Pull-Up Program in Conjunction w/ Upper Lower Split too Much?

I’ve been using the westside for skinny bastards template for a few weeks now with good progress, except for pull-ups which haven’t changed. Based on what I’ve read and my own past experience, pull-ups improve with more frequency. Would doing the fighter pull-up program in conjunction with wsfsb3 be too much volume?

My main goal is improving my strength in the deadlift, overhead press, and pull-ups.

Are you trying to improve how much weight you can move on weighted pull ups or number of reps?

I’m using the standard Jim Wendler set in his article, so right now its 15 consecutive pull-ups and 30 pull-ups in 10 minutes with 10% bodyweight added.

If you are using Jim’s standards, any reason you aren’t using his programming to get there? That might work better.

For a few reasons:

  • To my knowledge, chin ups are not an ideal candidate for 5/3/1 parameters.
    -531 is a program focused on improving the press, bench,deadlift and back squat, and i’m not aware of any chin-up focused template
  • I can get more out of linear progression at my current strength level (125 lb press, 260 lb deadlift). I know, it’s not just for intermediate/advanced lifters but I’d rather stick to linear progression

But westside barbell for Skinny Bastards isn’t linear progression. It’s actually like the complete opposite. You might not come back to an ME movement for months.

I found Jim’s suggestion to do a set of chins between all upper body work in his programs went a long way toward improving my chin rep total and weighted amount. It might work for you.

I’ll keep that in mind

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Jim has templates where chins play an important role. Most of them are in his private Forum.

My advice would be this:
Google “Jim Wendler weighted chins article” and read it. Then choose one regular/low volume template (5s pro + fsl, 5/3/1 og. for example ) and apply the chin up progression you can find in the article.

Of course you can do westside, but if you want to use Wendler stuff, I would suggest using them with 5/3/1.

Don’t combine programs. As mentioned above, Jim has a way.

Waterbury also has a technique.

I’ll be honest, I don’t have the patience for 5/3/1 progressions right now, and I can tell you I probably won’t stick to it if I start. I’m weak, and if I’m not trying to push heavier weight weekly, then I’ll get impatient. I have other strength goals (overhead press, deadlift) that don’t necessarily need to be done with 5/3/1. At some point when I build a better strength base (e.g 325 lb deadlift), I’ll try 5/3/1.

you realise you are supposed to set a PR every time you get in the gym with 5/31?

He is just another who doesn’t get it…

Sure I do. Training is a lifelong pursuit, there are no quick fixes, any program that’s logical will work if you commit and believe in it. I also know simple linear progression won’t last forever. I know s 500 lb deadlift will not come quickly or easily. I just want to take the next few months to do a mini strength surge

Chin ups between sets of presses is a great approach. Lots of great lifters liked “paired sets.” Arnold, Paul Carter, Paul Anderson, Alpha. That’s just like, the A’s.

I would do non-killer sets of chins, worked into the WS4SB upper days.

Do like 2 reps with a little weight added between pressing sets on max effort days. You can do this right thru the Secondary exercise too. That could be like 8-12 sets right there. It wouldn’t even be hard. Over a few weeks, you increased to 3, then 4 chins.

It won’t take you very long to hit The 30 reps weighted in 10 minutes, in addition to your pressing.

Do unweighted sets of 4-6 chins between presses on rep days. Again, non-killer sets. You can keep it up during the Secondary exercise again. Thats 6-8 sets. Let the volume add up. Over a few weeks, build up to like 5-7 per set.

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Everything you wrote after the first two sentences screams “I don’t get the program”.

Sorry

But at the end of the day, do what makes you happy. It is your time and enjoying going to the gym should always be #1.

Find a copy of ‘Built like a badass’ by Defranco basically its ws4sb version 4 and one of its main aspects is improving pullups

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You can do what you want. Just remember that the program rarely determines the speed of the progress in the gym.

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