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Bodyweight Have to fight to maintain 20 pull-ups

Capsule

Level 3 Valued Member
I (19 year old male, 210lbs) struggle to maintain 20 pull-ups in a single set unless I’m constantly training the movement. I’m regularly tested for pull-ups and 20 is the max score for my age. Even if I take a week or so off I tend to lose reps and can only do 17 to 18. The most I’ve ever done in a set was 22 reps, but I’d like to do 30 one day.

I typically do a pull-up or chin-up pyramid starting with a set of 1 rep , then 2 reps, building up to a set of 10 clean reps and then back down to a set of 1 rep. With 90 seconds of rest in between and 100 total clean reps in the workout. I’ll do this workout about 3 times a week and sometimes superset it with weighted dips. Whenever I do weighted pull-ups naturally my volume goes down a little and then the maximum amount of reps I can do in a set goes down.

I feel like this pyramid style of training worked amazing for getting to me to 20 pull-ups but now I feel stuck struggling to simply maintain that number much less reach 30. I’m unsure how to proceed. I also had ambitions to one day do 20 weighted pull-ups with 45lbs attached, but when I began training that and reached 11 reps my unweighted pull-ups dropped from 22 to 16. I used a weighted version of the Russian fighter pull-up program when I did this.

I’d like to know what I’m doing wrong and what adjustments I should make in the way I approach training pull-ups.
 
Here is a link to a previous thread about pull ups and dips. Included in it is the Red Army Pull up plan.

www.strongfirst.com

The Fighter Pullup Program Revisited | StrongFirst

Here is a powerful Russian pullup program adaptable to any level of ability. The fighter pullup program can double or triple your pullups in one month.
www.strongfirst.com

Bodyweight - Red Army pull-ups and dips protocol

I was looking at this again, I was thinking of giving a try but wanted to see if anyone has tried it or what you think. Does this protocol assume you aren’t doing other upper body exercises or is there room for some push-ups or presses? Pull-up, dip, and hanging leg raise protocol
www.strongfirst.com
 
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Why don't you drop the lower rep sets and work on some higher rep ladders, 3,5,8,13?

Sounds like you have the strength just need to maintain/build the endurance side of it.

You mention 20 reps is the max, what is the minimum required to pass the test?
 
I would like to echo @lais817 (maybe some different ladders are in order here) and I offer something for your consideration which I posted previously for how to organize ladders for pullups.

It's based on @Fabio Zonin 's Cruiser Programming in the Alice in Wonderland article.

Bodyweight - Pull-up Programming Problems

Or "PPP". lol Basically, I can't seem to get anywhere with pull-ups. I'm not sure how much I care, as I'm mostly focused on the big 4 (if I include OHP), but I would like to be able to do at least like 6 with good form. The problem is that something is always fatigued or beaten up so when it...
www.strongfirst.com

Also, perhaps some food for thought. @Derek Toshner seems to have indicated at some point that increasing your volume of pull-ups beyond some point doesn't help as much with increasing your pull-ups rep max. And in your case maybe snatching could be used as an assistance exercise for your Pull Up Pursuits.

all my best wishes in your training.
 
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lais817 said:
Why don't you drop the lower rep sets and work on some higher rep ladders, 3,5,8,13?

Sounds like you have the strength just need to maintain/build the endurance side of it.

You mention 20 reps is the max, what is the minimum required to pass the test?
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I can try out higher rep ladders. My justification for doing sets of 1,2,3 etc were they’re my opportunity to warm up and focus on technique before the reps get higher. But I suppose without them I could have extra endurance to have a sets of 13 or higher. The minimum required for the test is 3 lol. But I’m in a very competitive environment. In my immediate friend group most of my friends can do 30 pull-ups but they’re about 30-40lbs lighter. I want to make it a point to match their numbers while staying heavy. I’ve always been fascinated by heavy guys doing calisthenics.
 
My best ever was 29 deadhang at a bodyweight of somewhere around 155 when I was your age. At the time I would do a lot of sets in the 10-15 range (once in a while hitting 16-20 but kinda rare), 50-100 reps/session, 2-4x/week. Stick w. ladders if that's what you like, but after your warm-up, (imho) there's really no need for you to go to those bottom rungs less than 10 unless you want to - they aren't helping your muscular endurance any.
 
Capsule said:
I (19 year old male, 210lbs) struggle to maintain 20 pull-ups in a single set unless I’m constantly training the movement. I’m regularly tested for pull-ups and 20 is the max score for my age. Even if I take a week or so off I tend to lose reps and can only do 17 to 18. The most I’ve ever done in a set was 22 reps, but I’d like to do 30 one day.

I typically do a pull-up or chin-up pyramid starting with a set of 1 rep , then 2 reps, building up to a set of 10 clean reps and then back down to a set of 1 rep. With 90 seconds of rest in between and 100 total clean reps in the workout. I’ll do this workout about 3 times a week and sometimes superset it with weighted dips. Whenever I do weighted pull-ups naturally my volume goes down a little and then the maximum amount of reps I can do in a set goes down.

I feel like this pyramid style of training worked amazing for getting to me to 20 pull-ups but now I feel stuck struggling to simply maintain that number much less reach 30. I’m unsure how to proceed. I also had ambitions to one day do 20 weighted pull-ups with 45lbs attached, but when I began training that and reached 11 reps my unweighted pull-ups dropped from 22 to 16. I used a weighted version of the Russian fighter pull-up program when I did this.

I’d like to know what I’m doing wrong and what adjustments I should make in the way I approach training pull-ups.
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Welcome to the club I always lose my pull ups too. And quick. I did the fighter pull up program and was up to a 18 max. Now I’m lucky you do 12.
 
For your weight, that's quite a feat..

Consider this: what is your comfortable range? That is the number you know you can do most of the time..

One strategy is to move that number up slowly so when you need to get to 20, it won't take much preparation
 
Capsule said:
I (19 year old male, 210lbs) struggle to maintain 20 pull-ups in a single set
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@Capsule, welcome to the StrongFirst forum.

There aren't many people who weigh 210 lbs who can do 20 pullups in a format that, e.g., would be legal in our Tactical Strength Challenge. You might start by posting a set of a few reps using what you think is your best pullup form and get some feedback from members of the forum here.

-S-
 
First off, I am nowhere even close to 20 pullups, so I'm a bit like a guy offering diet advise while munching a cheeseburger.

We're supposed to be StrongFirst... well, seems to me you're already pretty dang strong, 20 pullups at 200+# is pretty impressive in my book. I wonder if at this point you might benefit more from some kind of protocol to work on being able to flush the acid out of your pulling muscles more efficiently, rather than continuous acid baths. Maybe intervals of hanging from the bar for time with a bunch of extra weight, maybe AGT snatches... maybe an AGT protocol of weighted pullups?

Just brainstorming
 
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