How to improve pull up strength
5 strategies for improving your pull up strength
Ok everyone here it is! 5 strategies that you can use to take your pull up strength to the next level.
Pull ups are a nemesis for many of us and whether it’s getting that first clean rep without any assistance or getting to our 10th set of 10, pull ups are a %#$@!.
There are however a number of different techniques / strategies you can use to make your progress sky rocket and I’m going to share them with you today.
Ok enough talk, let’s get into it…
Strategy 1
Don’t Be Afraid Of Regression
A lot of the time people want to go from A to Z immediately and are willing to short cut important aspects to get there… To perform a pull up correctly you need the base level of strength and a good way to get this is to start off with the easier variations and work your way up. Look at this process like a career, very rarely do you finish high school and go straight into being a CEO… You work the ranks, build your knowledge and progress through to bigger and better things, this same theory applies to the pull up.
Start off with the easiest form of a chin up and work your way through, below I have listed each exercise which are ranked from easiest to hardest.
1. Parallel Chin Up
2. Shoulder Width Supinated Chin Up
3. Narrow Grip Supinated Chin Up
4. Narrow Grip Pronated Pull Up
5. Wide Grip Pronated Pull Up (Yes the variation you want to do is the hardest)
As you can see the Parallel Chin Up is the easiest, this is because your elbow flexors (Biceps Brachii, Brachioradialis, Brachialis & a few other smaller muscles) are at the most efficient angle to pull from. The further down the list you go, the less efficient your pulling motion, hence why it’s harder.
Strategy 2
Focus On The Eccentric Contraction
One of the most under used methods of overloading a muscle is focusing on the eccentric part of a movement, the eccentric is where a muscle lengthens as it fights against an opposing force of gravity e.g. the eccentric in a pull up is when you lower yourself down (it’s also what I call the “controlled” part of a movement)
One of the main reasons for focusing on the eccentric is to increase the time under tension (TUT) of an exercise, this increase in TUT helps build and strengthen the muscle which in turn translates into another full rep next workout. The eccentric is also a really important tool in increasing strength as it’s the part of a movement that you are naturally stronger in, I won’t go into the specifics here however once you have already failed through the concentric range (pulling yourself up towards the bar) you will still have strength through the eccentric (lowering yourself down) so why not make the most of it?
So how can you put what I have said about eccentric training into action? Well, next time you are doing pull ups go to failure, when you’re at the top of the movement and you know there is no chance of doing another full rep, hold there and slowly lower yourself down over 10-30 seconds (watch the video for an example).
Strategy 3
Focus On The Isometric Contraction
An isometric contraction is a static hold where a muscle is contract however there is no movement occurring, an example of an isometric contraction is when you are holding a wall sit position.
Focusing on the isometric contraction has many advantages, not only does it increase the TUT of an exercise like eccentric training but it brings about higher levels of muscle activation and also allows you to focus on shifting tension to different muscles within the body.
Studies have shown that you can recruit 5% more motor units/muscle fibres in maximal isometric muscle actions than either eccentric or concentric muscle actions, this translates into better neural drive to the muscle resulting in a far greater strength potential.
There are many different ways of utilising isometrics in your training, in this video I choose two different methods. The first is a long hold at the half way point of the pull up, this allows you to really feel the muscles working while trying to shift the tension out of your arms and into your back. The second method is a 5-10 second hold in 3 separate parts of the movement, this has a similar effect as method one however you’re holding at 3 different angles rather than just one. For a visual example watch the video.
Strategy 4
Drop Set Into Easier Variations
Many people are familiar with the concept of a drop set however for people that are not here it is… A drop set is when you perform a given number of reps at a particular weight and then lower the weight upon failure in order to keep going with the exercise (e.g. bench press 100kg for 10 reps then drop down to 60kg so you can complete a further 10 reps).
Because a pull up is generally body weight it’s hard to drop set (you can’t exactly take your legs off when you reach failure to keep going at a lighter weight) so in that case rather than the dropping weight we are going to change the exercise to something easier.
An example of how to drop set a pull up is to reach failure on a wide pronated grip, change to a narrow supinated grip and then finish with a parallel grip. The muscles used in these 3 exercises are similar however, as you progress muscles are recruited at different rates therefore making it easier to continue on. For an example of a wide grip pull up drop set, watch the video.
Strategy 5
Use Additional Load
This final strategy is for the more advanced lifter that is looking to take their pull ups to the 10x10 bracket. One of the main things I see are people that can do pull ups with correct form for a good 3-4 sets of 10 however they flake out and fatigue shortly after, if this sounds like you then keep reading.
Using additional load, especially with pull ups, is commonly frowned upon in most gyms due to people getting ahead of them self’s and moving up in weight too fast. This then makes people look like a fool (to advanced lifters) because the reps are so badly executed. While I say add additional weight I don’t mean through 40kg around your waist and smash some reps that vaguely resemble a pull up, be smart with your loading and start with as little as 2.5kg.
This overload from the added weight will stimulate even more muscle growth and strength therefore giving you an added edge when going back to bodyweight. To take things even further use the above strategies with the weight added, completing a 30 second eccentric or an isometric hold with weight around your waist will shock the body and give it no choice but to advance in strength. Remember though, it’s all about the technique so if you can’t maintain strict and proper form then drop the weight and focus on doing the exercise right.
Final Words
To sum things up there are many ways to help improve your pull up strength and above I have explained 5 of my top strategies. Remember start off slow and work your way up, trying to implement all 5 things in your next workout will be counterproductive. My recommendation is to start with 1 strategy and work with it for 4-6 weeks, then after that move onto a different one.
Below is a sample workout structure for beginners wanting to improve their wide grip pull up (16 weeks)
Stage 1 - Basics
Week 1 - Parallel Chin Up – Use Assistance If Needed
Day 1 – 3x6 | 5-0-1-1 | 60 Sec Rest
Day 2 – 3x6 | 5-0-1-1 | 60 Sec Rest
Week 2 - Parallel Chin Up – Use Assistance If Needed
Day 1 – 3x8 | 5-0-1-1 | 60 Sec Rest
Day 2 – 3x8 | 5-0-1-1 | 60 Sec Rest
Week 3 - Parallel Chin Up – Use Assistance If Needed
Day 1 – 3x10 | 5-0-1-1 | 60 Sec Rest
Day 2 – 3x10 | 5-0-1-1 | 60 Sec Rest
Week 4 - Parallel Chin Up – Use Assistance If Needed
Day 1 – 4x10 | 5-0-1-1 | 60 Sec Rest
Day 2 – 4x10 | 5-0-1-1 | 60 Sec Rest
Stage 2 – Eccentric Focus
Week 5 - Shoulder Width Supinated Chin Up
Day 1 – 3x5 | 8-0-1-1 | 75 Sec Rest (Last rep come down for 30 sec eccentric)
Day 2 – 3x5 | 8-0-1-1 | 75 Sec Rest
Week 6 - Shoulder Width Supinated Chin Up
Day 1 – 3x5 | 10-0-1-1 | 75 Sec Rest (Last rep come down for 30 sec eccentric)
Day 2 – 3x5 | 10-0-1-1 | 75 Sec Rest
Week 7 - Shoulder Width Supinated Chin Up
Day 1 – 3x5 | 12-0-1-1 | 75 Sec Rest (Last rep come down for 30 sec eccentric)
Day 2 – 3x5 | 12-0-1-1 | 75 Sec Rest
Week 8 - Shoulder Width Supinated Chin Up
Day 1 – 3x5 | 15-0-1-1 | 75 Sec Rest (Last rep come down as slow as you can)
Day 2 – 3x5 | 15-0-1-1 | 75 Sec Rest
Stage 3 – Isometric Focus
Week 9 - Shoulder Width Pronated Grip Pull Up
Day 1 – 3x6 | 5-0-1-2 | 90 Sec Rest (Last rep come down half way and hold for as long as you can)
Day 2 – 3x6 | 5-0-1-2 | 90 Sec Rest
Week 10 - Shoulder Width Pronated Grip Pull Up
Day 1 – 3x8 | 5-0-1-2 | 90 Sec Rest (Last rep come down half way and hold for as long as you can)
Day 2 – 3x8 | 5-0-1-2 | 90 Sec Rest
Week 11 - Shoulder Width Pronated Grip Pull Up
Day 1 – 3x10 | 5-0-1-2 | 90 Sec Rest (Last rep come down half way and hold for as long as you can)
Day 2 – 3x10 | 5-0-1-2 | 90 Sec Rest
Week 12 - Shoulder Width Pronated Grip Pull Up
Day 1 – 3x10 | 5-0-1-2 | 90 Sec Rest (Last rep come down half way and hold for as long as you can)
Day 2 – 3x10 | 5-0-1-2 | 90 Sec Rest
Stage 4 – Eccentric Focus
Week 13 – Wide Pronated Grip Pull Up
Day 1 – 3x5 | 6-0-1-2 | 120 Sec Rest (Last rep come down as slow as you can)
Day 2 – 3x5 | 6-0-1-2 | 120 Sec Rest
Week 14 – Wide Pronated Grip Pull Up
Day 1 – 3x5 | 8-0-1-1 | 120 Sec Rest (Last rep come down as slow as you can)
Day 2 – 3x5 | 8-0-1-1 | 120 Sec Rest
Week 15 – Wide Pronated Grip Pull Up
Day 1 – 3x5 | 10-0-1-1 | 120 Sec Rest (Last rep come down as slow as you can)
Day 2 – 3x5 | 10-0-1-1 | 120 Sec Rest
Week 16 – Wide Pronated Grip Pull Up
Day 1 – 3x5 | 12-0-1-1 | 120 Sec Rest (Last rep come down as slow as you can)
Day 2 – 3x5 | 12-0-1-1 | 120 Sec Rest
If you need help with your training &/or nutrition then take a look through my personalised training options for more information on how I can help or email me - jordan@ironplayground.com