How many pull-ups should I do?

[gummo]

I'm going to incorporate pull-ups into my back workout but I'm wondering if I should treat them just like a regular exercise by doing 3 sets of 6 - 8, or if I should do as many as I can (I can do over 15 easily) and stop.

[rooster]

Try doing weighted pull ups if they seem too easy. Add enough weight so that you reach failure at 6-8 reps. You can add weight by using a belt that holds a plate between your legs. If your gym doesn't have a belt, then you can also hold a dumbell between your knees and cross your feet, but its much more difficult.

[gummo]

I think I can rig up a rope and tie it to a dumbell and tie the other end around my ankles. That would have the same effect as a belt I suppose.

[D-Termine]

towel on neck, chain around neck, 25 pound plate on chain. works wonders. 3X6-10

[Hammerstein]

Originally posted by D-Termine
towel on neck, chain around neck, 25 pound plate on chain. works wonders. 3X6-10

Dont listen to this guy! Dont tie a phuckin chain around your neck!
You can get a belt or make one yourself. Not your phuckin neck.

[The Greg]

i've seen a vest thing that you put on over your shoulders, and you can put a plate in a pocket in the back... i dont have one, but i've seen it

[Hammerstein]

Originally posted by The Greg
i've seen a vest thing that you put on over your shoulders, and you can put a plate in a pocket in the back... i dont have one, but i've seen it

Yeah I know what your talkin about. There pretty awesome.

Later.

[Nutz]

if you have an old, or good quality ( karymore, anything hiking / mountainering based, or that looks like it can take it) you could shove a plate in that and wear it. The weight will be more to the back which may alter your position slightly, but thats I belive a better position for many muscle groups.

[Hammerstein]

Originally posted by Nutz
if you have an old, or good quality ( karymore, anything hiking / mountainering based, or that looks like it can take it) you could shove a plate in that and wear it. The weight will be more to the back which may alter your position slightly, but thats I belive a better position for many muscle groups.

Your talking about a backpack right.

[Nutz]

LoL yeah sorry got sidetracked writing that !

[Hammerstein]

That seems like a pretty good idea seeing that you could wear it in back or front. I personally would perfer the back. As a matter of fact I'm gonna try it on my next heavy shoulder/back day.

Later bro.

[gummo]

Thanks for all the advice bros!

[Hammerstein]

Anytime bro. Good luck.

[kostasosfp]

it is a very old thread but i have a question about pull ups.i can do only 4 reps at first set. what i should do to do more reps?someone at gym told me that i should to pull ups every day.is it true?

then at my back day i do 4 sets for 4-3-3-2 reps pull ups.are these reps enough or i should do another exercise for back?

[400Lb Gorilla]

it is a very old thread but i have a question about pull ups.i can do only 4 reps at first set. what i should do to do more reps?someone at gym told me that i should to pull ups every day.is it true?

then at my back day i do 4 sets for 4-3-3-2 reps pull ups.are these reps enough or i should do another exercise for back?

do as many pullups as you can for 3-5 sets on back days. you can already hit 4 so you have a good start. remember if you fail at 4 then it is still a strength exercise for you. i wouldnt recomend them EVERYDAY but twice a week would be good. i just do them on back day.

[dvldog4c]

it is a very old thread but i have a question about pull ups.i can do only 4 reps at first set. what i should do to do more reps?someone at gym told me that i should to pull ups every day.is it true?

then at my back day i do 4 sets for 4-3-3-2 reps pull ups.are these reps enough or i should do another exercise for back?

I would not do pull ups every day. It's a compound move and gets a lot of other muscles involved.

What I do for back day is I do a set of pull-ups to failure, then immediately go to a lat pull down machine and use a narrow grip bar and do 15 reps with a light weight really concentrating on contracting my lats at the bottom of the motion.

I'll repeat this 3 more times. You'll build pull-up strength in no time.

Also another variation is to do narrow grip chin-ups (but don't completely substitute them for wide grip pull-ups). That will help strengthen your back/lats as well.

[kostasosfp]

ok thank you.i will do 2 times every week monday and thursday and on thursday which is back day i will do 1 set pullups failure and then 10 or 12 reps pull down.is it good?

[400Lb Gorilla]

ok thank you.i will do 2 times every week monday and thursday and on thursday which is back day i will do 1 set pullups failure and then 10 or 12 reps pull down.is it good?

i would just do 3-5 sets of pullups til failure on back day. pulldowns are useful but if you want to be able to do more pullups then doing pullups will get you there quicker

[Tyciol]

One should always do pull ups in ankle weights. They are the most comfortable kind compared to a vest or a dangling dip belt.

It's just that ankle weights do not come very heavy, so sometimes you need to put a dumbbell beneath your feet. Furthermore, that can be hard to hang on to, so that is why people have belts.

[jgreystoke]

Say you did 16 reps in good form last time. There are different approaches, which all work:

1. Get as many as you can in good form for two or three sets: could be 17, 13, 8, depending on the rest period. 17, 16, 14 if you took long rests.

2. Do a lot of sets with half your rep max. 6 x 8 would be good. If you really love them you could do ten sets. You might have to increase the rest periods towards the end of the session.

3. Since you can do > 15 reps easy, do weighted chins and pullups. Buy a dipping belt to add weight. Or improvise one with a steel cored clothesline, a carabiner, and a lifting belt.

[seandh]

i do pull-ups on the end of a back day. i do 5 sets. 10 reps with 10lbs then 9 reps with 20lbs then 8 reps with 30lbs then 7 reps with 40lbs then finally ill rep till failure with 45lbs (usually 6-8) kinda hard the first few times you do it. i can do close to 30 pullups right now, when i first started this 2 months ago i could barely do 20.

[SquatTilYouDrop]

OP,

Treat them like any other exercise. Use just enough weight to "window" your targeted hypertrophic rep range, in this case 6-8.

It's as simple as that.

[patkoch]

I would not do pull ups every day. It's a compound move and gets a lot of other muscles involved.

What I do for back day is I do a set of pull-ups to failure, then immediately go to a lat pull down machine and use a narrow grip bar and do 15 reps with a light weight really concentrating on contracting my lats at the bottom of the motion.

I'll repeat this 3 more times. You'll build pull-up strength in no time.

Also another variation is to do narrow grip chin-ups (but don't completely substitute them for wide grip pull-ups). That will help strengthen your back/lats as well.

Give me a break. Grease the groove, pullups everyday will make pullups easier.

[ZoranM]

OP,

Treat them like any other exercise. Use just enough weight to "window" your targeted hypertrophic rep range, in this case 6-8.

It's as simple as that.

OP will definately not read this after 8 years.Hopefully others will.

[SquatTilYouDrop]

Give me a break. Grease the groove, pullups everyday will make pullups easier.

Grease the groove advocates "not" going to failure so as not to tax the CNS severely. This way more more overall pullups can be done, but more importantly, the muscles involved become better conditioned for the movement.

The poster you were talking to, does "one" set to "failure". IMO, doing sets to "failure" everyday would lead to muscle fatigue and probably decrease performance down the road.

Muscles need rest, no matter what the exercise to make them better.

[SquatTilYouDrop]

OP will definately not read this after 8 years.Hopefully others will.

Oh sh*t, didn't see the date.

Got me.

I must be slipping.

[dvldog4c]

ok thank you.i will do 2 times every week monday and thursday and on thursday which is back day i will do 1 set pullups failure and then 10 or 12 reps pull down.is it good?

Grease the groove advocates "not" going to failure so as not to tax the CNS severely. This way more more overall pullups can be done, but more importantly, the muscles involved become better conditioned for the movement.

The poster you were talking to, does "one" set to "failure". IMO, doing sets to "failure" everyday would lead to muscle fatigue and probably decrease performance down the road.

Muscles need rest, no matter what the exercise to make them better.

Just to clarify for both of these posts, I do FOUR total sets of pullups + narrow grip lat pulldowns once a week.

[sabonis224]

i like to mix it up a lot. sometimes i'll bust out 5 sets to failure (which ranges from 20 to 15 for me). sometimes i'll do heavy weight for 5-6 rep sets (45 lbs). sometimes i'll do decent weight for 10-12 reps (like 25 lbs)