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Bodyweight trying to increase pull up reps.

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sebape

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Hello,
So i'v been struggling to increase my max pull up reps for months now. I'v tried pretty much every type of pull up training except greasing the groove and decided to give that a shot now. I'm currently able to do 10-14 reps in a max effort set (it varies a lot from day to day).

So my question since i workout 5 days/week is, should i skip my regular back/bicep day (which consists of pull ups, ring curls and body rows on rings) completely during this time or keep the day and not do greasing the groove on that day, or do both? And what about skill training? i practice front lever almost daily, should i stop doing that as well?

Thanks in advance,
Sebastian
 
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If you're doing GTG, then I'd skip the pullups that were part of the previous workout schedule. One can, however, periodically test one's max on GTG and I think it's a good idea to do so - take off a day or two, test, take off another day or two, then jump back into it.

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
If you're doing GTG, then I'd skip the pullups that were part of the previous workout schedule. One can, however, periodically test one's max on GTG and I think it's a good idea to do so - take off a day or two, test, take off another day or two, then jump back into it.

-S-
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Thanks Steve for answering. But what did you mean by "take off a day or two, test, take off another day or two, then jump back into it."? did you mean i should take a day or two off from GTG to try my max and then continue after another days break?
 
sebape said:
Hello,
So i'v been struggling to increase my max pull up reps for months now. I'v tried pretty much every type of pull up training except greasing the groove and decided to give that a shot now. I'm currently able to do 10-14 reps in a max effort set (it varies a lot from day to day).

So my question since i workout 5 days/week is, should i skip my regular back/bicep day (which consists of pull ups, ring curls and body rows on rings) completely during this time or keep the day and not do greasing the groove on that day, or do both? And what about skill training? i practice front lever almost daily, should i stop doing that as well?

Thanks in advance,
Sebastian
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Have you tried 1RM pull-up training?
 
Testing week: No GTG, off Monday and Tuesday, test Wednesday, and start back up whenever you're ready.

-S-
 
offwidth said:
Have you tried 1RM pull-up training?
Click to expand...
no i haven't. i have done 5x5 with weights though. i got really tempted to try it now just to see my strength. is it an effective training method?
 
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Steve Freides said:
Testing week: No GTG, off Monday and Tuesday, test Wednesday, and start back up whenever you're ready.

-S-
Click to expand...
Sorry i'm still having a bit trouble understanding, i don't know why :S. I should have a "Testing Week" after i'v done GTG for a while to see if i'v made progress?
 
@sebape, Google

Grease The Groove - Pavel Tsatsouline

and read. Yes, the idea is that you GTG for a while, and periodically test yourself to see how it's going.

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
@sebape, Google

Grease The Groove - Pavel Tsatsouline

and read. Yes, the idea is that you GTG for a while, and periodically test yourself to see how it's going.

-S-
Click to expand...
All right! I read the article and the one on thepullupsolution as well. i feel good and excited about this and ready to begin tomorrow morning.

Thanks again for your help Steve.
 
@sebape
IMG_0506.JPG
This is very effective. The only 'drawback' is that you constantly need to add weight to ensure you are maxed out for the reps on any given day.

Do no other pull-up training over the 8 week period. Test at the end. I would be surprised if your maximum reps did not increase.
 
offwidth said:
@sebape
View attachment 4669
This is very effective. The only 'drawback' is that you constantly need to add weight to ensure you are maxed out for the reps on any given day.

Do no other pull-up training over the 8 week period. Test at the end. I would be surprised if your maximum reps did not increase.
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definetely something i would like to try out. I'm dedicated to GTG now though and will do it for at least 2 weeks.
but about the plan you mentioned. if i understood it correctly it's 2 workouts/week and 3min rest between sets? seems like very little work. can i do this as a warm-up for other workouts (chest/tricep day, leg day...)
 
Typically this programme is done weighted; how much weight is up to you.
'little work'... is a matter of perspective.
 
sebape said:
seems like very little work. can i do this as a warm-up for other workouts (chest/tricep day, leg day...)
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As @offwidth said, 'little work' is matter of what work you are doing... if you are used to 10-14 rep sets than 4 - 9 reps a session might sounds 'little', but doing them at near max intensity is highly taxing. If I would use such program it will be the main part of the session, if not the entire session.
 
sebape said:
Hello,
So i'v been struggling to increase my max pull up reps for months now. I'v tried pretty much every type of pull up training except greasing the groove and decided to give that a shot now. I'm currently able to do 10-14 reps in a max effort set (it varies a lot from day to day).

So my question since i workout 5 days/week is, should i skip my regular back/bicep day (which consists of pull ups, ring curls and body rows on rings) completely during this time or keep the day and not do greasing the groove on that day, or do both? And what about skill training? i practice front lever almost daily, should i stop doing that as well?

Thanks in advance,
Sebastian
Click to expand...

I agree with @Steve Freides in that GTG is a good choice here. Personally, if Pull-ups are your goal, I wouldn't go on a weighted Pull-up program just yet. There's plenty of benefits to reap from the humble Pull-up. And weighted Pull-ups (in my opinion) don't improve your rep Pull-up numbers that much anyways (probably not very much past 15).

As Pavel explains in TNW, best way to add Pull-ups is to... do more Pull-ups. GTG improves numbers so ridiculously fast.


Anyways, just wanted to post to answer this:
sebape said:
i practice front lever almost daily, should i stop doing that as well?
Click to expand...

I actually think you can keep that, just don't do as much of it. Short, intense FL holds don't cause much fatigue (for one thing they're short... but they are also isometrics, so even less fatigue). I don't think there's a black and white answer here and I think it could be fine.

You will definitely have to decrease the rowing work as that will definitely interfere.
 
Hello,

From my humble experience, when I wanted to increase my number of repetitions, I used 2 strategies with good results
- GTG (as mentioned)
- Sets of "max -1", 2 / 3 times a week

IMO, doing pull ups with an heavy loads (in the range of 1 - 5 reps) will not create some "strength-endurance" so the rep increase can be tough to get. For instance, when I was chasing the OAC, I used the "daily dose" with heavy pull ups (close to 85% of bdw). I gained a lot of strength and the OAC as well. However, I tested my max repetition of bdw pull up. I was "disappointed" because I only did 20, which was almost what I was able to do before.

So heavy pull ups maintain a very acceptable number of reps, of course, and some endurance as well. However, they may not be the very best option to increase the number of repetition. Plus, increasing the repetition also increase max strength, at least to a certain extent.

A light additional weight can be worth considering though, to keep the repetitions around 15. Then, after a few weeks of 2 / 3 sessions a week, testing the new maximum.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
@sebape what @Steve Freides was wanting you to do was set a baseline (test your current max reps), then begin your GTG for a maybe 4-6 weeks. Then you take a few days rest and retest your new max reps. After a max attempt, rest a few days and begin your GTG again.
REPEAT until you have reached said goal.

Weighted pullups are not a bad idea if you plan to add your pullups into more of a convention program where you would wave the load. ex. one day BW lower rep/set, another day BW higher reps, and a heavy day for heavy loaded singles or a loaded ladder, 1,2,3.
Weighted can increase your bw reps but with the current high max if you are wanting to work to say 20 then you need would benefit from some higher rep work as well.

Hope this helps.
 
At what point does muscle size start to really make a difference. I think I've heard that 15 reps is about what strength will get you and after that, the volume of the muscle starts to have more influence. Small muscles can be strong muscles but the fuel has to come from somewhere. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson claimed a set of 100 pull-ups for the movie Baywatch. Cannot validate the honesty but he's got the muscle volume that I would believe a very high number regardless.
 
Bro Mo said:
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson claimed a set of 100 pull-ups for the movie Baywatch. Cannot validate the honesty but he's got the muscle volume that I would believe a very high number regardless.
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That was most likely a joke to promote the movie otherwise absolutely no frikkin way. That guy weighs 260lbs. I'd already be very suspicious if he'd claimed a set of 25-30 true pullups (full extension at the bottom/TSC rules).
 
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