do 4, then I do 4........

and so on and so forth until one of us can't keep up.....then we rest for a few minutes and start over again with.....I do 1, you do 1, etc...

This way, you get in a lot of reps/volume, but you don't burn out. It keeps you fresher and you can do this up to three or four days out of the week in your workouts.

Try it and then, after a few weeks, try to go for all out reps and I'll bet $$$$ that your totals will have gone up.

[Hey-Iwas51]

Interesting that you brought this up... just recently I have been trying pull-ups as opposed to chin-ups... I could do several chins x three sets, but no pulls, and was staying away from both because of my elbow tendonitis...

Well, based on some comments from folks around here, I decided to try just one at a time of pull ups, which don't seem to bother the tendonitis nearly as much. WOW... doing just one, three or four times during a work out is amazing... In just a few weeks, now I am able to do as many as four in a row now. And, I had been pulling lat bar down behind my head off and on, just for the back... last week I tried a pull up behind my head. Wew, amazing... now, if I do them early in the work out, I can do two or three of those suckers. I am happy.

All this is to say that, just keep going at it... it will get easier. Assisted along with lat bar work has got to help.

By the way, Servo Scan Man, you make me jealous! Good job! As long as the tendonitis stays at bay, I'm goin for it!

dan

[someday]

rack chins have helped me build up the strength to be able to do more pull ups. i'll also add and may be called a pussy for using them, but my hooks have also helped a great deal. my hands always seem to give out before my lats.

[IdahoViking]

Obvious answer here; use a lower bar!

[farsscf]

Originally Posted by fitnessman

Weighted hangs.

x3, if you don't have access to an assist machine or spotter then this is next best. Even if you can't do one, just do what you can and eventually it will increase.

[frankielats]

Put extra effort into them train with style, use your mind imagine the whole set before you do it. Try to drop non lean (fat) body weight. Its not Rocket science, up the intensity train assisst muscles ie forearms bi.'s & ab.'s. Get adequet rest consume quality food small portions every 3 to 4 hours. supplement with quality products, only you will know what works well for you, read up on everything you can.

[IR45N]

Originally Posted by fitnessman

Weighted hangs.

Doing those because of the elbow acting up. ! they feel good!

Also, do negatives; use bench or box to climb up to the bar; hold and lower slowly, climb back up, repeat.

Use the 'V' bar over the chn bar and do close grip chins. Use straps for any of these if you want.

Ladder approach is a good idea.

[widebody195]

Parallel close-grip (palms facing each other) pullups are easier to do, so if your gym has such an apparatus, use that for starters. Also, try extending a pullup set by rest-pause method. After you've maxed out on, say 5 reps, rest 20 seconds, then do 1-2 more. Rest another 20, do 1-2 more. Keep at it until you get to 10, or until you can't do another single pullup.

[IdahoViking]

Have you considered lat pulls?

[Skidmarx]

Originally Posted by Bob45

Another thing is lower your bodyfat. Less weight to pull. I can do body weight exercises great when I'm lean.

Haha yeah. When I was 18 and weighed 170, I could do 20 pullups.

[ServoScanMan]

Originally Posted by Hey-Iwas51

Interesting that you brought this up... just recently I have been trying pull-ups as opposed to chin-ups... I could do several chins x three sets, but no pulls, and was staying away from both because of my elbow tendonitis...

Well, based on some comments from folks around here, I decided to try just one at a time of pull ups, which don't seem to bother the tendonitis nearly as much. WOW... doing just one, three or four times during a work out is amazing... In just a few weeks, now I am able to do as many as four in a row now. And, I had been pulling lat bar down behind my head off and on, just for the back... last week I tried a pull up behind my head. Wew, amazing... now, if I do them early in the work out, I can do two or three of those suckers. I am happy.

All this is to say that, just keep going at it... it will get easier. Assisted along with lat bar work has got to help.

By the way, Servo Scan Man, you make me jealous! Good job! As long as the tendonitis stays at bay, I'm goin for it!

dan

I had a slight touch of tendonitis when I started the unassisted pulls/chins. After my pull/chins, I do hanging leg lifts with my arms fully extended. The first couple of weeks my tendonitis was still there and I had doubts that I would be able to progress. It slowly went away which leads me to believe that I needed stretching to help the tendonitis. Just my opinion.

[Luke Whippo]

Originally Posted by aquasalt

I can usually do 3 sets of even 5 pullups maximum. Can anyone provide any advice for me in this area?

if you can usually do that, then you can probilly do weighted chins for 3's, do your max effort with extra weight, and then do the opposite of a drop set add weight and go for 1.

[hulkinout]

I'd say a combo of the assisted pullups and weighted hangs.

Save the latter for the end. See how long you can hang for using bodyweight and gradually add time, till you can do say 60-90 seconds. Then, start strapping on weight, maybe 10-25 lbs, and try for 60-90 seconds again, add more weight, etc.

[aquasalt]

my current workout doesnt include lats, but I will add them. I think what I am going to do is alternate between those and chin ups each time I'm in the gym, even on cardio-only days. thanks everyone.