First Time in Years Attpemting Pull-ups

[LWW]

I ended up doing them with a 25# plate attached.

They probably were not Zen Master approved but I could care less........

It’s the one exercise that’s been missing from my arsenal for massive back size development.

Form is not the goal, SIZE is the goal, the mindset try as many reps as possible and if they end up being half reps and screaming, just fuking do it.

You will not get bigger and better only doing textbook form.

Here’s my history on these-
I did them fine at 180# skinny in my 20s.

At age 40 and weighing 230ish with a pillow gut I couldn’t get my chin to the bar using under or overhand grip.

I don’t have a bar at my house.

I did a few over a year ago, close grip.

Today-
Wide grip - BW x few easy but painful as the stretched my muscle sized shoulders, but this is good.

Added a 10# plate x 1 rep and then did 2 partials.

Added 25# plate x 1 rep bar to the forehead then another partial.

Ok here we go, 25# plate rep this **** out-
X1 to forehead and another 4 partials, screaming.

Luv it, upper lats NAILED bodybuilding style.

Can’t wait to get to the pull-up bar again and do a 35# plate!!!

Body weight 199.5#

[weiss1967]

speaking of adding plates to pullups, I just had a nice slice of pizza. Wasn't like $35 plate, more like 15, but, canadian $$$, eh.

[OldFartTom]

Have you thought about greasing the groove to get numbers up then returning to develop the weight after?
Like doing 1 pullup trying to touch your nipples to the bar for the top position and doing that 5 times every day for a week or two then going to 2 of that 5 times a day and so forth.

I know that's not your goal.. you're not after numbers or form, I get that - but in my case I have to manage getting a strain injury on the inside of my left elbow and this seems to be more sustainable? It's definitely a lower risk to injury approach. You don't want to get injured like I did in 1997 or something. A relatively minor injury, no surgery or anything I just hurt it, but has been something I've had to manage ever since.

Just thinking of injury avoidance and your approach.

I'm pretty lazy on this, I'm not training it properly, so your thread is a wake up call for me to sort myself out. I do 3 sets of 5 rep neutral (handles on the rack) at end of every workout (all the way down to hang and up to touch chest, but again I'm lazy and more like shoulders than nipples) and I do 3 sets of intense rope pulldowns, but I'm not training/progressing it not freewheeling -- and I should be training this!

[LWW]

Have you thought about greasing the groove to get numbers up then returning to develop the weight after?
Like doing 1 pullup trying to touch your nipples to the bar for the top position and doing that 5 times every day for a week or two then going to 2 of that 5 times a day and so forth.

I know that's not your goal.. you're not after numbers or form, I get that - but in my case I have to manage getting a strain injury on the inside of my left elbow and this seems to be more sustainable? It's definitely a lower risk to injury approach. You don't want to get injured like I did in 1997 or something. A relatively minor injury, no surgery or anything I just hurt it, but has been something I've had to manage ever since.

Just thinking of injury avoidance and your approach.

I'm pretty lazy on this, I'm not training it properly, so your thread is a wake up call for me to sort myself out. I do 3 sets of 5 rep neutral (handles on the rack) at end of every workout (all the way down to hang and up to touch chest, but again I'm lazy and more like shoulders than nipples) and I do 3 sets of intense rope pulldowns, but I'm not training/progressing it not freewheeling -- and I should be training this!

I really can’t grease the groove with these unless I have access to a pull-up bar, which I don’t.

Also the form I’m talking about isn’t dangerous, it’s just not perfect textbook form.
I’m not wiggling my body and knipping like the cross fitters do.

When I say form I’m talking about full ROM. When it comes to size you are better off attempting heavier loads and only getting just above the head than saying “oh geez, the zen masters would never approve, so I’m not trying”.
I got to the farthest I could, then I did partial reps to get extra heavy work.

I have always improved by going a little heavier and using some momentum and shocking the muscles.

Injury is always possible even with perfect super slow form. I’ve known plenty of guys who start doing that stuff and still get tweaks. IMO explosiveness is safer.