Ok, just started ABBH and hit Day#3, Dips and Chins.
Firstly, I suck at chins, always have. I weight 225 and I think my arms tend to give before my back, but I feel straps are cheating. I can do the first set of 10, but the second set, I go until 8, then 5, then 3, then 2. How can I accomplish the chin’s? Do I just go along until I hit 50 reps or replace it with another exercise?
Does anyone have or know of a good program to increase their chin’s? I want to get better at them this year. It’s pretty pathetic that I can DL 295 4x6, but can’t do fucking chinups.
Have you seen the Armstrong Pull-up Program? I started it in Dec. only being able to do 1-2 pullups, and Monday I hit 11. Basically you do a shitload of em, different set/rep schemes throughout the week. It’s been posted here before I think.
I found Pavel’s theory of “radiation” works - basically - muscle tension in all of the surrounding muscles adds more strength to those your are focusing on.
When I plateau on my chins (pull-cups) I use it. Basically you are going to tense pretty much your whole damn body (minus legs, but include the butt) while you are doing each rep. Relax and quickly re-tense between reps. Your numbers will not go up while doing this, in fact they may drop by 1 or 2 at first. But after about three weeks or so try your chins again the way you normally do and you’ll likely see a significant increase.
Works great for me, although I only weigh about 157, and I do pull-ups twice a week.
[quote]italian_muscle wrote:
Ok, just started ABBH and hit Day#3, Dips and Chins.
Firstly, I suck at chins, always have. I weight 225 and I think my arms tend to give before my back, but I feel straps are cheating. I can do the first set of 10, but the second set, I go until 8, then 5, then 3, then 2. How can I accomplish the chin’s? Do I just go along until I hit 50 reps or replace it with another exercise?
Does anyone have or know of a good program to increase their chin’s? I want to get better at them this year. It’s pretty pathetic that I can DL 295 4x6, but can’t do fucking chinups. [/quote]
Honestly by the rationale of the last paragraph. Id say your DL is lacking much more then your chins you said you got 10,8, 5, 3, 2 on chins what 27 reps and you got 24 reps on dl with essentially 70 more lbs but a hell load larger and stronger muscle groups, legs, low back etc.
Id say for this program if your going to follow it do as the program says and pick a load you can do the sets and reps
You guys doing the armstrong program, is this in addition to time on the weight pile or is this your full routine when trying to go up on pullups? If my forearms ever quit hurting completely I would like to get my chins back up.
I do bodyweight exercises on off days, as my gpp. Because of this, I can do a shitload of pullups and dips. I use no real set/rep scheme, but rather just do a bunch with different grips, and body position, and make the movements ballistic on occassion.
Maybe you are not yet ready for The gymnast’s extended-set back routine as detailed in this article, Charles Poliquin recommends you can hit 12 good clean pull-up reps before you try it.
First aim to get the 12 good reps then hit this routine, I perform extra wide chins and this took me from a 12 rep max to an 18 rep max in 2months performing it twice a week.
One other tip I would give: use chalk! makes you feel like a gymnast
Why not just ABBH and do assisted chins for now on high rep days? Your strength will improve and eventually you’ll be able to do it unassisted. I wasn’t able to do 5x10 bodyweight chins when
I first did ABBH. I can now. I never did a specific chin program. I just kept plugging-lifting and eating.
I did Pull-up grip Lat Pulldowns for the 5 by 10 part of ABBH, as I think Chad mentions in the original ABBH thread.
You could then switch to Chins for the 10 by 5 part if you wanted after you’d worked on bringing your chins up (on your off days maybe?).
Anyway I think its important to hit the 5 by 10 rep range required for ABBH, if you can’t do that on the chins then you need to change it. Otherwise doing multipe low rep sets of chins on the 5 by 10 day will make it too similar to the 10 by 5 day.
Start with your bodyweight and when you can’t perform 10 reps, get a band around your legs and on the chinning bar, that way you’ll be able to finish the workout as precribed.
[quote]italian_muscle wrote:
Ok, just started ABBH and hit Day#3, Dips and Chins.
Firstly, I suck at chins, always have. I weight 225 and I think my arms tend to give before my back, but I feel straps are cheating. I can do the first set of 10, but the second set, I go until 8, then 5, then 3, then 2. How can I accomplish the chin’s? Do I just go along until I hit 50 reps or replace it with another exercise?
Does anyone have or know of a good program to increase their chin’s? I want to get better at them this year. It’s pretty pathetic that I can DL 295 4x6, but can’t do fucking chinups. [/quote]
Honestly, your chin-up strength isn’t disproportinately low compared to the rest of your numbers (for a 225lber). Just work on getting stronger all over, at 225 it isn’t absolutely essential that you are a pull-up beast.
