I got 11 pullups in a row when I was aiming for 10!
- Thread starter ayopoker
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- bodyweight fitness
@ayopoker I did GtG (what you described - doing a set from time to time throughout the day) with sets around 4 to 6 reps 2 or 3 times a week and I got to 10 pull-ups in about 2 months (max was 6 when I started and 8 after about a month). I didn't really progress after that though and now I'm trying an endurance-based schedule that got me to 12 after just over a week and I'm hoping to get to 20.
Pull-ups are a chore? I enjoy them enough that I constantly had to hold myself back from doing too many reps. I always felt really naughty whenever I somehow "ended up" getting the pull-up bar out on the days when I was supposed to be resting.
Not completely sure what the question is here but no, testing your max even every week won't hurt your progress. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can just drop a few reps off your next set to make up for it (or skip one or two sets that day). However you can also feel progress without testing your max, e.g. if your max is 8 and you do sets of 5 but then those 5 start to feel easier so you start doing 6 instead then you also know that your max is going up.
Pull-ups are a chore? I enjoy them enough that I constantly had to hold myself back from doing too many reps. I always felt really naughty whenever I somehow "ended up" getting the pull-up bar out on the days when I was supposed to be resting.
Not completely sure what the question is here but no, testing your max even every week won't hurt your progress. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can just drop a few reps off your next set to make up for it (or skip one or two sets that day). However you can also feel progress without testing your max, e.g. if your max is 8 and you do sets of 5 but then those 5 start to feel easier so you start doing 6 instead then you also know that your max is going up.
@sfondrati Thanks!
thekingskid55
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ericamross
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@ericamross If it makes you feel better, I suck at everything else.
orthodoxcrusaderuk
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@ayopoker Well done! Since you can do 10+ in a row, you can make some significant progress with rest-pause routines. Basically, a reverse pyramid session where your first working “set” or “round” (whatever you want to describe it as) will be the most number of pull-ups you do, and it would taper down until technical failure; i.e. you can no longer perform a strict pull-up with proper form.
An example of rest-pause would be:
1st set: strict pull-ups, as many reps as possible (AMRAP); stop 1-2 reps of technical failure
- take a very quick break, more like a 5-10 second breather
2nd set: strict pull-ups, AMRAP, stop 1-2 reps before technical failure (the number of reps will significantly decrease by this time)
- take another 5-10 sec breather
3rd (and do on) set: AMRAP pull-ups again, etc. > breather > AMRAP... rinse and repeat until you can no longer perform 1 clean rep after the breather.
Don’t worry about the number of reps you perform and don’t worry if by the second or third round you already achieve failure. The purpose is to fast forward back and lat development with bodyweight only, that standard prescribed sets and reps might otherwise hinder in that regard. It bypasses the exact feeling of associating any repetitive bodyweight exercise with being a chore.
By intentionally failing quickly, you become efficient: maximizing as much response - muscle recruitment (given proper form) with proportional intensity - in the least amount of time. Once you fail, you’re done for the day. And this can be applied to push-ups, inverted rows, dips, pike presses/handstand push-ups, etc.
To make it even sweeter, don’t count reps. Just know when you’re about to fail within the next 1-2 reps, then rest and pause, and do it again until you do fail. For shits and giggles you can test your rep max and compare your numbers from before and after.
TL;DR - you got good by practicing to get good; now you can get better at getting better.
An example of rest-pause would be:
1st set: strict pull-ups, as many reps as possible (AMRAP); stop 1-2 reps of technical failure
- take a very quick break, more like a 5-10 second breather
2nd set: strict pull-ups, AMRAP, stop 1-2 reps before technical failure (the number of reps will significantly decrease by this time)
- take another 5-10 sec breather
3rd (and do on) set: AMRAP pull-ups again, etc. > breather > AMRAP... rinse and repeat until you can no longer perform 1 clean rep after the breather.
Don’t worry about the number of reps you perform and don’t worry if by the second or third round you already achieve failure. The purpose is to fast forward back and lat development with bodyweight only, that standard prescribed sets and reps might otherwise hinder in that regard. It bypasses the exact feeling of associating any repetitive bodyweight exercise with being a chore.
By intentionally failing quickly, you become efficient: maximizing as much response - muscle recruitment (given proper form) with proportional intensity - in the least amount of time. Once you fail, you’re done for the day. And this can be applied to push-ups, inverted rows, dips, pike presses/handstand push-ups, etc.
To make it even sweeter, don’t count reps. Just know when you’re about to fail within the next 1-2 reps, then rest and pause, and do it again until you do fail. For shits and giggles you can test your rep max and compare your numbers from before and after.
TL;DR - you got good by practicing to get good; now you can get better at getting better.
evangelistca
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kasandra09
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ettennette
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@ayopoker Great work. A year ago I struggled to do more than 5 pull-ups. 8 weeks ago I started doing 100 pull-ups once a week. First week I managed 50, then 75, 90, and now 100. I now start with multiple sets of 12 and I’m finishing on reps of 6. My goal is to do 100 pull-ups with the least amount of sets. Slowly but surely I’m getting better. Good luck with your goals.