Pull Up Programs
 

Ok, first of all this topic is one that is endlessly discussed but, at the present time I'm deeply interested in them.

My current goals are to keep working on my GPP while reaching my longer term goal of getting my BW down to the 170-175 lb range. Right now I'm about 186, down about 8 lbs from 194.

I'm sick of not being able to get a MU and figure the weight is one reason why it hasn't happened.

To combat this problem I embarked on a program in mid-March centered around sprinting (400m), pullups, dips and pushups. Today my workout was one mile of sprint intervals (done with my son in a jogging stroller) marked with 70 pullups.

The program that I'm using to develop pullups I found at this link:

http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=28822

Now, I know there are a lot of pullup programs out there but this guy seemed pretty cocky so I decided to try his method. I found that it works. I haven't tried to do a max PU workout yet, contrary to what he suggests, buy my pulls per set are going up pretty steadily.

Anybody seen this one, or tried it before? How about others?

Most people's problem with muscle-ups (who can do pull-ups and ring dips) isn't strength, it's technique.

False grip, pull up hard, then violently "break the glass pane in front of you with your forehead" to get into the dip position, then simply ring dip up.

A pull-up program I tried for a while (I got bored with it and decided to do harder pull-up variations a la Coach Sommer to get stronger rather than more and more pull-ups) was the Recon Ron Pull-up Program.

How many regular and chest-to-bar pull-ups can you do?

Technique + powerful pulling + deep rings dips

This morning I found that I can do 13 any-way-you-can pull ups with chin over the bar.

I've read a lot about technique and don't disagree with the observations about how important it is. OTOH, another fair observation is, if you can bang out 20-30 solid pullups then technique becomes less important. I've tried following the technique suggestions from reading about other's problems with MUs with no result. That doesn't mean the suggestions aren't valid, more like that I just don't get it. So I'm working it from the power angle and I'm liking the results that are coming.

Just for the discussion I was wondering what programs others have tried and what their results were.

The number of pull-ups you can do is not as important as learning the correct technique. I could do maybe 15 strict pull-ups and 20 kipping before I learned the muscle-up. Ever since I did my first muscle-up at CrossFit SoCal 2+ years ago, I've been able to string them together. The key to the muscle-up IMHO is to practice the technique. Pull-ups and dips are great to help build the strength but they are basic components and when done without momentum (which a kipping muscle-up uses) they aren't going to help the transition much.

Just from my personal experience. I find muscle-ups to be kinda boring now that I can do them, and since I'm too heavy to string together 30 at a time like Steven, and rings don't just pop out in front of me on a daily basis challenging me to do them, I kind of see them as a fad part of CrossFit, and just one of the multiple workouts that show up from time to time.

What you really need is someone who can do a muscle-up to watch you attempt yours, and perhaps see how your pull-ups are coming along. Heck post a video on here so we can see what is going on in the digital coaching section.

I've done:

The Armstrong pullup program which was 5 days a week and that got me to 15 deadhangs at ~185 pounds.

I've also tried the Density Training method by Ethan Reeves and it was twice a week but I can't remember how well I did.

I'm not sure what method this is considered but Robb wrote about it in one of his PM articles where he had someone doing 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps of weighted dips and pullups 3-5 times per week. That actually did a lot of good for me after I had not been doing pullups for months.

Recently after what seems like an endless line of arm injuries I've been able to dedicate training time back to the pullup without any pain and I've been able to hit a solid 13 chest to bar pullups at a weight of 189. Recently T-nation had a article about pullups and I just took the tip from Poliquin in there on doing ten sets of half my max pullups once a week. So I was doing ten sets of 4 and then a few days later I did a few max sets. Less than 4 weeks later I went from 8 pullups to 13. Now I'm back to the weighted pullups.

You don't practice parkour, eh? ;)

Muscle ups are a key element to parkour training -- mastery of the muscle up...particularly on bars...is highly desirable by most traceurs.

In fact, most traceurs will work up to just getting a muscle up...then others who are a bit more dedicated focus on reducing the speed to have maximal control through the full ROM. Purely being able to just get over the bar/rings is the first step...explosive pulling taking precedence at this stage. When that is mastered most will attempt to slow the movement down to be under a maximal amount of control through the movement.

Sure...doing a fast muscle up is only somewhat scary at ground level...but when you are hanging from something 10 or 15 feet up control takes precedence particularly because fear doesn't want you to be explosive and out of control.

Not nitpicking - just pointing out that it is easy to get bored of a movement when you don't really have a reason to get better at it aside from "just doing it".

That aside, I wouldn't say anyone is "too heavy" for anything. Being 180# I have been told I am too heavy for a lot of things yet I am dangerously close to a solid straddle planche. It just takes us heavier guys significantly more time to get to that level.

http://www128.pair.com/r3d4k7/Chinups.html
Just check out Bert Assirati, Everett Marshall, Milos Snajdr or any of the other heavyweight names on that list. Determination can take you a long ass way.

you're probably strong enough to do a muscle up. i don't think you're logic completely works on the "power" method. if i'm grappling and somebody pulls a guard on me that i didn't know how to pass, i wouldn't just pick any other pass and power it as hard as possible to get through. when you try to overcompensate with power, you're just admitting that you don't know proper technique. the shitty thing though is that unlike grappling where you can move really slowly and fluidly to figure out the proper way to perform a move, the muscle up is very hard to do slowly and fluidly the first time.

honestly try starting from the knees or sitting several times. if you're having problems with the false grip, dont' start with arms fully extended. start on your knees, grab the rings with arms as straight as possible while still maintaining the integrity of the false grip. if you're arms can only go to 90 degrees while still maintaining the false grip, then fine. pull your knees off the floor, hang there for a second with your arms still bent, and then attempt.

i like the method scott sommer's uses a lot. i feel it makes the transition, the hardest part, much easier.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShS9B...eature=related

after trying all this stuff, the last thing that really taught me it was taking the rings out somewhere where i could do the MU from a full dead hang. in the gym, it's hard to find a spot at which you can hang the rings and start from full extension. starting from a full dead hang felt most natural as opposed to either keeping my leg curled hard back or in front to keep my feet from touching the ground. once you learn the form, you can do these ones close to the ground fine.

Wait a sec... are we talking about rings or bar? I never did quite catch that.

Technique differs for both.

Also, like I said work powerful pullups... aim for getting the top of your abs to the bar/rings. Chin to the bar doesn't help you at all, and chest to the bar height may still be a bit lacking. If you can pull your abs to the bar then you have the ability to do one, so that's what you're aiming for.