Achieve 10+ Pull Ups In Record Time and Get Strong, FAST!

[@no0b3424]

This program is amazing! I recently got to 11 pullups after following it consistently for a few weeks, never got to 10 in my entire life. I actually noticed myself feeling stronger on the bar after a few weeks of the program, ie 3,4,5 reps started feeling like trivial. Despite doing lower reps per set, the sheer volume you end up doing seems to somehow cause your body to get stronger. As Antranik says just trust the process!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Beautiful!!! It really is wondrous, you can achieve 10+ pullups without having to kill yourself! In fact, you're doing everything submaximally but you're being CONSISTENT and that's enough to progress when you're being methodical!

[@jianzlive]

My max is 2, so subtract 2 I now don't need to do pullups

[@AntranikDotOrg]

"You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is: Never try.” - Homer Simpson

[@higherresolution4490]

Follow this routine, but just use a band until you don't need it anymore.

[@nielssrensen4967]

It sounds like you might have outsmarted yourself.. 😃

[@vVearon]

i can do 1. -1 pull ups???

[@IvanUSTIMENKO-p5b]

Just wanted to say thank you for all of the information you're giving in your KZbin channel. Your video of how to achieve more than 10 pull ups was a game changer for me - I went from just 5 all the way to 12 in a single month!!! I still can't believe my progress.

[@Briaaanz]

Great video, you actually answered my questions during the course of the video. Couple things i think i learned regarding pull-ups. 1. If you are having slow building elbow or wrist pains, before it gets severe, switch your grips. If you've been doing pull-ups, switch to chin-ups; or use rings or hands parallel to your body. 2. For medial epicondyle pain (inside of your elbow), a lot of advice didn't help me at all. What did help me 100% was to do "prayer stretch". Bend elbows at 90'angle. Put hands (palms and fingers) against each other(like your praying). Now, move your hands to your right and left sides of your chest. You should feel the stretch in the area. Angle your hands/wrists, move your arms in and out.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Excellent supplemental info! Thank you for elevating this space!

[@marvelleonline]

I'm in the twenty percent that said 0 in your survey. Used to be able to do a single strict pullup but subsequently went back out of shape and now I'm picking the pace back up. I incorporate "pullups" in my routines via dead hangs, active hangs, assisted pullups (fingers on the ground) and negatives. Also do some variation of rows. But I am not focused on actually pulling up untill I drop some more weight, currently about 20kg + my optimal weight, goal is to drop around 10-11 kg while also getting some muscle mass. I checked out your suggested vids for beginners and can see I'm on the right path. Thanks for your work, it's appreciated.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Yes sir you are on the right path! I would train the hardest things first and the easiest last in a single session, so do negatives first, then rows, and end with scapular pull-ups and finish off with dead hangs. When doing a negative think about trying to pull up even tho gravity is winning, to recruit the muscles even more! 💪

[@marvelleonline]

@@AntranikDotOrg will do!!

[@cupcake150911]

This is great and I am so thankful for KZbin recommending your page🙏🏽🙏🏽. I can only do 4 at the moment as a female I didn't have a strong upperbody strength so progress was a little bit slow. I have a goal to do 8 by August and I will report back lol.💪🏽😊Thank you and hello from London.🇬🇧

[@cupcake150911]

Also your push-up video was possibly the best tutorial on YT.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Awesome! You’ll gain about 1 rep every 5 sessions with this system, so you’ll definitely reach your goal by August! Check the blog post for more details on how to do the reps if your starting is 3-4.

[@cupcake150911]

@@AntranikDotOrg thank you.🙏🏽

[@higherresolution4490]

I love this scheme to improve pull up / chin up strength and numbers. Fantastic idea. I'm going to implement this tactic next week. Much gratitude. Concomitantly, I need to lose 12 to 15 lbs to get my numbers up where I want them!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Glad it was helpful! Report back!

[@sairam71]

you always create amazing content. i've done something like this before and definitely agree that have to watch the body carefully. its easy to overtrain and i was definitely golfers elbow creeping up and didnt want it to affect rest of my workouts. i decided to stop but i may try it with a neutral grip later on.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Yes, good on your for autoregulating when the signs started to appear, that's good self awareness! It's time for you to do it again if it's been a while!

[@rodrigoluizdesouza789]

My story with pullups - or how I felt amazing and got back to square one Last year, in May, I was a complete couch potato and decided to join the gym. I did really good progress over the last year lost 25kg and build muscle. In January this year I started migrating to calisthenics. I was mesmerised on how simple it is, and have regreted not starting sooner. I followed the Get Strong program, by the Kavadlos, and was really impressed on how the results I was getting were much more noticeable than the ones I was getting at the gym - but the point here is not whether calisthenics is superior to the gym, what matters is discipline and getting track of you progress. I had discipline to go to the gym year around, but wasn't using a training log to track my progress. Maybe that's the reason the progress wasn't as noticeable as the ones I was getting with calisthenics. By the end of the Get Strong program I was feeling stronger than ever. Doing lots of pullups, but we always want more, and that's when I got carried away. I bought a doorway pullup bar and was trying to 'grease the groove' to get more reps, but I ignored the signs my body was sending me. I was doing too much, was always tired and sore. On the 30th of April I woke up and I couldn't do any overhead pulling movement. I spent a lot of time going to doctors, physio, getting medication, etc, because, according to the doctor, I had an overtraining injury on my coracobrachialis, which meant that I had to step away from exercising for two weeks at least. I did the prescribed resting period, and when I got back to training it was pretty much starting over - at least in regards to pullups. After my injury, I've been much more conservative with my training. And have been doing only assisted pullups - jack knife way, not with bands - and I feel that now I'm back on track. I'm approaching the exercise with extreme caution and I'm hoping to get back to 12 pullups, which is less than Ibwas doing before my injury by the end of this year Antranik's suggestion is very reasonable, but, as he says, never ignore what your body is telling you. Doing not as many pullups as you want might be frustrating, but it's not as frustrating as getting injured. Be careful with pullups - or any exercise for that matter.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Yes brother! This is a story I hear often. People that are super motivated want to keep doing more and more and more. But sometimes less is more. Which is why it's important to have deload weeks and always listen to the signals your body is giving you. We workout to get stronger and healthier... so if we're experiencing chronic fatigue and aches/soreness, our workouts are actually doing us more harm than good at that point. And don't worry, you'll get back to your previous levels. You now have more wisdom and will take a slower path to get there conservatively, but you'll get there!

[@alecgaxiola77]

I love how you get down to every detail bro keep up the good work! 💯

[@GURLALS]

Exactly what I’ve been looking for. I’m at 6 right now but I’ll be back when I hit 10!

[@samuelokafor7784]

this the second video ive watched on ur page and you’re goated. thank you boss!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Thanks man!

[@timrobin4780]

I’ve just started a hypertrophy cycle to supplement my strength training. Current max L-pull up is 11. Aiming for 15

[@avoid000]

11 L-pull ups is a lot!!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Hell yea, you got dis. I didn’t have issues with getting myself to 15 pull-ups using this systematic approach.

[@timrobin4780]

@@AntranikDotOrg Cool! I'll definitely give some feedback once I got there 🤞

[@timrobin4780]

Update: I just finished deloading yesterday. And guess what? I’ve made it to 15 L-sit pull ups on the rings! The last session before the deload, my sets were 11-10-9-8-8. Seriously, this is the fastest progress I’ve made since a while ago. Thanks for this, Antranik!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

@@timrobin4780 hell yea! Incredible!

[@cflippe]

nice, and congratulation to 100.000 Followers today!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

thank you!

[@NinjaAirBike]

Great Video!!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Thanks!

[@tomek21043]

Thank you for the plan :) I have a question - if I have another strength training and I have pull-ups/ring rows there, can I just do these exercises in it and continue with the program after some rest (like I'd normally do) or should I just use this plan only and avoid any other pulling exercises for the duration of it?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Like I say in 4:30, replace the pullups in your current program with the set/rep scheme of this program. Rows are the only other pulling exercise and you could leave those out, that's the only modification I would say.

[@Hotsauceonmy]

throughout my calisthenics practice I’ve always done 3 sets of ten but always cheated a little with some kipping. After week 2 of this program I am starting to feel less and less reliant on kipping to get my chin over the bar

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Excellent! Glad to see you reporting your results! I look forward to your updates!

[@Hotsauceonmy]

@@AntranikDotOrg checking back in and am proud to say that I am able to perform a clean set 12 of pull-ups now. Chest to bar and no kipping Thank you for the content! I always look forward to your next upload

[@AntranikDotOrg]

@@Hotsauceonmy Awesome!!!

[@caymant8959]

Hey Antranik, thank you for this video! Once you reach 10 pull-ups you have instructed to go to chin-ups or weighted pull-ups at that point in the progression. Would that then mean that if I chose chin-ups I would continue on as normal and either drop back if I was unable to do 11 but get there with chin-ups instead of pull-ups this time? And then with weighted what weight would I start adding and wear along the progression would I drop back to? Thanks!!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

I think in this video I use chinups and pullups interchangeably a lot. So a little bit of help here: In general, chinups are a bit easier than pullups (because the biceps can assist more) and it can result in slightly more bicep definition. If you reach 10 pullups, you should go to weighted chinups or pullups. That's up to you which one you pick. I like to do closer-grip chinups for the weighted-versions for the reasons I stated above (it's slightly easier to progress and provides more biceps hypertrophy). If you want more laser focused upper back hypertrophy, the pullups would be the winner, but progress might be marginally slower. In regards to what weight to start at, a good safe weight to start at would be 10-12% of your bodyweight. If you can pull off 7-8 clean reps in a set, I would move onto a slightly higher weight (adding 5lbs at a time in general is good, 10lbs is a bit too big of a jump usually). And by clean reps I mean when all those reps are being performed strict (no kipping), full range and good tempo (explosively). As you get more advanced, try to pick a weight that's challenging you in the 4-6 rep range. This is a general recommendation and as you get more advanced you might need to change things up. (For example, sometimes it's helpful to do a ton of strength-focused sets in the 2-3 rep range but that's generally for more advanced trainees and people who have time to pull off 10 sets.)

[@TheSandsplash]

I am able to achieve 11 pull-ups today and I can’t be more happier

[@coldbrew6053]

Wow, great video. Im gonna do this!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

How's it going?

[@coldbrew6053]

@@AntranikDotOrg Hey. To be honest I totally forgot about this! It's challenging to incorporate this in my regular power lifting routine. Any ideas?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

What's in your powerlifting routine and what's it like? I would say replace any pulling-related exercises such as rows and pull-ups with this routine.@@coldbrew6053

[@coldbrew6053]

@@AntranikDotOrg Mon: Squats & leg accessories Wed: Bench, Back Rows & arms Fri: Deadlift & Overhead press I'll give it a try!

[@Mr.freedom1]

This is the first I hear about this program. Thanks! And by the way, How effective is this in building up your pull-up strength, compared to following the traditional progressions (assisted, bands, negatives)?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

This can technically be applied to any exercise.

[@billymaguire59]

This is the Fighter Pullup Program, only done on workout day instead of every day.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

⭐ If you want to see the complete program, with the FULL list of sets/reps, from 3 reps all the way up to 25, check out my supplemental blog post here: antranik.org/10-pullups/ ⭐

[@lsseimetz3532]

Hey, Antranik. How are you doing my brother? See if you can help me out on this one, not sure if it`s the right place. I just started a new job where I spend 12h sitting each day. My lower back is in disconfort all week long (not necessarily pain, but I don`t feel like coming home and training), and I`m just doing calisthenics twice a week (saturday and monday - days I`m not that tired). What would you recommend, considering that leaving the job isn`t an option lol. Is it anyway to escape lower back disconfort/pain when u sit that much time? I`m a very skinny guy, guess it doesn`t help much. If you have any suggestions or videos on this, please I`d be glad to hear/watch. Have a good one and keep up the good content

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Two things come to mind: 1) See if your work can provide you a standing desk, so you can alternate between sitting and standing regularly. 2) Force yourself to train after work, no matter how tired you are. If you have a gym membership, prepare ahead of time to go straight to the gym after work instead of home. 3) Other than strength training, find a local yoga studio and take a class regularly, or watch my own yoga videos after work. They are crucial toward helping you move your body in a much great variety of ways.

[@lsseimetz3532]

@@AntranikDotOrg Thank you for your feedback. Max respect!

[@ursula5770]

Hey Antranik, what progression do you suggest for achieving my first pull up? I can do about 3 proper form chinups until I fail. I'm quite confused if I should go for rows or negatives, I am relatively weaker with my pull muscles compared to my push muscles and since day 1 I have been struggling on what progression would work well to achieve my dream of repping out pullups. Also would it be ideal if I combined both in my pulling day? And as always thank you so much for the video!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Both! SLOW Negatives would be the best way! And rows as supplemental when you're pooped out from negatives.

[@ZacharyStank]

What if you can't do a pull up? Should we start with a more basic program or do negatives?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Start with Negatives, here's my video if you can't do pullups: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m33Nk2CfjdWrjac

[@ajak9284]

Hi Antranik, I'm currently plateaued at 8 reps max and cannot get to 10, just like you said you were at during one point in your journey. Why am I still on 8 max reps after nearly 7 weeks? I heard that you shouldn't max out on the first set and that is what I always do. I would have never thought that doing submaximal sets increases pull up strength and reps. We learn something new everyday I guess :) Thanks for the video and I will be following this program after a deload week.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Report back in a couple months! You'll probably be at 12+

[@filho4437]

I used to be able to do 15 slow reps and now I cant get past 6. Of course back then i was 130lbs and now im 170. But i still feel like i should be able to get stronger after maintaining this bodyweight for years at this point.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Welp, time to get back at it with this system!

[@jackabean3080]

Thank You Bro.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

You're welcome!

[@Immanuel_jijo]

love u man 🗿🙏

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Thank you! Love my fans as well!

[@joshuabush2569]

I'm definitely going to give this a go, I've been stuck at 6 pull ups for some time.... Would this work would pushups aswell?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Totally would!

[@aldeventos]

Please, link your video on the technique… for me the game changing was lat activation

[@AntranikDotOrg]

This one? How to do proper pullups kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmrOn4SpiMpladE

[@sotecluxan4221]

Got a bar, simply started wout further ado, now 20. The more practiced, the easier. Tough, though.

[@misterbranzino]

How do you feel about a pyramid routin instead? So do 1 pull-ups then 2 then 3 up to your max and then back down?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Not gonna work as well as the system I present. I don't find pyramid style to be that great for bodyweight exercises.

[@misterbranzino]

@@AntranikDotOrg are you more into ladder routines, then? i guess what do you prefer?

[@joseluiscuffia2094]

Very usefull! Thanks Antranik

[@AntranikDotOrg]

You're so welcome!

[@mrbatzov]

Hi, do you think this program 4-5 times per week can also build muscle? Maybe also super set the pullups with a pushup progression with the same rep scheme.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

This wouldn't work well with supersetting with no rest. It You need to rest several minutes ideally between each set for best results. It will work fine with alternating sets with pushing exercise if you rest a lot (not "superset" with no rest) Pushing for more days per week will work if you are DILIGENT about not overdoing it (you must be following the rep scheme perfectly and not pushing it even if you have gas left in the tank, otherwise you won't recover enough for the next day). You will definitely build muscle though if you stay disciplined with this balance.

[@mrbatzov]

@@AntranikDotOrg I used the wrong terminology i guess, sorry! Meant to ask about pairing those movements. I plan to rest around 90 sec between each set (or more if I see it’s not enough for me to recover). Thanks for replying 🙏

[@AntranikDotOrg]

@mrbatzov for the first set 90sec will be fine, and possibly the second set too, but for the latter ones, more time is better.

[@charlessterba5665]

i’ve been doing this with pull ups for a little while now. do you think one could also follow the same scheme for push ups simultaneously? i’d like to improve on those as well

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Absolutely!

[@Koroar]

That's actually a genius way of adding +1 rep each time, I wonder if it would work much past 10 reps?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Works really well up until 14/15. After 15, you need to drop the subsequent reps by 2 or 3 in between sets.

[@abhinav1282]

I have started working out everyday, and I usually supplement my pullups/chinups with rows. My goal is to do 50 reps everyday for pulling exercises. Can I do rows in addition to your program?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Absolutely!

[@Kleyguy7]

Will this work with negatives or should I wait untill I can complete 4-5 pull ups? Thank you for the video.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

That's a good question! I don't see why it wouldn't work with negatives as long as you keep the time-length of each negative-rep consistent.

[@Kleyguy7]

Thank you for replying! I will do that then.

[@pulkitsuneja]

For how many months I should follow this program??

[@AntranikDotOrg]

8-12 weeks is good before restarting.

[@seanoking2010]

I've followed this program and gotten (just barely) to 10. From there though the routine just gets too difficult? Any suggestions? Thanks!

[@AntranikDotOrg]

It's true the program doesn't last indefinitely. But taking a break from it and switching to something more difficult, such as weighted pullups (or one arm chinup progressions) for a little while, and then going back to this will help you to EASILY breakthrough when you go back to it, so that's one way that could work. I personally had no issue getting up to 15 pullups following this in 2 separate cycles. Just know that as things get harder, they do tend to take a little longer to progress.

[@sergiojaenlara2091]

Fighter pull up program

[@englekai]

What if your max is 3? What does the pattern look like? 3, 2, 1, 1, 1 then ...?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

If your max is 3, then it's 3, 2, 1. After you hit 4, then it's 4, 3, 2, 1. The full list from 3 to 25 reps is in the blog post here: antranik.org/10-pullups/

[@tomek21043]

@@AntranikDotOrg And if I don't hit 4 on the 4th training day? Should I stay with 3,3,2 until I am able to do 4?

[@AntranikDotOrg]

@@tomek21043 If you're at 3,3,2, then you are very close to 4,3,2. Just keep trying!

[@adwaitbhandari1042]

Ok my max now is 8 so i will follow up after 2 months

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Excellent!

[@Mirroredsmoke]

how is it going bro

[@JD-ee4df]

This has come at a great time for me Antranik, thank you! One question I have is that just doing regular pullups tends to cause some elbow pain. Are there any common form mistakes that lead to this? (My theory is that because my door frame is quite narrow, so is my grip, which may put extra pressure on my elbows).

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Ugh, I'm sorry for the elbow pain. MOST OF THE TIME, elbow pain is happening cause you've been doing too much. The muscles are getting stronger but the connective tissues aren't keeping up with the new strength demands (they heal much slower). Other than that, bad form or having maybe too high of a bodyweight (again, joints unable to handle the stress despite the muscles being able to), and grip position (hands too close together is a huge red flag!) Neutral (hammer) grip is good if your bar has it. If you can't do shoulder-width or slightly wider than shoulder width pullups, I think your solution is to switch to chin up grip. You could do that with the narrow grip and it's far gentler on the joints (at the risk of being slightly more tension on the wrists). There's nothing wrong with doing alternative grip positions and they have the benefit of adding more stimulus to your biceps.

[@JD-ee4df]

@@AntranikDotOrg Thanks so much for the detailed response. I've been very careful not to overtrain but seemingly couldn't avoid it despite taking at times weeks off to give them time to heal. I think I will stick with neutral grip for the foreseeable future using my rings and then see how my elbows handle pronated grip once I'm stronger. Thanks again, can't wait to implement this training method.

[@tonzlero]

For all the guys ending up in the negative range for their first set. The math is simplz, how many negatives you end up with is the number of pull-ups Antranik owes you 😉

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Happy to oblige!

[@cybermanne]

This is the "Russian fighter pullup program" and NOT the "Antranik's program" that it says in the graphics in the video. It's not a program that you have created. I know you didn't claim to have created this program. But you also didn't mention that you just copied it from somewhere else.

[@nielssrensen4967]

That's not important, ownership and what got we, the important thing is that the information is shared, and a lot gets inspired..

[@cybermanne]

@@nielssrensen4967 It's also important that people get credit for stuff they create.

[@churchhymnsandpsalms]

Max is 1 kipping, so negative 2.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Hahaha, didn't expect these numbers!

[@kramkalisthenics]

Thanks Antranik! Sounds like a smart, strategic plan! I can do at least 12 but maybe my form is not so clean? I'll start at 10 maybe? 64 year old does 12 pull-ups: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqCZfntnZ8ifia8

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Hey Kram!!! Good work, especially for your age! Unsolicited advice but you could improve on your range on both directions: go down until the elbows straighten (currently you stop just shy of lock out)… and make sure you’re packing your shoulders down before you begin, to help you pull higher. Reason I say this is because you’re going just high enough for the chin to go over the bar but you’re craning the neck and looking up. Try to see how many pull-ups you could do with full lock out and chin over with neck in a neutral position (looking more forward than up) and stop when the range drops off in the least bit and whatever # that ends up being, use that as your starting point to use this system and in 1-3 months you’ll likely be back at 12 or more but with far more range!

[@kramkalisthenics]

@@AntranikDotOrg Thanks so much for the excellent advice! I will definitely give that a go! Much appreciated! 🙏🙏🙏

[@kramkalisthenics]

@@AntranikDotOrg OK I am on it, Day 1. My max was 8 so I did 6-5-4-3-2-1. Felt great! Excited to see where the whole course takes me. Thanks so much Antranik! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZCqmICaqK14q5Y

[@AntranikDotOrg]

@@kramkalisthenics This is awesome! As you get more advanced (numbers go up), you're going to benefit from resting longer between sets. I want you to also pull as explosively as possible during the reps. Btw you're not fully locking out your elbows on the dips, I'm not sure if you were aware of that or doing it on purpose to protect an issue, but just something to be mindful of for potential improvement.

[@kramkalisthenics]

Thanks so much @@AntranikDotOrg ! Will work on explosiveness and thanks for the heads up on the dips! Will work on that too. Appreciate your advice always and thanks for taking the time to check out my training. I feel like it's the exact right thing for pull-up progress.

[@mav3ric100]

what if your max was...2

[@AntranikDotOrg]

I would do grease the groove style training where you basically would do 1 pullup throughout the day, as often as possible. For example, 1 pullup every hour or 2, every day. Your numbers will quickly go up. When you get to 3, you can start with 3,2,1 (just 3 sets) and build that up until you could do 4,3,2, then do 4,3,2,1.... and keep doing that until you get to 5,4,3,2, and then move to 5,4,3,2,1... and on you go!

[@mav3ric100]

@@AntranikDotOrg You're a godsend! Subscribed!

[@Against_Gravity]

I like this. I can do 15 consecutive good-form full ROM pull-ups, but currently I'm training weighted (+20 kg) pull-ups and I can do 8 reps as max. I think I can apply this program to weighted pull-ups as well, because I like sticking with the same extra load for a lot of time and imagine it's like 'my new BW'. The only thing I'm not sure about is what to do once you stop getting progress with this system for 2 consecutive workouts. I'm thinking about these possible strategies: 1) Repeat the program (at RIR 2) with your new max reps 2) Once you can't get new max reps PRs with 1), try adding more +5-10 kg as extra load and repeat the process 3) Once you can't get any new PRs with 1) or 2), try unilateral pulley self-assisted OAC (instead weighted pull-ups). * ) If at any point, there's golfers/tennis elbow symptoms, take a deload week and then reduce frequency to 1-2 x/week for at least one month I guess that by combining these 3 strategies, the 'lifetime of usefulness' of this system extends to a very solid amount of time, all the way from beginner to advanced.

[@Against_Gravity]

Oh, and by the way, an extremely important question. The hardest thing to do in this program is add one extra rep to the very first set, ESPECIALLY when you are using it for weighted pull-ups/OAC. I wonder what are your thoughts about artifically extending the program by increasing reps in the other sets as well. I mean: lets say I'm stuck at 8,8,7,6,5. According to the system, the next workout I should be able to do 9,8,7,6,5. So the question is: in the case I still can't do 9 reps, what about keep adding +1 rep to the remaining sets? So next workout would be 8,8,7,6,6; 8,8,7,7,6; 8,8,7,7,7; 8,8,8,7,7; 8,8,8,8,7; 8,8,8,8,8. This defeats the point of making the sets feel mentally easy, but at least adds +6 extra workouts where I could continue making progress by accumulating more volume and hopefully, trigger enough adaptive stimulus so that the next workout I'd be able to do 9,8,7,6,5 and continue following the program normally again. Only if I can't perform 9 reps despite this artificially extended version of the program, I'd apply the strategy 1) (repeat the cycle), 2) (add more load) or 3) (variety through unilateral training) mentioned earlier

[@Against_Gravity]

And a final idea to artificially extend the program even more (although this is only for very advanced people) is to follow the system, but progressing not by adding +1 rep every workout, but every week instead. This makes the progress a lot slower, but adaptations are slower anyway at that point, and this seems a good way to sort of make up for it.

[@AntranikDotOrg]

Hi there, first of all you can totally apply this to weighted pullups (or any other exercise for that matter). I have done so successfully and it's a great way to increase your base level. 1) Repeating the workout is a good option. Sometimes you need to repeat it more than once or even twice and that's fine. Oftentimes, the body is still getting stronger and improving in other ways, not just reps! (Increased proficiency in movement quality, more explosiveness/better tempo and more range, none of which would be seen with the reps.) 2) If you're truly stuck and you feel you're at a good level anyway, you could definitely reassess and add intensity/load which will bring the reps down and you could build it up. I would NOT add 5-10kg, that's way too much and asking for trouble for your joints. Adding 2-3kg is generally the safer route. 3) That's up to you if you want to switch the exercise. To answer your very important question (and it's a good question): >I wonder what are your thoughts about artificially extending the program by increasing reps in the other sets as well. I don't think adding REPS on the sets is the best way to go. Personally what I have done to breakthrough in times like this with weighted chins is to ADD SETS. That works really well, so if you're stuck at 8,8,7,6,5... add 1-3 more sets (so you'd do 4,3,2) which will significantly increase your volume and still be doable (it will just add more time to your workout). The final idea to add 1 rep every week is fine, only for the very advanced, when joints are not keeping up with muscle strength. I think adding the those extra sets with more descending reps is the way to go.

[@Against_Gravity]

@@AntranikDotOrg "1) Repeating the workout is a good option. Sometimes you need to repeat it more than once or even twice and that's fine. Oftentimes, the body is still getting stronger and improving in other ways, not just reps! (Increased proficiency in movement quality, more explosiveness/better tempo and more range, none of which would be seen with the reps.)" So basically the idea is to repeat the cycle 2-3 times even if there's no max rep PRs before completely giving it up. I'll definitely do this, because I'm recording on video every set of every workout I do, so I'll be able to compare other aspects like technique, tempo, explosiveness, etc. between different cycles. Also is a great way to artifically extend it even more.

[@Against_Gravity]

"2) If you're truly stuck and you feel you're at a good level anyway, you could definitely reassess and add intensity/load which will bring the reps down and you could build it up. I would NOT add 5-10kg, that's way too much and asking for trouble for your joints. Adding 2-3kg is generally the safer route." Thanks, this is probably a mistake I've been doing so far. As I've said, I like to use the same extra load for very long time, building up the reps high so that I can 'afford' higher jumps in intensity (similar to BW movements). But it's definitely safer to add +2.5 kg instead +5 kg for the joints, and as a bonus it helps to extend the lifetime of this program.