Pull-Up Help

If you can’t do more than 2 or 3 pullups, is it better to use the assisted machine, or do negatives?

Also, for the negatives, would a set of 6-8 regular pull-ups equal a set of 6-8 negatives? How long should the negatives last (time under tension?)?

Thanks!

I had a similar issue during the time I was stuck between 2-3 reps.

Instead of using negatives or assisted chin ups, I simply added some external weight and did as many singles as possible.

I started off by adding merely 5 lbs and doing about 10 singles. (And maybe a couple sets of rows or lat pulldowns in the higher rep range after this).

The next time I worked out chin ups, I’d bust the 2-3 rep plateau and slowly worked up to 10 reps in the following weeks.

Then the next time I’d hit the gym, I’d go back and add an additional 5 lbs to my chin ups and do 10x1 again.

Basically: Buy a dipping belt if you don’t have one already.

Pulldowns and the Assisted machine are geigh. Go to Elitefts.com and buy a light JumpStretch band. Choke the band around the top of the pull up bar and put one of your feet on the other end. This is a good way to get some extra assistance. If this is not an option to slow controlled negatives.

Negatives do work wonders. I actually built my pull-up strength from doing pulldowns. I switched when I wasn’t able to do a pulldown without lifting off the seat (no knee bar).

[quote]Joebob wrote:
Pulldowns and the Assisted machine are geigh. Go to Elitefts.com and buy a light JumpStretch band. Choke the band around the top of the pull up bar and put one of your feet on the other end. This is a good way to get some extra assistance. If this is not an option to slow controlled negatives. [/quote]

Absolutely. Do whatever you have to to keep working one exercise rather than try something else that may work better, at least for a while. Everyone knows that it is not possible to effectively work your back with a cable so for God’s sake man, keep a stiff upper lip and continue to fight.

I love it, tirib.

Pulldowns work well, and if you can lose some fat, that wouldn’t hurt.

But the weighted singles will help tremendously.

Lots of great tips really that all work.

You could also try having a backday where whenever you felt ready you’d go do some pull-ups. Otherwise you’d do other exercises.

Another method is the “I’m just here to do pull-ups”. Do your 2-3 reps. Wait til your damn well ready, then attempt again. Repeat until you can’t then just free-hang for as long as possible for sets. Until you can’t hang at all.

  • other tips - variation grip.

Start with wide grip, switch to a closer grip and when your basically hand to hand. Switch to chin-ups. Wide and set after set bring your hands a little closer.

  • other tips - partial reps
    Working on the first 1/3rd or 1/2 of the pull-up for reps as many as possible.
    — Also working on the 2nd half only for reps is great too, this would be done after your flawless pull-ups.

Look up Rack Chins.

Also use the Search function and you’ll find plenty of posts by others about pull-ups and similarly you’ll find plenty of replies to these posts.

Supersetting pullups/chinups with pull down machine works well. If you can only do one or two pullups; do these and then immediately(with no rest) to the pulldowns; also keep stripping the wieght while using the pulldown machine (ie: you do 2 reps and fail, then reduce wieght, do another 2 reps or however many to failure; then reduce the wieght again…and keep going). You should do multiple sets of these.

[quote]kinein wrote:
Lots of great tips really that all work.

You could also try having a backday where whenever you felt ready you’d go do some pull-ups. Otherwise you’d do other exercises.

Another method is the “I’m just here to do pull-ups”. Do your 2-3 reps. Wait til your damn well ready, then attempt again. Repeat until you can’t then just free-hang for as long as possible for sets. Until you can’t hang at all.

  • other tips - variation grip.

Start with wide grip, switch to a closer grip and when your basically hand to hand. Switch to chin-ups. Wide and set after set bring your hands a little closer.

  • other tips - partial reps
    Working on the first 1/3rd or 1/2 of the pull-up for reps as many as possible.
    — Also working on the 2nd half only for reps is great too, this would be done after your flawless pull-ups.

Look up Rack Chins.

Also use the Search function and you’ll find plenty of posts by others about pull-ups and similarly you’ll find plenty of replies to these posts. [/quote]

This worked for me, and bent over rows Dorian Yates style.

Some good advice. I’d second Kinein’s advice of just doing as many pull ups as you can in a workout. Don’t worry initially about reps per set, number of sets, or rest times.

Also, if you were to rig up a pull up bar at home, and do one or two reps, once or twice a day, several days a week, you’d get your numbers up in no time.

Pullups, chin ups etc. are great exercises, but it makes no sense to struggle through ANY exercise just so you can say you work that movement when there are 100 ways to effectively hit the same muscle group. I’d rather see a guy get progressively stronger through properly performed pulldowns than for him to be killing himself through ultra low rep sets of chins.

I swear if people could just get a bit of pragmatic blood in their veins there would be less wasted training time. I don’t mean to be an ass, but there seems to be this trend whereby come hell or high water by God I’m gonna work this exercise into my routine because… uuuhhh… it seems to be the thing to do.