Stuck on 7 pull-ups forever

[childofgod49]

Hey guys I started working out about 9 months ago. Getting to 10 pull-ups always used to be my goal. On the 1st day I was able to do 1 rep. After about 3 months of training I got to 6-7 rep mark. I was confident that I would be able to do 10 pull-ups in some more time. But I was never able to get past 7 reps. I have also tried fighter pull-up program and k-boges pull-up program but to no use. In the meantime my arms got bigger and I can more curl more weight than before and everything else seems to improve other than my pull-ups. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance

PS: I have now restarted k-boges pull-up program ( pull-ups 3 times/ week) and apart from that I do 6 sets of cable rows and 10 sets of bicep exercises in a week

 

[dcjh]

@childofgod49 Are you fully engaging your back? I wonder if you are using too much arm and shoulder - and those smaller muscles cap you at seven.

I would consider trying scapular pull ups and generally using mind muscle connection to pull through your back and reduce dependence on your arms and even shoulders.

I have naturally strong shoulders in when I started relied too much on them. I could only get my numbers up (and relieve stress on my shoulders) by fully engaging my back.

The fact that your arms are getting big may be evidence that this is right.

 

[childofgod49]

@dcjh Any tips on how would you use ur back more?

 

[dcjh]

@childofgod49 I think you need to fully understand how the back works, in particular your lats and scapula.

I came from a martial arts background but trained calisthenics with guys who had lifted weights. Weightlifting has good technics and methods for engaging the back. This helped me to build a a solid functional understanding of what I was doing and need to do.

One of the first things I would do is to very consciously and systematically warn up your shoulders, lats and scapula. Move them through their full range of motion. Observe how they feel.

Look up mind muscle connection. It is hard to explain what it is and why it is so powerful but this is the foundation for how you intentionally use muscles in exercises.

The shoulder and scapula are amazing and complex machines. You need to have mastery of them. Lats are simpler, but many people struggle to voluntarily engage their lats. Make sure you have control of your lats. Actually bodybuilding lat flex moves are good for this.

I used to look at this as body weight exercise and sort of still do. But see it as calisthenics helped me to learn theory and fundamentals.

There is tons of good stuff on YouTube. FitnessFAQs and Calisthenics Movement are good places to start.

Gymnastics rings may also be better for exploring these muscle groups than bars.

Happy to try to help as much as I can. This is important!

 

[dcjh]

Also form is very important. If you body moves much you lead energy, making the pull harder. You need to engage your core and keep your body relaxed, but rigid. Watch the form of the guys in the YouTube channels.

You should be keenly aware of your relaxed (disengaged) position and your engaged (or ready position. You should do a lot of bar hangs. Alternating between engaged and relaxed positions.

Pull up negatives are great.

If you search YouTube for “how to do more pull ups” you will find lots of routines, which are great. I am focusing on fundamentals.

 

[childofgod49]

@dcjh Tnx a lot bro

 

[paul500]

@childofgod49 Drive elbows back at the top.

https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/5efyvn/training_the_top_of_the_pullup

As to your plateau specifically, add more rest between sets to get more reps. Or more sets plus more rest. Then reduce rest. Also deload if it’s been a few months since the last time.

 

[yhjmkiop]

@childofgod49 I struggled on my way to 10 for quite a while, and I believe it has a lot to do with a mental blockade. You think you won't get past 7, so you start feeling heavy around the 6th pull up.

What helped me was doing chin ups and neutral grip pull ups, alternating grips between training days. I can always do a few more cus and ngpus than "real" pull ups so I learned that I could definitely pull myself up more than 7 or 8 times that way.

PS now easily doing 3x12 in pronated grip and 15 in neutral grip.

 

[childofgod49]

@yhjmkiop Oh ok I will try switching grips between sessions

 

[skycentrism]

@yhjmkiop Agreed on the mental block. Something that helped me was just changing the goal. Instead of the goal being 10, make it 12. What can happen is that we mentally think of 10 pull-ups as "a lot" so as we approach it, it's mentally daunting. Setting a higher, but reachable goal can train the mind that 10 isn't that scary. Then when you hit 10, you can set the goal to 15, and that will get you to 12.

Other things which helped me break the 7-Pull-up plateau included:
- Adding weight: When you take the weight off, your first couple of reps will feel like they're in zero gravity.
- Training levers and dragon flag: They can help build lat strength.
- Watching bodyweight: Are you bulking? If so, your 7 reps is actually a net gain, since you're heavier than before. Remember that with bodyweight fitness, you are the dumbbell.
- Casual reps: There's a pull-up bar along my daily walk, which I would pass 3 times a day. So I'd pull out a few casual reps, maybe 5 or so, each time I passed the bar. That can build endurance which can help increase the total reps over time.

 

[growingchristian16]

@childofgod49 Record yourself and check. You are probably increasing the height of your exercises without knowing as 7 reps is that sweet spot where your back muscles are starting to be the limiting factor and are slowly improving.

That means, you probably couldn't do chest-to-bar pull ups before, and now you're closing the gap.

 

[savedintx]

@childofgod49 Is your grip failing? Maybe try weighted set of 5? Doesn't have to be lots of weight (2.5 or 5 lbs). My lats and pullups got easier after I did one arm overhead press (kettlebells or dumbbells) and or got my barbell deadlift over 3 plates.

 

[childofgod49]

@savedintx I don't think my grip is failing coz I can deadhang for like 70 seconds. And my deadlift 1rm is around 165 kgs.

 

[savedintx]

@childofgod49 What's your height and bodyweight?

 

[childofgod49]

@savedintx 185cm ( 6'1 ) and 84 kgs (190 lbs)

 

[savedintx]

@childofgod49 Gotcha. So your goal of 10 should be well within your reach. Also don't be afraid to play with grip width within reason if you haven't done that before. A few inches wider or narrower can make a lot of difference especially with the overhand grib.

 

[ianf19]

@childofgod49 And core strength? Maybe try wheel roll-outs and hanging knee/leg raises...and slow time under tension pull-ups focused on engaged core (ex: 1-2 seconds up and 3-5 seconds lowering for each rep).

 

[childofgod49]

@ianf19 My core strength is pretty shit. I can plank for a minute and I can do only 10 hanging knee raises. Do u think my core strength could have been the reason for this plateau?

 

[ianf19]

@childofgod49 Just an educated guess. There's a kind of core strength you only can really get by actually doing slow pull-ups with legs out, not bent back behind you. A hollow position while doing pull-ups.

 

[mistert]

@savedintx This. Weighted pullups for less reps for a few weeks, then take off the weight.