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Bodyweight Get better at chins

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bluejeff said:
100% agree. That's just not what was written.

What I was getting at was this:

As a coach or personal trainer, it is one thing to prescribe limited reps to athletes or clients whose personal circumstances you are aware of. Writing stuff on the internet or in social media is another story. Many people are looking for someone to tell them what to do, and they will take it to heart when a known professional says, "don' t do this, or else." In the quote he is literally saying "you hurt your elbows once you're a certain age." I'm sure that's not what he meant, however, I think that a lot of people will read that and think, "pullups will hurt me once I'm a certain age." Then the nocebo effect might rear its ugly head. Who know..... I guess I just think that when professionals put material out there, they should be aware of how people might interpret their words. Imo it should be more about the effect than the intent. Effective communication, that's all.
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Fwiw, I understand your take on absolutes, and although I consider DJ a friend, I don't always agree with everything he says about training. I think the advice given about limiting volume to 10 reps is fine advice even though I don't agree or follow it.

However, for newbs and most intermediates, they'll struggle with nuanced "It depends..."-prefaced advice. Absolutes are more effective communication for someone who doesn't have the training background to figure it out for themselves. I'd prefer someone stick w. 10 reps, not hurt themselves, make progress, and then later wonder "Well, what would happen if I did eleven? I think I'll push that a little." , rather than pushing volume too soon and developing chronic pain.
 
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So what causes elbow issues with pull-ups for some people and why do some people not have trouble with it?

Are there things that can be done so you don’t have elbow problems? I thought I remembered something about wrist pronators (Thor’s hammer) and high rep curls for preventing elbow problems. Has anyone else heard of that?
 
the hansenator said:
So what causes elbow issues with pull-ups for some people and why do some people not have trouble with it?

Are there things that can be done so you don’t have elbow problems? I thought I remembered something about wrist pronators (Thor’s hammer) and high rep curls for preventing elbow problems. Has anyone else heard of that?
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This actually kind of makes me want to try and increase my pullup volume again. Pulling has never been a priority goal of mine compared to pushing, so it gets the less-frequent, "less-volumous" (words?) treatment.

From my experience, the elbow gets beat up because it is at the mercy of the wrist and shoulder. If things at the wrist and shoulder aren't moving the way they should, especially under loads, and especially under many repetitions, it gets cranky. Doing eccentric wrist curls and pronation/supination helped me overcome tendonopathy, but fixing the way my shoulders moved kept it from always coming back. So like I said, it might be time to test a little more volume and see how my elbows hold up.....

Chad Waterbury once did pullups every day, adding one rep every day. I can't seem to find some of the original articles, where he broke down how many he was doing per day by the end though. He cites using rings as a way to allow the shoulder and wrist to rotate naturally, to put less strain on the elbow.

www.t-nation.com

13,064 Pull-Ups in 5 Months

What happens when an old-school training staple meets an insane high-frequency approach? Awesome things. Check it out.
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the hansenator said:
So what causes elbow issues with pull-ups for some people and why do some people not have trouble with it?

Are there things that can be done so you don’t have elbow problems? I thought I remembered something about wrist pronators (Thor’s hammer) and high rep curls for preventing elbow problems. Has anyone else heard of that?
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When I got golfers elbow in my right (inside) elbow a couple years ago while GtGing, I continued but worked more on the rings for bw reps which allows for rotation or doesn't restrict the grip/wrist in a fixed position. I also did some weighted neutral grip pulls from pull up bar at 50% reps once or twice per day simply for different stimulus but still a vertical pull.

Then initially I iced the elbow for 10/15 minutes four/5 times a day post-set and even a few times on off days. Ultimately, less icing to none. Just n-1. I was 62; 64 now with no issues.

Gary
 
bluejeff said:
From my experience, the elbow gets beat up because it is at the mercy of the wrist and shoulder. If things at the wrist and shoulder aren't moving the way they should, especially under loads, and especially under many repetitions, it gets cranky.
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This. Probably more shoulder than wrist, but this.
 
One subject we don't talk about much is how, if you put in your time practicing your craft, you can often maintain a good level with very little volume. I once worked up to 19 pullups while holding a 20 lb dumbbell between my feet. I think I was about 50, and if so, that was 17 years ago.
But now, almost every day, my warmup includes a little "routine" on rings - false grip, L-sit, 3-5 pull-ups, release the L-sit. I do this almost every day using an Easy Strength approach - when I'm feeling it, I do 5, but most days I do 3. I started out only doing triples, but 4 and then 5 reps came over time. My false grip is as much that as I can make it, no idea if it's actually good or not. Rings are shoulder/elbow friendly, and I make it a point to start with my hands positioned like they're on a bar, and I rotate the grip as I pull so that my palms are facing me at the top. Maybe I'll take a video tomorrow morning.

For me, the music analogy works here. I spent a lot of years practicing the piano; now, as long as I play regularly, my skill level doesn't drop and actually continues to slowly improve.

Steve "an older fellow who does a few pullups/chinups every day" Freides
 
GaryT said:
When I got golfers elbow in my right (inside) elbow a couple years ago while GtGing, I continued but worked more on the rings for bw reps which allows for rotation or doesn't restrict the grip/wrist in a fixed position. I also did some weighted neutral grip pulls from pull up bar at 50% reps once or twice per day simply for different stimulus but still a vertical pull.

Then initially I iced the elbow for 10/15 minutes four/5 times a day post-set and even a few times on off days. Ultimately, less icing to none. Just n-1. I was 62; 64 now with no issues.

Gary
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This is after no more golfer’s elbow at 62 yo using the rings. I can use the straight bar now but pull-ups aren’t currently a big priority.
 
I would like to share how I view Dan John’s pull up advice.

I have heard him giving some advices on the risks of pull ups, TGU’s and squats on polymetric boxes.

Although I love pull ups, and have no issues w them; I had a meniscus tear and surgery right after I have started to do squats on boxes exactly like Dan John said, hence I take his words on pull ups seriously.

I believe strong first hardstyle pull ups are the safest possible version of pull ups ( in nature they are difficult and in my opinion makes it much harder to over dose prematurely with respect to half hearted pull ups) and SF principals ( such as don’t train to failure, be extremely careful about form etc) make to work on those pull ups even safer.

I plan to apply SF principals very carefully to all exercises but especially pull ups, squats, deadlifts and TGU’s.

Even with SF principals, teachings etc, I know I will have some injuries in future cause I am committed to be stronger and exercise and it has some risk involved.

I know I will have even more injuries and even more svere ones if I don’t get stronger ( since I am no more 18 years old)…
 
TedDK said:
Just an update. I have done GTG for two weeks. Done real easy with just one rep every time. Testet my max today and Got 5.

Real satisfied and now i will GTG with two reps for two weeks and test again.
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@TedDK ; do you still do GTG pull ups? How is it working for you?
 
I have a hell of a time with chins and pull-ups. All I own for them is a crappy telescopic bar in a door frame. Very sturdy but it’s smooth metal. I bought climbers tape off of Amazon and applied a layer to the bar and it’s night and day. I can actually hold on to the thing with sweaty hands and crank out powerful reps. So if your implement is smooth metal I recommend climbers tape to cover the bar.
 
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