Stuck on Pull-Ups

Bigger Stronger Leaner
21

[quote]mastero wrote:
OP, the main predictor of maximum number of consecutive pull-ups is pull-up 1RM. What is your current 1RM?

Do not train for maximum reps of pull-ups, until you can do 20+ without training specifically for it. Limit your reps training to easy sets of 10-12 now and then.

When you are within 20-30% of your goal (e.g. when you can do 23+, for a goal of 30), you can start training specifically for it. Do this by doing lots and lots of pull-ups, all the time. For example, do 10 sets of 10, 5 days per week. Another alternative is to do something like 3x10 4 days a week and 1-3 max sets, or maximum reps in x minutes, 1 day.

Rep training for pull-ups is just peaking, you won’t improve more than 30-40% maximum this way. You need to build your base, which for pull-ups is exactly your 1RM. Aim for a 2x body-weight pull-up long-term.[/quote]

Nope.
This is just rubbish.

22

[quote]cyruspace wrote:
To the OP consider this

The SAID principle states basically that if you want to be good at something, do that.

So if you want to increase the number of pullups you do exactly that.

I would consider manipulating the days off.
Try 1 day, then 2, then 3 then 4 etc.
To see which works best.

I would start with one set until you figure out how many days off you need, then consider going to 2 sets, but this may increase the days off you need.

Perhaps consider going to extreme failure, until you can’t even do partials or negatives.

I am sure you know if you are carrying extra bodyfat, need to lose it

If you are gaining muscular weight elsewhere; legs as an example, that weight will hurt your pullups.

Once you get to about 20 reps it becomes muscular endurance. If you want to train for strength then you need to add weight to get the reps back down around 10.

A better training approach may be once you max out pull ups, then look to max out chin ups, then look to max out sternum close grip pull ups etc. Of course if you add weight to these you may never max out!
[/quote]

And this ain’t much better.

23

[quote]dagill2 wrote:

[quote]mastero wrote:
OP, the main predictor of maximum number of consecutive pull-ups is pull-up 1RM. What is your current 1RM?

Do not train for maximum reps of pull-ups, until you can do 20+ without training specifically for it. Limit your reps training to easy sets of 10-12 now and then.

When you are within 20-30% of your goal (e.g. when you can do 23+, for a goal of 30), you can start training specifically for it. Do this by doing lots and lots of pull-ups, all the time. For example, do 10 sets of 10, 5 days per week. Another alternative is to do something like 3x10 4 days a week and 1-3 max sets, or maximum reps in x minutes, 1 day.

Rep training for pull-ups is just peaking, you won’t improve more than 30-40% maximum this way. You need to build your base, which for pull-ups is exactly your 1RM. Aim for a 2x body-weight pull-up long-term.[/quote]

Nope.
This is just rubbish.[/quote]

dagill2
It’s true that grip strength is important for max reps of pull-ups. A better grip increases your 1RM which in turn increases your max reps. Try your 1RM with and without straps, for me it’s about 10 lbs difference. No straps in the world, however, and no grip strength, will help you lift more weight than your biceps and lats can carry. By all means do work on grip strength to increase your 1RM, but remember to train the entire movement with heavy weight. Otherwise you’ll be struggling at 20-25 reps forever, since this rep range and higher does little to improve 1RM.

24

[quote]mastero wrote:

[quote]dagill2 wrote:

[quote]mastero wrote:
OP, the main predictor of maximum number of consecutive pull-ups is pull-up 1RM. What is your current 1RM?

Do not train for maximum reps of pull-ups, until you can do 20+ without training specifically for it. Limit your reps training to easy sets of 10-12 now and then.

When you are within 20-30% of your goal (e.g. when you can do 23+, for a goal of 30), you can start training specifically for it. Do this by doing lots and lots of pull-ups, all the time. For example, do 10 sets of 10, 5 days per week. Another alternative is to do something like 3x10 4 days a week and 1-3 max sets, or maximum reps in x minutes, 1 day.

Rep training for pull-ups is just peaking, you won’t improve more than 30-40% maximum this way. You need to build your base, which for pull-ups is exactly your 1RM. Aim for a 2x body-weight pull-up long-term.[/quote]

Nope.
This is just rubbish.[/quote]

dagill2
It’s true that grip strength is important for max reps of pull-ups. A better grip increases your 1RM which in turn increases your max reps. Try your 1RM with and without straps, for me it’s about 10 lbs difference. No straps in the world, however, and no grip strength, will help you lift more weight than your biceps and lats can carry. By all means do work on grip strength to increase your 1RM, but remember to train the entire movement with heavy weight. Otherwise you’ll be struggling at 20-25 reps forever, since this rep range and higher does little to improve 1RM.[/quote]
I don’t know about that. I have never failed a weighted pullup due to grip.

25

[quote]Ecchastang wrote:

[quote]mastero wrote:

[quote]dagill2 wrote:

[quote]mastero wrote:
OP, the main predictor of maximum number of consecutive pull-ups is pull-up 1RM. What is your current 1RM?

Do not train for maximum reps of pull-ups, until you can do 20+ without training specifically for it. Limit your reps training to easy sets of 10-12 now and then.

When you are within 20-30% of your goal (e.g. when you can do 23+, for a goal of 30), you can start training specifically for it. Do this by doing lots and lots of pull-ups, all the time. For example, do 10 sets of 10, 5 days per week. Another alternative is to do something like 3x10 4 days a week and 1-3 max sets, or maximum reps in x minutes, 1 day.

Rep training for pull-ups is just peaking, you won’t improve more than 30-40% maximum this way. You need to build your base, which for pull-ups is exactly your 1RM. Aim for a 2x body-weight pull-up long-term.[/quote]

Nope.
This is just rubbish.[/quote]

dagill2
It’s true that grip strength is important for max reps of pull-ups. A better grip increases your 1RM which in turn increases your max reps. Try your 1RM with and without straps, for me it’s about 10 lbs difference. No straps in the world, however, and no grip strength, will help you lift more weight than your biceps and lats can carry. By all means do work on grip strength to increase your 1RM, but remember to train the entire movement with heavy weight. Otherwise you’ll be struggling at 20-25 reps forever, since this rep range and higher does little to improve 1RM.[/quote]
I don’t know about that. I have never failed a weighted pullup due to grip. [/quote]

Being a climber grip probably isn’t your weak link. Therefore it’s not likely that your max pull up count would increase substantially by increasing your grip strength. We’re in agreement then. For me, straps help a lot with heavy pull-ups, but they don’t help much for max reps.

26

As hard as I try, I can’t break the 10 strict pull-ups barrier.

I did 100 kipping pull-ups last May at the CrossFit “Murph” (1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, 1 mile run). “Murph”, is Lt Michael Murphy from the movie/book Lone Survivor.

I’m not a fan of kipping. If I can just barely do 10 strict, how the hell can I do 10 times as many (along with all the other work I was doing) unless I was cheating the movement?

27

[quote]alpha_mike wrote:
I’m not a fan of kipping. If I can just barely do 10 strict, how the hell can I do 10 times as many (along with all the other work I was doing) unless I was cheating the movement? [/quote]

I think you have to view a kipping pull-up as a separate movement entirely. There’s no reason to even compare the reps you can do for strict pullups to the number of kipping pullups you can do because they’re not the same movement.

This would be less of an issue if CrossFitters didn’t post videos about doing 100 pull-ups in 3 minutes, but instead acknowledged that the kip turns it into a different exercise altogether.

28

[quote]ActivitiesGuy wrote:

[quote]alpha_mike wrote:
I’m not a fan of kipping. If I can just barely do 10 strict, how the hell can I do 10 times as many (along with all the other work I was doing) unless I was cheating the movement? [/quote]

I think you have to view a kipping pull-up as a separate movement entirely. There’s no reason to even compare the reps you can do for strict pullups to the number of kipping pullups you can do because they’re not the same movement.

This would be less of an issue if CrossFitters didn’t post videos about doing 100 pull-ups in 3 minutes, but instead acknowledged that the kip turns it into a different exercise altogether.

[/quote]
So true. There is a time and place for both, but they aren’t the same.

29

I’ll just throw my two cents in there, seeing as how I train pull ups quite a lot. I am an OCS applicant in-training. This means I do my pull ups religiously.

As somebody else said, take a couple days off. As many as three or four, if you can stand it. Remember to eat and sleep, and keep your other upper-body exercises light so that your body can actually recover. Then consider the two options below.

Something that helped me get from the mid-teens into the low 20s was doing the “Stew Smith Pull Up Push” workout. You can find it tons of places online (and not always consistent from location to location), but it is essentially this:

Basically, do 100 pull ups a day for 10 days. On odd days (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) do 100 pull ups as part of your normal hour or so in the gym. On even days (2, 4, 6, and 8) do 100 pull ups spread evenly throughout the day, ie. 5 when you wake up, 5 after breakfast, 5 before school, 5 at lunch, etc. After 10 days, rest for 2 or 3 days.

I hit 20 pull ups on day 7 or 8, I believe. YMMV. It is worth noting that this is essentially a “grease the groove” program, as has been mentioned several times.

After that, consider working pull ups three days a week in this way:
Monday: 5x5 weighted (medium rest 60-120sec)
Wednesday: 20x5 unweighted (short rest 30-60sec)
Friday: 3xAMAP (long rest 120-240sec)

On days one and two, you’ll probably leave one or two reps in the tank. Don’t leave much more than that, but you aren’t training to failure. On day three, push yourself to failure for all three sets.

30

it’s been 4 months since this post he may have accomplished his goal by now.