I‘m tired of not getting better at pull-ups
- Thread starter greg67
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- bodyweight fitness
@greg67 You say you train pull ups twice a week, for 3 sets of at most 8 reps. At best, you do 48 pull ups a week ( let's round it up to 50 ), minimum of 18
Try increasing your weekly volume. Train your normal days, then sneak in a set on another day. Then the next week, another set on that same third day.
Gradually add sets to that third day until you're consistently doing 3 days of pull ups. Suddenly, your minimum has shot up to 27, maximum reps for the week being 72
Depending on how your recovery goes, the more volume you can fit in the week, the more return you'll get. Keep technique clean, and sets not to failure. Helps minimise aches and pains from the increased volume
Try increasing your weekly volume. Train your normal days, then sneak in a set on another day. Then the next week, another set on that same third day.
Gradually add sets to that third day until you're consistently doing 3 days of pull ups. Suddenly, your minimum has shot up to 27, maximum reps for the week being 72
Depending on how your recovery goes, the more volume you can fit in the week, the more return you'll get. Keep technique clean, and sets not to failure. Helps minimise aches and pains from the increased volume
@greg67 I'd aim for 2. Hell, even more.
I love using stuff like ladders ( 1 pullup, rest, 2 pullups, 3 pullups, etc ) cause it's all about getting quality reps in, and you even warm up your joints up with the first few sets before getting to the later higher reps.
Using an object like a clicker to track reps really frees you from the limitations of managing sets and having to detect proximity to failure.
Go until you've reached a rep target for the day, and make sure your joints feel good by the end.
I love using stuff like ladders ( 1 pullup, rest, 2 pullups, 3 pullups, etc ) cause it's all about getting quality reps in, and you even warm up your joints up with the first few sets before getting to the later higher reps.
Using an object like a clicker to track reps really frees you from the limitations of managing sets and having to detect proximity to failure.
Go until you've reached a rep target for the day, and make sure your joints feel good by the end.
walterroger
New member
@greg67 I can only speak for myself. I can do 25 pullups. I can do a one arm pullup. When I want to get in a "good" pullup workout I do sets of 5. That's it. I have really short rest between sets and change grips between sets. Using this method I can easily hit 100 pullups in a workout without feeling super gassed or getting too close to burnout. Sometimes my rests are as little as 10 seconds, sometimes its a few minutes. All that matters is im not destroying myself in any single set and I get in solid volume over the course of the workout/week.
johnblessed
New member
@johnblessed Different strokes I suppose. I've anecdotally always felt that more volume did more for my pullups, and technique + joint health was a lot easier for me to maintain with sub maximal sets.
If I had to cap my volume at sub-100 a week, I'd probably use weighted pullups to get more out of them
If I had to cap my volume at sub-100 a week, I'd probably use weighted pullups to get more out of them
johnblessed
New member
@johnblessed I agree. Time is often the biggest constraint with low intensity training, despite their benefits
majordadsage
New member
@greg67 Working on rows made my progress in pullups skyrocket.
Also - try greasing the groove with starting something like 1 pullup every hour every day.
Another way I've seen successful is accumulating volume in unrelated workouts, so if you can do say 8 good reps per set on your pull workout, then every other workout between sets do 2 reps. That'll accumulate volume without being too intense.
Also - try greasing the groove with starting something like 1 pullup every hour every day.
Another way I've seen successful is accumulating volume in unrelated workouts, so if you can do say 8 good reps per set on your pull workout, then every other workout between sets do 2 reps. That'll accumulate volume without being too intense.
@majordadsage I‘m doing rows, too, in my regular workout.
I‘d like to grease the groove but I‘m not working in spaces where I can do pull ups, so…
Might try that, someone else suggested this, too. Thanks
I‘d like to grease the groove but I‘m not working in spaces where I can do pull ups, so…
Might try that, someone else suggested this, too. Thanks
deborah123
New member
@greg67
You need to provide your full routine for any critique to be given. I see you provided your routine structure, but that doesn't give enough information either.
How many sets of pullups? Any other pulling exercises during your routines? Sets? Reps? Rest times? Tempo of exercises?
Generally, most people need somewhere between about 6-10 sets of pulling exercises (usually pullups and rows) about 2-3x per week with at least 3 full minutes of rest between sets on 10X0 tempo in order to break through pulling plateaus. Most people will plateau on 3 sets of pullups and 3 sets of rows after a certain amount of time, hence why going to 4-5 sets of both (8-10 sets total per session) can be effective.
If you're doing 2x a week and have other factors different than above you may need some alterations in your plan to progress, or a deload if everything is potentially in a good range already
You need to provide your full routine for any critique to be given. I see you provided your routine structure, but that doesn't give enough information either.
How many sets of pullups? Any other pulling exercises during your routines? Sets? Reps? Rest times? Tempo of exercises?
Generally, most people need somewhere between about 6-10 sets of pulling exercises (usually pullups and rows) about 2-3x per week with at least 3 full minutes of rest between sets on 10X0 tempo in order to break through pulling plateaus. Most people will plateau on 3 sets of pullups and 3 sets of rows after a certain amount of time, hence why going to 4-5 sets of both (8-10 sets total per session) can be effective.
If you're doing 2x a week and have other factors different than above you may need some alterations in your plan to progress, or a deload if everything is potentially in a good range already
@deborah123 Sorry, I didn‘t know how much info was needed tbh.
So my upper body days look like this:
Superset 1
6x banded pike push-ups
max pull-ups
Superset 2
max ring dips
12x rows on rings
Superset 3
8x push ups
12x rear delt flyes on rings
I do every superset 3x, then move on to the next one
Rest 3min between each superset
Speed is not consciously altered, so no pausing/explosiveness or anything
So my upper body days look like this:
Superset 1
6x banded pike push-ups
max pull-ups
Superset 2
max ring dips
12x rows on rings
Superset 3
8x push ups
12x rear delt flyes on rings
I do every superset 3x, then move on to the next one
Rest 3min between each superset
Speed is not consciously altered, so no pausing/explosiveness or anything
deborah123
New member
@greg67
Well, that was pretty easy once you provided your full routine.
Pushups and dips also use chest and dips also use lats which are a primary mover for pullups too. If you're doing your pushups and then straight to pullups then you're basically pre-fatiguing your muscles with the pushups to do worse at pullups.
This is why supersetting is not recommended for strength and hypertrophy. It makes the quality of your exercises worse and easily leads to plateaus. Go to straight sets and put pullups first in your routine and you will likely start improving again.
Potentially going to 3x a week full body might be better too.
Well, that was pretty easy once you provided your full routine.
Pushups and dips also use chest and dips also use lats which are a primary mover for pullups too. If you're doing your pushups and then straight to pullups then you're basically pre-fatiguing your muscles with the pushups to do worse at pullups.
This is why supersetting is not recommended for strength and hypertrophy. It makes the quality of your exercises worse and easily leads to plateaus. Go to straight sets and put pullups first in your routine and you will likely start improving again.
Potentially going to 3x a week full body might be better too.
@deborah123 I superset because of time restrictions
3x full body, I don‘t even know how to do that. How long is one of those workouts? 3 hours? How can I hit everything of importance.
Also…I kinda need a morning routine. It seems easier to do something every day than to do it every other (or so) day. But I could do other stuff on the free mornings, I guess, like…work
3x full body, I don‘t even know how to do that. How long is one of those workouts? 3 hours? How can I hit everything of importance.
Also…I kinda need a morning routine. It seems easier to do something every day than to do it every other (or so) day. But I could do other stuff on the free mornings, I guess, like…work
walterroger
New member
@greg67 Time restriction is a bad excuse. Do you want to spend an hour doing a bunch of exercises with mediocre results, or do you want to drop the fluff and focus on what you want to get better at? You can probaly replace your entire program with just pullups and dips and get better results because pushups, rows, flys and pike pushups are all pretty low intensity exercises comparatively.
If i were training you that is what i would do. Simplify and build from the core strength moves (pullups + dips), only add stuff back in if you have glaring weaknesses after a few months.
If i were training you that is what i would do. Simplify and build from the core strength moves (pullups + dips), only add stuff back in if you have glaring weaknesses after a few months.
@walterroger I have been thinking about this a lot lately. But then again, I read and heard that you need to have exercise xyz to be well rounded and it‘s hard for me to just drop something.
So let‘s say I have an hour, how would you structure the dips and pull-ups in there? Also, I need to work shoulder strength for my handstand stuff and this is actually what is throwing me off because I find it hard enough to incorporate the pike push ups at all.
So let‘s say I have an hour, how would you structure the dips and pull-ups in there? Also, I need to work shoulder strength for my handstand stuff and this is actually what is throwing me off because I find it hard enough to incorporate the pike push ups at all.