About a month ago I decided to max out on my pull-ups just for the fun of it. I only managed a measly 15. This coming from someone who at 190lbs could dead over 500lbs., squat over 450, and bench over 400. Something had to be done. But let me start with my own experience with the pullup.
I remember my junior year of high school in only my second year of wrestling, I managed to take 1st place in my district at 145lbs. I credit a big part of that to the pullup.
At wrestling practice, I would do pullups intermitantly between the various drills we would do. Before and after practice I would do pullups. At home or on the weekends I would do pullups. Chances are if you called me I would be doing pullups.
Now I was NOT a very good wrestler. I won because pound for pound there was NO ONE stronger than me. I was throwing guys 30lbs heavier and benching 100lbs more than me around at practice.
Fast forward to 2003-4. While in Iraq, all that we had to workout with was a camouflage net bar set up between two quadcons. So all that we did was pullups. Everyday. With flak jackets, packs with radios in them, radio batteries, anything we could load ourselves with.
My upper body took off. So did everyone else’s in my unit. I looked better then, without enough food or sleep, than after several years of following typical bodybuilding routines.
Each time, my curiosity got the better of me, I drifted away from focusing on pullups and I decided to follow some other routine. Some worked, some didn’t. But none of them delivered the goods like focusing on doing pullups and its variations.
Now I’m not saying give up your training and just focus on pullups. Not at all. Just add pullups into your routine, somewhere. Maybe do them first thing in the morning. You’ll thank yourself for doing them.
Well, for the past month I’ve focused on pullups. I did them 4 times a week. Cycling loads and their variations and NEVER training to failure. I would say that at the lowest workout I would still do 80 reps.
At the highest, I probably did 500 reps, but that was ALL day long. ( did 5 EVERY 10 minutes). Any shoulder or chest pain I have felt has vanished. My bench has actually gone up 5lbs.(I know big deal, but I didn’t do one bench press). My back looks noticebly thicker and wider (my girlfriend actually noticed this, while I was wearing a shirt!).
Remember don’t kid yourself. A pullup is full extension on the bottom and your neck well above the bar. Focus on form and the weight and reps will come.
My progess? Well, I went from doing 15 to 32 dead hang pullups. I don’t think I am going to stop doing pullups any time soon.
