Which pathway is better: Weighted pull-ups or explosive pull-ups?

@sampaul Which is why with power training the reps are kept low and you do not go to failure.

Think plyometrics and jumping and hang cleans and snatches.

Power training weighted pull-ups is like doing now jumps with a vest. It’s not the best idea.

Try one or the other. The principle of specificity.
 
@johnnyboy1998 Just a simple lean physique like professional strength and endurance athlete, david “200lbs of solid muscle at 6’1” goggins, nbd. Wouldn’t want to do a push up too many and accidentally get jacked
 
@unbridledwild Ok first of all, you don’t have to have his exact lifestyle to attain his physique. Like, there are plenty of examples of others with comparable physiques but I only mentioned Goggins because he was the first prominent figure to come to mind.

Second of all, he’s closer to 160 last time I’ve heard, which is pretty lean for his height.
 
@johnnyboy1998 Instead of the transfer from weighted to explosive etc. you have to consider that your muscles consist of fast and slow twitch muscle fibers. If you want to be explosive you have to concentrate on the fast-twitch meaning you have to train your explosiveness (also called plyometric drills, hence explosive movements), strength will help you as well as it will help with the pull. You can always combine them...
 
@johnnyboy1998 DEFINITELY the weighted ones. Strength is the physical quality that everything else comes from. If you want to build muscle, get strong. If you want to be powerful, get strong. If you want to have endurance, get strong. And Weighted Pull-Ups will build strength better than explosive ones.

Even better than Weighted Pull-Ups may actually be Mixed Grip Chin-Ups and working towards the One Arm Chin-Up. This could provide even better gains.
 
@johnnyboy1998 Rotate them. Incorporating all forms of training is more beneficial.

For example, I'll do weighted on Monday, endurance or explosive on Wednesday and weighted again on Friday.

I'm too fatigued on Wednesday to go heavy, so doing some endurance work or explosive work helps.

But for 1 day a week of weighted would deffinately be beneficial, aiming at 2 to 5 rep sets.
 
@johnnyboy1998 If you get stronger (through weighted pulls), and you use that improved force on your body weight pull, then acceleration(explosiveness) improves. F= m*a. Force improved by getting stronger. Mass stays the same (body weight), so acceleration/ explosiveness of your body weight improves to keep the equation balanced.

If you also learn the skill of explosive pull ups, you train the muscle fibres to fire together in a more synchronised way. That also contributes to force over time.

So really you do both things!! Improve your base strength and the ability to express it over time.
 
@johnnyboy1998 Since your main goal is to boost athleticism and explosiveness, focusing on explosive pull-ups might be the better path for you. These will help improve your power and speed, which are key for athletic performance. You can start with regular pull-ups, then move to chest-to-bar, and aim for waist-to-bar as you get stronger. This progression will help you develop that explosive strength you’re looking for.

Weighted pull-ups are great for building muscle mass and overall strength, but since your focus isn't on getting bigger, sticking with explosive movements aligns better with your goals. Keep pushing yourself with these progressive challenges, and you'll likely see great improvements in your athletic abilities!
 
@johnnyboy1998 You should be doing both. One influences the other. Whenever I go up in my weighted pullups (currently at 70% of my body weight), I immediately feel a positive effect on my explosive pull-ups. Explosive pullups also work the muscles in a way weighted can't. It's simply a win-win to do both. I trade back days for these exercises (muscle ups and explosive pullups on Monday and weighted pullups on Thursday, for example). I will still do single sets of muscle ups throughout the week though, often as a last set before heading out the door, since I know my shoulders are usually at their warmest point by then.
 
@johnnyboy1998 If your goal is explosiveness, train explosively.

It’s called the principal of specificity.

This is commonly called power training (force x velocity ), you want to train few reps per set. The goal is to move as quickly as possible. Force might be the first thing to go, or it could be velocity. Regardless, once an athlete gets into a higher rep range, they are going to start moving more slowly and generating less force, which will compromise power output. They might also start making some positional compromises (like technique) to maintain either factor, which can lead to injury.
 
@johnnyboy1998 This might be helpful. The nine physiological adaptations to exercise.

Skill/technique - moving better, better positions, precise timing sequence, more efficient movement.

Speed - moving at higher velocity or rate of acceleration.

Power - speed x force.

Force - aka strength, maximum force produced once.

Muscle hypertrophy - how much muscle mass do you have?

Muscular endurance - how many repetitions in a row can you do? Localized muscled fatigue.

Anaerobic capacity - how much work you can do at maximum heart rate. 30-120 seconds all out work. Global failure.

Maximum aerobic capacity - 8-15 min, reach maximum heart rate and vo2 max heart rate.

Long duration - sustain sub maximal work for long period of time with no breaks or reduction.

Figure out your goals, and then use the best tools to get there.
 
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