30 PULL-UPS
Recently i’ve uploaded a YouTube video where i gave a few advices on how to get 30 pull ups in a row. Unfortunately my videoediting skills are still not up to standards ( they sucks) , and i encountered many problem with the audio . It looked like i was recording from a cavern .
So i thought it was a good idea to blog it.
The video is : “30 pull up in a row : what is the best way to get it?”
I state that i don’t train endurance strength , and the last time i tested my max number of pull up in a row was many years ago . I usually focus my “pulling” workouts on : weighted pull ups and one arm pull ups . This means that i usually aim to improve my maximal strength .
I decided then , at the end of my workout , to test my endurance , to see what was my transfer between maximal strength and endurance strength.
I think that the results was , uhm , acceptable , despite my tecnique wasn’t perfect ( in fact in the first 5 to 10 repetitions i barely get over the bar with the chin , the last 10 instead i completely lost the control of my scapula retraction and depression) I managed to do 30 repetitions in a row.
There is a obvious correlation between strength and endurance ( short one ) , but this is not something we discover today .
When we talk about pull ups and the specific aim is to get better in maximal repetitions there are two main consideration that has to be elaborated : Periodization and Tecnique .
PERIODIZATION
With the term periodization we refer to the manipulation of training variables ( like frequency , volume, intensity etc…) to optimize the performance and also to prevent injury or overtraining . That’s right , from my point of view about training , even with pull ups I would periodize my training.
WARNING : this is not a case study , but just general advice about pull ups , that , however, don't take into consideration many other factors about training. This means it might not work with you . The best option in this case is to discuss with your coach / trainer about what would be the best approach to get your goals.
In the case of the pull up i would opt for a basic approach , that includes : first block ( period ) that i will call : C&E: “check “ and “exploration” , a second block where we are going to improve our maximal strength , and a third block where we turns that strength into specific endurance strength .
Let be a bit more detailed :
C&E : personally, after I run some tests I would focus on anything I lack. Obviously if it concern a lack of mobility or an imbalance between the two side of the body ( for example one shoulder tend to depress more than the other ) , then this phase can last much longer, or the time necessary to fix this problem, if it can be fixed ( in some rare case there might be some structural problem you will never be able to overcome) .
If there are none of those problems , we can focus on training those muscles that are involved in the pull ups ( biceps, lats, traps, rhomboid etc…) , paying particular attention to those muscles that are a little bit behind . We can also start to train and be confident with the movement itself. This first period is very useful to start to condition our joints and tendons , which take a bit longer compared to the muscles.Maximal strength : here is where we work on improve our 1RM in pull up, which means that we would need a weighted belt and some weights . The main reason why we train maximal strength is simple. It is highly related to any other further specific training, and it will give you a good transfer in terms of endurance, strength and also power , that , believe it or not, it is something you will also need . In my specific case , I'm able to do a single pull up with +60 kg ( I am currently 70 kg of bodyweight ) , and without any specific training for endurance I can do 30 pull ups in a row.
We are training maximal strength only with an intensity over 70 % , and my personal advice is don’t touch the maximal intensity , or anything over 85 % , we don't want to go too specific into that. Remember to keep a good buffer on each series ( not to failure) .
Unfortunately this is not enough , because when we aim to do as many reps as possible we use a different energetic system : in maximal strength the phosphocreatine system is what dominate , in endurance strength we use mainly the lactate system instead . Another thing we can do in this phase is to add a day where we work on specific techniques for pull ups ( the technique between 1 rep max and max number of reps of pull up is different) , but I will explain this in the second paragraph .Specific Strength : at this point we need to turn the maximal strength we built into endurance strength ( short terms ) and power endurance for the reasons I explained before . To do this we also have to adapt our technique , which is very specific for this phase. There are many ways to train endurance , some of them are more effective for pull ups , some of them are less effective. An example can be the AMRAP workout .
TECHNIQUE
As I already said in the first paragraph , there is a specific technique to increase your number of pull ups . If you go on youtube and you watch videos of random guys doing 50 pull ups in a row the first thing you’ll notice is the grip width . They tend to have it very wide , at least twice their shoulder width. This thing happens for a reason : ROM and control .
If we keep a wide grip we notice that our “way “ to the top is shorter compared to a shoulder width pull up , which in turns means that a repetition lasts less time , which in turns means that we save more energy .
We add to this the control of the pull up. If we analyze the movement from the side we see a difference between a strict pull up and a wide grip pull up .
Let’s start from the premise that when we want to pull up we have to do it as fast as possible ( which means that we are not only training endurance strength but also power endurance) . What happens when we pull up as fast as we can while keeping a shoulder width grip ? From the side point of view we notice that the trajectory of our pull up is like a bow . If we add an acceleration to our pull ups, our body will start to swing .
More swing = less control.
Less control = more energy wasted .
Less control means also compensations , and compensations means also higher risk of injury
If instead we look at the trajectory of a wide grip pull up , we notice that it is straighter, more linear , which gives us more control .
The problem of the wide grip pull up , compared to a standard shoulder width pull up , is that it is harder. We have less assistance from our biceps , and we will also struggle to engage our lats. This is why we want to become confident with it in a previous phase ( maximal strength phase ) .
Pull up is such an amazing exercise, what i call the king of the upper body exercises . I will definitely talk about it in other articles in the future.
Thanks
