The Best Way to Train to Increase Pull-Ups

In this QUAH Sal, Adam, & Justin answer the question “What's the best way to train for pull-ups?"
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“the Best Way to Train to Increase Pull-Ups"
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[@dannydaze2959]

Negative reps also helped me

[@spencergsmith]

“Strength is a skill. Training must be approached as a practice, not a workout.” Pavel Tsatsouline

[@thefuzzycookie556]

Back is so satisfying to train, the contractions are next level. To add, weighted pull ups have translated to helping me engage my lats with other exercises. Honestly, I think weighted pull ups contributed significantly to my OHP gains. It’s like I’m able to more consciously brace/engage them

[@luuuca3346]

how do you overload the weight with pull-ups? i’m stuck at like 10kg load for 6 rep i can’t improve

[@bigmics]

@@luuuca3346 try a deload b patient watch your form, maybe ur 'pr' was with worse form

[@StevenTalley]

"Greasing the groove."

[@bobjamer8956]

Exactly! I was waiting for them to use that concept but that's generally what it is.

[@137dylan]

Last August I started working out again after 10 year break. I could do 3 pull ups max, with the 3rd being a struggle. Now, today, my (home) back workout consists of 60 pull ups. I generally do them in sets of 6 reps, with a 90-120 second break in between. The first 30 reps are with a 10kg weighted vest. My lats are visibly bigger/wider, as are my forearms. It's amazing what you can achieve with consistency and patience.

[@wi1395]

How'd you build up to that? I'm on 5 rn and can't really get a pull up bar at home for the frequency method because my parents won't let me get one. Haven't tried the weighted pull ups so I'll try em and see what happens

[@137dylan]

@@wi1395 It took me a year to get to doing that number of reps/sets and weighted. I worked my back twice a week, Tuesday and Fridays. I was very consistent, missing maybe 2-3 workouts that entire year. I also ate clean with lots of protein. If you can get a door pull up bar then you can get more frequency in which will massively improve your strength. I wouldn't worry about doing weighted pull ups until you can at least do 4 sets of 8 with super strict form (chin over bar, no swinging, controlled negative). Good luck!

[@king-nick2023]

I use to do that in high school, even today I still do it at times. I beat some marines in a pull-up competition not really trying. That’s how effective it is

[@sultanmdn2957]

I just love you guys, i am a coach, was training for like 10 years, and still learning from you guys ! Really great channel

[@NuclearSpinach]

This type of slow-build submaximal hyper-frequent training is something we need to talk more about with pull ups, push ups, pistol squats, etc. Also having a focus: this month is pull ups, next month push ups, etc., instead of doing too much at once.

[@p7reston777]

Thank you!! Needed this advice

[@tonybinder9392]

Love the advice! Need to get back on this!

[@terpfan2279]

Another good technique if you don’t have access to assistance machine is negatives Jump up to bar and lower yourself slowly Very helpful if you can’t do any yet

[@TobyKBTY]

Greasing the groove! Agree, that's the best thing that helped me get 12-15 bodyweight pullups. Now I'm at 30lbs weighted pullups for 5x5 on actual working sets

[@leviokumu1981]

I do 20 pull ups every day! The results are amazing!

[@humzahs277]

This is unbelievably factual. I thought i was the only one who realised this and did this but had trouble articulating it to others. Well said as usual

[@stevekennyufc]

I love this advice guys! I am good at pull-ups… I can do 12-14 and even learned to do them in the bathroom stall during the Covid break out (I’d be happy to give a video on that if you guys want) but… this video now made me realize to do 4-5 pull-ups with a 25lb plate 2-4 time a day depending on my work schedule. I really like the way you guys think abs approach things 👍

[@builtdifferent3745]

Assisted machine good for hypertrophy Allowing you to standardize a full range of motion, where you extend all the way through until you feel/hear the weight touch the stack at the end of each rep You can focus more on different variations of form, to target the back in different ways You can train in more hypertrophy rep range, & milk more out of the eccentric

[@ivos2.138]

One of the best podcasts on youtube love u guys.

[@_freedomordeath_]

I couldn't do 1 pullup So I used 5 bands, each one thicker than the other So I was able to do 3 sets of 5 reps with all of them, next week 3 sets of 6 reps and so on untill 10 reps Then I removed the thinest band and started again from 3x5 untill I was able to do 3x10, and then removed the next band that was the thinest and so on... Edit: I was doing something similar they mentioned I would do 4th set untill failure (which was 2-3 reps max, then I would jump up and lower myself slowly and I think it helped a lot Now I'm at 3x6 without bands and 10kg load It was a slow progress but it helped me a lot, hope it helps someone too. Sorry for bad English Greetings from Serbia 🇷🇸

[@enjoyer6201]

Cool to read. And your English is just fine.

[@valore2928]

Pullups and pushups are about 90% of my upper-body workouts. I'm 160lb, and my one-set max with 45lbs of additional weight is 20. Here's how I train: After a couple of warm up sets without added weight, I add the 45lbs and do a one-set max. I then rest for 1.5 minutes and do another one-set max. After the second one-set max, I only take 45 seconds rest in between sets, but each of those sets I take to within one rep of total failure. I do 14 of these sets. Moreover, I use four different grips, trying to emphasize different muscles.

[@Brusalinschi]

Nice work man

[@pf8476]

Tips I've learned for pull ups 1. Practice dead hangs -If you cant hold your bodyweight then you won't progress like you would Benefits will help with forearm strength too 2, Use a chair to boost yourself up then slowly lower yourself down 3, Like the guys said using bands is amazing for making the movement easier plus it helps with the mind mussel connection understanding the movement 4, Be patient with yourself, you can't get it all but you can get some Hope someone finds this helpful

[@victoryenglish5319]

Cheers mate 🙏

[@alphageneral6921]

Dec 2019 I could do 2 pull-ups max(with not good form) today I’m doing 3 or 4 sets of 5 with good form. I used the assisted pull-up machine and I would hold my last rep at the top for ten seconds also used the lat pull down machine to strengthen my pull muscles.

[@SnowyBlizzard]

This is how my push-ups sky rocketed, instead of focusing on workouts, I’d get up from my computer whenever I thought of it and do like 10-15 push-ups, and then get back on my computer, within a week I DOUBLED them +

[@wayntang3714]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@FormlessJKD17]

Scap pull ups, iso metric holds including hanging grip holds and especially negatives. No need to put a weight vest on it's all about TUT, feeling every muscle fiber and the mind.

[@s.g.6012]

What helped my pull up game is : 1 st advice increase your grip strength torturing your forearms . 2. Practice hanging for long periods of time. 3. Heres how I increased my reps.. Dont start off your max amount , start with half your max or a small number that you can keep up with resting 30 sec or 1min between sets. So if youre max is 10 start this with 5. Do 5 sets or stop till you cant do 4 to 5 anymore ( failure) . Every few days or each week add 1 extra rep . So if its week 2 ..make it 6 reps . Week 3 ..7 reps all done the same way sticking with that number only resting 30 secs to 1min ( depending on your level). In no time your reps will increase dramatically and that 10 will become 15 to 20 within a month.

[@blacklyfe5543]

5 sets of what?

[@moustachio334]

Assisted pull up machines do not equal pull up practice. What I learned is to practice the eccentric. Doing the eccentric slowly will still build strength. Next would be to use an elastic band. And yes everyone needs to pullup everyday and that’s the same for squats too.

[@phanphan2251]

omarisuf has a good video about volume training to get better on pullups

[@michalviktorin6758]

Few everyday do work. I made it from 2 to 30 in no time as teenager doing just pull ups and push ups once in a while. For example first set when I came back from school. Then when I was cooking lunch, since I hated schoot food I did pull puls when cooking process allowed me to go outsie kitchen. My traps really get huge in no time, the rest ws not that significant. I also stated to do weighten ones. Years later lacking training and gaining weight, I had to use resistance bands to make more reps in starting stage.

[@Psychonaut165]

That’s so funny you mention this. I discovered this in middle school. Every day in gym class on the way in and out of the lockers I would do pull ups. Quickly progressed just as you said I’ve been doing them every day at work off a metal beam, a dozen times a day. Went from being able to do 3 to being able to 6 in a couple weeks.

[@omardenia]

The first advice by sal is step loading progresion. Method very use by the russians .

[@aquila1577]

What I did and helped me a lot to progress was doing negative pull ups. At the beginning of going to the gym I set a goal of completing 3 sets of 6 pull ups and I would perform them twice a week. The first set I could do 5 or 6, the next set maybe 3 and for the thrid set I could only do one or two. So I would jump to get up and do the negatives in order to complete the set. I think by the fourth week I was able to do 3 sets of 6 and I started to add one pull up each week It helped me that I was already someone athletic and light weight, as I was also practicing swimming at that time. Then I would say it's better to avoid the assisted machine and go straight for the negatives even if you can't do one. Using the bands can be a good alternative but I still think the negative is going to progress anyone faster.

[@schumann967]

What if you cant do any should i do a dead hang often

[@tootlepuff]

I use to be able to do 35 in row right now after detraining im down to 24 in row sucks im trying to regain my strength but I'm having trouble getting it back so i cut my pullups to sets of 10 or 15 use to do sets of 25 hopefully i can regain lost strength with some of the methods on this podcast.

[@stephenvolkov3436]

You must be really light in bodyweight.

[@achtungjamie]

This sounds crazy, but I started doing high rep burpees and my pull-up numbers jumped up.

[@agiff8690]

I couldn’t do wide grips so I just used lat pull down machine till I could do my weight then I went too the bar when I could do my weight with machine

[@wisemanj2934]

I do 5 sets until failure on each set every working out days which is 5 times a week. I do neutral, pronated and supinated. I started assisted, now the pin is hanging so basically no assist anymore. I try to do 10 every set meaning the 10th I fail. I am 200lbs 6 foot tall.

[@mimodelorean]

further question: when we "practice" like that causally during the day, do we need to warm up first a little? cos I'm thinking about tendons-ligaments etc .. if it's healthy for the *in the long run* to get a big load like that all of a sudden. thanks for these interesting shares

[@devenmurray3580]

No you don’t need to warm up. It’s just a couple pull ups. Warming up won’t do anything to your tendons or ligaments.

[@adammiller9179]

@@devenmurray3580 A couple a pull ups for someone who can't do any is like doing their 1RM. Would you suggest not warming up when you are about to do 1 rep max deadlift? bench press? squat?

[@zezeti2246]

You can do 5 minutes of gimnastic moves,but it's not necessary,why,because let's say you can do 10 pull-ups max,and on greasing the groove you're doing 5,that's basically a warm-up in on itself😅

[@izlitty5674]

Yeah that would make since IF all i did in my workout program is pullups but no, i do PPL so how the hell am i gonna do pullups on training days where im supposed to push or do legs

[@nickdreezy2457]

The principle of specificity and developing Neuromuscular skill

[@MindPumpShow]

👍

[@gripandhikekettlebells]

Negative pull ups are the most reliable way to develop genuine strength in your lats and Scapula. It really pays to perform Scapula pull ups to know how to activate the whole back muscle complex

[@ohmygod5897]

This is how prisoners get strong and muscular

[@keysersoze5920]

Practice pull-ups often by initiating the pull-ups with your scapulae.

[@jonnuanez2843]

Does hand placement on the bar have anything to do with it? Meaning that your fingers go more over or under the bar than just an average grip. This exercise is my Last Frontier. I can't do one.

[@bobjamer8956]

Yes. If you do an under handed grip you're doing chin ups for the most part which is more biceps into play. An over handed grip will work more lats. Either way, you should place your hands at shoulder width. I'm in the..."can't do one" camp but some practical tips I've heard is to do 2 things, along with their advice on this podcast is to do a 1 to 2 minute dead hang. Just grab the bar and let your body hang. What you're doing is trying to develop grip strength. The second tip is to put a chair under the bar, step up on the chair then jump up on the bar until your neck is level to the bar and slowwly lower yourself down. You're basically just doing negatives, nothing else. Eventually, you'll get stronger and be able to pull yourself up and do a good pull up with good form.

[@sonja4164]

@@bobjamer8956 how many dead hand sets did you do?

[@suhwateezea.214]

I cant do pullups without elbow pain how could I apply this? Maybe do pull downs with straps or leg assisted oullups?

[@paulsheo4816]

Use ring pull ups

[@XKrazy36]

What about lat pull downs? Aren't they virtually identical?

[@Tuldoka]

It'll strengthen your lats/rhomboids but not necessarily develop your skill. There's a lot more coordination in pull ups than Lat pulldowns

[@jb9801]

Thats gtg by pavel tsatsouline, give him credits

[@kennedysan1045]

Couldnt even do 1, so I put a chair underneath and take the weight off my feet and pull up amd down to build form. Might not be a great method, but I feel it is working

[@2old4allthis]

Did you stick with it? Did it help you improve? There’s no shame if you didn’t, especially if you changed your goals.

[@kennedysan1045]

@@2old4allthis yeah, I noticed a pretty big change in my shoulders and arms. Got to a point where I was almost doing them without assistance. I came down with pneumonia which knocked me out for quite a while, but I'm back into it doing assisted ones again.

[@2old4allthis]

@@kennedysan1045 Thanks for the reply, bummer about the pneumonia

[@ardakolimsky7107]

Grease the Groove Do negatives

[@limitisillusion7]

Maybe it's because I'm weak or have bad mobility, but pullups hurt my elbows, so I only do chinups.

[@Mo-ol2lr]

Doing pull ups on rings might be able to solve the elbow pain, as the rings will move according to how you pull.

[@limitisillusion7]

@@Mo-ol2lra, I made some handles that rotate and I tend to move from a neutral grip to a supinated grip at the top.

[@Cenot4ph]

machine assisted pullups don't carry over well to actual pullups, I'd never do them. Rather use bands to assist. Reason by the way is because machine assisted balance your body by putting your full leg weight on it, using bands you still have to take care of the balancing.

[@jms415]

Greasing the groove anyone?

[@samgallagher7012]

good advice from Sal. the other two are lost as always lol

[@pedrolopes6071]

Grease the groove method...

[@davifurtado6534]

man my problem is my pullups are inconsistent. One day I'll be able to do 3x5, the other day only 3x4, next day 3x6 I believe it's body weight fluctuation

[@anitra_g_fit5601]

I’m the same way lol

[@christopherdillard8372]

I do them everyday and what helps me the most is to have a good warmup in.

[@blacklyfe5543]

You're not supposed to do them every single day

[@amosdeanludwig3135]

Eccentric pull-ups can be better than the band

[@christophercramer4007]

This advice makes no sense.