I have never been able to do more than 5 pullups, and since pullups are an extremely good workout… that is a problem. Am curious as to good techniques as to how to improve in this? Slow accentrics? Lat Pulldowns?
Try slow eccentrics. Do your five pullups, then cheat your way back up (chair, partner, whatever) and really concentrate on the eccentric.
Paul is right, that is a good technique.
I personally had always gotten 4 pull-ups, until I did Poliquin’s Original German Volume Training (GVT). Immediately afterwards I got 11 pull-ups straight. Something you might want to look into.
Additionally, there may be a weak link. Think about it - in an extreme case, where your rotator cuffs were completely screwed up, would you be getting ANY pull-ups at all? If your shoulders are even slightly imbalanced, youy pull-up performanc will be impaired, and growth will be stunted until the weakness is fixed.
Your lats (involved in pull-ups), and your Pecs (involved in Bench Press), are both Internal rotators. Most people’s internal rotators are overdeveloped when compared to their External Rotators. As such, you will eventually reach a point past which your body simply will stunt additional growth to prevent injury (survival mechanism).
Your External rotators are responsible for stabilizing a load when doing, f.ex., a Bench Press.
Also note that most people’s Anterior delts (front delts) are grossly overdeveloped when compared to their rear delts. Bench press and pull-ups all work the anterior delts, but not themedial or rear delts. As such, many if not most weightlifters should be placing their focus on Rear delts first, followed by Medial delts, and finish up with anterior delts (if at all).
Also, Poliquin has noted many weightlifters have underdeveloped Traps, which are involved in the pull-up movement. If you walk around with your head tilted slightly forward as if looking for loose change, your traps are probably underdeveloped. If so, your traps should be done first in the workout. Poliquin has noted Biceps Curl performance usually goes up noticeably as the Brachioradialis becomes strongerfrom this emphasis on trap work. If your brachioradialis and Biceps are stronger (along with good overall development of the whole shoulder girdle and external rotators) without any of these weak links, your pull-ups are bound to be improved.
While Don Alessi’s “Triple Decker Delts” article was geared more towards those who want to have good looking shoulders (i.e. bodybuilders), its implications in strength development for all exercises involving the shoulder girdle are important. I strongly agree with his views on shoulder development, and recommend you look into following this program yourself.
Other authors have recommended the same approach for improving not only shoulders, but for bringing the bench press and pull-ups up - notably Chris Shugart, and Paul Catanzaro (If I recall correctly) who is a Chiropractor and is bound to know about optimal shoulder girdle development.
If you’ve REALLY been trying your hardest at developing your Pull-ups for months on end, along with an appropriate diet, and seen no progress at all, you may have a weak link in your shoulder girdle. Look into it.
On a last note, you should obviously make sure your chest is not grossly underdeveloped in comparison to your back - if this were the case (which is not often), your problem might simply be that your body is trying to protect you from injury due to this imbalance.
Warmup with the lat machine.
Use the same grip you’re using for pullups, and warm up in the following manner.
1x10 @ 30% of bodyweight
1x8 @ 60% of body weight
1x6 @ 80% of body weight
Then do your pullups.
Also, doing eccentrics can really help.
Do 1x4 eccentric pullups, and after a rest period (1-2 mins) do your pullups.
Also, strengthening your grip and wrists can really help. If that’s your weakest link in the chain, it could prevent you from being able to do your 5 pullups.
Just keep working on all the different versions of chins and pullups, and make sure you are including rows. How is your bodyfat? When I was heavier, I could only do 4 chins but now that my bodyfat is lower I can bang out 20 chins. I did this by just concentrating on weighted pullups and doing heavy rows. It will come with time if you focus on it. I don’t think there is any secret to it though.
What do you guys think of using weight lifting hooks? They look like normal straps or gloves but they have a hook like device on the inside to help you concentrate on your lats or you can use them when your grip gives out?
Keep Your Chin Up - Christian Thibaudeau
Good suggestions.
Personally I have been using those assisted pullup machines for the later sets of my pullups.
I’m a wimp and can’t do 50 pullups naturally (not without taking too damn long), so I give myself a 20 pound assistance in the late sets. Especially when I do the wide grip guys, those are hard to get a handful of in a set.
One way I was able to bring up my pullup count was by squeezing my forearms, biceps, triceps, and abs tightly. You’ll also end up flexing and tightening pretty much everything else, but it helps alot. Also, I don’t know if this worked for anyone else, but for me it did. I focus on the narrow pullup first since it has the highest muscle recruitment. You can start by setting goals. Get strong on the narrow pullup, then move on to a wider grip, then a new goal. Give it a shot.
-ton
Didn’t Christian Thibaudeau write an article on this a few issues back?
Diesel23, awesome post! I’m putting that one in my Save file.
Work on grip strength first. Unless your powerlifting, or doing strongman stuff. Straps, hooks ect. Are taking away from you grip strength. By the way most people only use straps/hooks in here on deadlifts very few use them on pull-ups here unless you are doing weight pull-ups. Strap/hooks are not worth it.
I use a Jump Stretch band for warm ups and latter sets. It basically works just like a pull up machine but for about $25.00. and you can get away from the Lat Machine and do real pullups.
Another, thing Shaved what gives out first you back or your grip strength?
seeing the studies that CT posted in his article this week, a strong emphasis on eccentrics while managing to stay out of complete fatigue would seem to get you where you want. Have you set any short and long term goals?
I had the same experience with the original GVT, Diesel. Great post, btw.
Thank you.
You don’t think chinups work the posterior delts?
Hey Shaved,
Deisel ya hit on a lot of good points, good post.
I used to ba able to do 3 body weight and either an article or reader mail chuck P said a strength trainer worth anything should be able to take someone (within reason) from 0-10 body weight pull-ups in 3 months.
So I challenged myself to this. I followed Ian Kings TUT princple and started doing reps with 20 secs negative(strongest phase) with emphasis on weak spot very top, I held it for 4 secs. I also combined it with what I learned was EDT. I didn’t train to failure so I did pull-ups 2 times a week (mon/thurs or tues/fri) with 2 sets I added 1 rep a workout for four workouts then dropped two reps. Added a rep each workout for 4 then droped two, etc.
I was doing 10 reps by ten weeks. As I added reps I decreased the time of the eccentic…2 reps 10 sec eccentric each 4 reps 5 sec eccentric etc.
Other factors could be the grips you train biceps in(palms up or facing each other and doing chins (palms away) so your bicep could be a weak link and like fitone said forearms could.
Figure out you weak link and make it strong.
Have fun.
Peace,
T-Ren
D23, pull up dont work the front delts, i think you may have meant shoulder press (ie the reverse of a pull up in action)
good post none-the-less, and good to see a PT doing his homework