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PaperclipPerfector  9mo ago (text post)   2011 thread views

Wellness Wednesday for July 26, 2023

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I'm stuck at nine pull-ups. To be more precise, I got to 8-8-8, flipped one over to 9-8-7, and got stuck. My next steps were going to be 9-8-8, 9-9-8, 9-9-9 and then finally 10-9-8, but I am totally fatigued at the end of each set and can't crank out one more rep beyond 9-8-7.

Any advice? Will lifting straps help? Any additional exercises to build up endurance? Or should I do like six sets of six pull-ups for more volume? What does the athletic motte say?

Something to try: Max yourself out, then switch to negatives. i.e. use a chair to get to the top, then slowly let yourself descend.

How long have you been stuck for? It's not uncommon to hit a plateau you can't immediately break through but if it's being going on for a few weeks despite sufficient rest that's the time to think about switching things up.

A month.

That's long enough where you might want to switch things up. I haven't had to work through a pullup plateau specifically but the general method is to do related exercises that work the same muscles but stress them in different proportions to the lift you're struggling with.

Your back might be strong enough to do more pull-ups but you could be being held back by your biceps or your grip strength for example. Ideally you already have a rough idea of which area is failing first and you can work those areas directly.

I had some success with weighted pull ups a few years ago. Once I went back to regular pull ups, I could do a few more than before

This. Once you get beyond hypertrophy rep ranges into endurance (8-12+), it becomes crucial to do few sets of strength once in a while (4-6 reps).

If you can do 3x9 you should be able to do 25 lbs 3x4. This can be done easily with junk in a backpack. Once you get into higher weights (75-100lbs), you'll likely need to invest in plates and a weightbelt, or one of those modular vests.

My local gym has this clever machine where you step on a lever and get some of your weight offset (up to 50 kg). I'm not sure if it has any utility, but I see people using it.

Are you fully warmed up when you start your working sets? Something like 5-9-9-8-7-6 might help. With the first set as a sort of primer. The last few sets can be done on short rest as drop sets for the extra volume.

Once you get to 10-12 reps, you might consider adding weighted pull-ups to one session a week, targeting ~5 reps per set with longer rest. You should be able to start with a dumbbell held in your feet. At more than +10kg (25 lbs) its easier to use a dip belt, martial arts belt, or vest though. Straps will help if you are doing other exercises that have already fatigued your grip, but you shouldn't be limited by grip if you have a fresh grip and decent grip strength.

Pull-ups also respond well to "greasing the groove." For example if you have a pull-up bar over the door you go through most frequently. Just do a few reps every time you walk through.

I do a fitness test with my students where I can crank out a little over 20 in a row. The thing that helped me the most was adding weight for training using a dip belt. I mixed pullups into my normal lifting routine with two variations depending on what else I was doing:

Pullups at 3x6 with a low amount of additional weight (normally I do this with about 25 lbs, but start lower)

Pullups at 5x3 with a high amount of additional weight (now it's something like 80 lbs, but start lower)

Do linear progression for the above.

Throw in some 3x8 or 3x10 normal pullups or chinups from time to time too.

I think just additional volume on the same motion won't really help you; the big thing is to make it harder. So add weight, same as you do for any other lift!

I'm far from an expert, but are you doing any lat pulldowns? It seems to me that switching off of the specific activity and focusing on isolated strength may pay dividends.

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