How to Rapidly Increase Your Pull-up Numbers in 3
Months or Less
A Complete Pull-ups Workout Program to Help You Shatter Your Personal Record and Dramatically Improve Your Pull-ups Performance
Photo credit: www.flickr/photos/bpmphotos/
If you want to strengthen your arm and back muscles, spread your wings (lats) to create that V-tapered back appearance, and increase that critical vertical pulling strength that everyone needs, AND if you want a laser-focused pull-ups program that was created exactly for improving your pull-up numbers, then you’ve come to the right place. Below, you’ll find a complete workout program with several pull-up workouts that you can use to accomplish these goals.
How I Went From 6 Deadhang Pull-ups to Over 30 in Only 3 Months
Back when I was in high school, I followed a 52-week workout program right out of the book Maximum Fitness : The Complete Guide to Navy SEAL Cross Training. Over the next three months, while following the first training cycle, I increased my pull-up numbers from a maximum of 6-7 reps to an astonishing 31 reps – my all-time record. I was pretty happy when I hit 20 reps for the first time, but when I crossed that big 30, well, it was pretty cool.
Now, 30 pull-ups might not seem all that impressive with some fitness trainees regularly nailing sets of 50 or even 100 kipping pull-ups in a row. But here’s the thing. These were deadhang pull-ups, and being able to perform 30 deadhang pull-ups is almost unheard of – even today. I studied up on basic p
ull-up technique, and while I didn’t understand the
nuances of this movement at the time, I did make sure to follow the basic recommendations outlined in most exercise textbooks.
I’m confident that anyone who is healthy and of normal weight could approximate my level of success, and today, I’m going to share my complete program for how to rapidly increase your pull-up and chin-up numbers.
The “Over 30 Pull-ups in 3 Months” Complete Workout Program
less is more代言人You could cheat and just follow the pull-up workouts in the book I used, and that would probably work out just fine, but not everyone wants to train like a Navy SEAL. So, I’ve outlined what I would recommend for a complete pull-ups program, and it’s a little different than what you’ll find in the book.
But what if I can’t even do 5 pull-ups? Heck, what if I can’t even do ONE?
Whatever your level of conditioning or skill, you can start using this program to start building your pull-up strength – whether you can already do 30 pull-ups or even if you can’t do a single pull-up. The following program can be modeled using any of the following exercises:
Beginner level 1: flexed-arm hangs
Beginner level 2: negative repetition pull-ups
Beginner level 3: the many forms of assisted pull-ups (partner-assisted, band assisted, or jumping pull-ups, etc.).
Intermediate level 4: deadhang pull-ups (ie traditional pull-ups)
Advanced level 5: weighted pull-ups
Whichever level you’re able to do comfortably and with good technique, you should start the first month using that particular technique, and work your way up to the next levels, if possible.
Pull-ups Workout Program - Month 1: Grease the Groove Technique
For the entire first month, the most important thing you can do is practice pull-up technique as frequently as possible. You can do this using the grease the groove technique, which is very simple. Several times each and every day (5-6 days per week, 1-2 days off), perform a sub-maximal set of pull-ups. Your goal should be to do as many pull-ups as possible throughout the course of each day. H
owever you accomplish those reps is up to you, but here are some things to keep in mind to maximize your results.
Your goal should be to do more pull-ups than the day before – every single day you grease the groove. You’re slowly building volume over the course of the month. One other thing to keep in mind is that increasing intensity/effort is NOT the key this month. Fatigue is to be avoided, no matter how tempting it may be. Put your effort into your other training workouts. Hold back on the effort until month two. You’ll be glad you did.
The number of repetitions you do each set is dependent on two things:
1) your perceived level of maximum reps (% of max)
2) the amount of sets you’re planning on doing throughout the day.
If you only do a handful of sets throughout the day, then your repetition amounts should be higher (but never higher than 60% of your max reps per set). On the other hand, if you do a ton of sets throughout each day (ie 10-20+), then stay down in the 20-40% of maximum effort range – even as low as 1-3 reps per set is fine. So, the more sets you do throughout
the day, the lower the repetition amount should be each set.
Keeping your technique solid is of paramount importance and will directly transfer over into better performance once we get into months two and three. Follow the instructions in my video about how to do pull-ups with perfect technique and start doing them in this way from day one. Of course, on your actual first day – perform your first set as a test to find out what your max is.
Get out a sheet of paper and post it somewhere you’ll see it regularly (or keep it in your wallet/purse), and use that to record the actual number of pull-ups you’ve done each day. Then break that record the next day.
Most people will notice a huge increase in their pull-up numbers just after month one (often over double what you started at), which usually astonishes them because although it required frequent practice, it did NOT require much effort. You can chalk it up to practicing the technique and training the nervous system to perform it efficiently. If you’ve done this right, you’ll be primed for compressing your training into actual sessions and building volume next month.
Pull-ups Workout Program – Month 2: Building Volume With Pyramid Training and High-Volume Sessions
Grease the groove is all over now. No more practice sets throughout the day, no matter how tempting it is (though, you could start greasing the groove with another movement skill on the side). Be glad about the progress you’ve made, but it’s time to move on before you hit a plateau. This month your goal is to build volume during actual training sessions, and we’re going to do this with two different types of workouts that you’re going to alternate throughout each week.
If you can find a way to integrate these into your current training sessions, then by all means, do so. If it just won’t work, then either do these at the end of your workouts as “finishers,” or perform them at a different time entirely.
Pull-up Workout A1: Double-Step Pyramid Training
Instructions: Perform a pyramid of pull-ups all the way up to your max and then back down again using multiples of two’s to climb each step. In this A1 session, you’re going to go up by doubles.
Here is an example of the progression: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 (max), 8, 6, 4, 2 = 50 total pull-ups Go up as high as you can while maintaining proper technique, and rest as much as necessary between sets. Instead of following a rigid structure for rest, just rest as much as you feel is necessary to complete the next step. Generally, I recommend using as little as 15 seconds of rest on lower levels, and up to 2 minutes
on upper levels.
Pull-up Workout A2: Single-Step Pyramid Training
Instructions: This is identical to the pyramid workout above, except this time (A2) you’re climbing the pyramid one repetition at a time.
Here is an example of the progression: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (max), 4, 3, 2, 1 = 25 total pull-ups Here’s another example for performing 100 total pull-ups: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (max), 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 = 100 total pull-ups
Go up as high as you can while maintaining proper technique, and rest as much as necessary between sets. Instead of following a rigid structure for rest, just rest as much as you feel is necessary to complete the next step. You’ll probably need a little more rest in
between sets when climbing the pyramid via single steps.
Pull-up Workout B1: Low-Rep, High Volume Training
Instructions: Select a number of repetitions based on approximately 20%of your maximum. So, if you c
an do 10-12 pull-ups in a maxed-out set, then your number is 2 or 3 repetitions. Perform 15-20 sets with as little rest as possible. Keep doing sets until your technique starts to decline, and stop if you reach 20 total. You’ll need to rest more during the latter sets, of course. Set a personal record each time you do this session by doing more total sets than your last session.
Pull-up Workout B2: Moderate-Rep, High Volume Training
Instructions: Select a number of repetitions based on approximately 30%-40%of your maximum. So, if you can do 10-12 pull-ups in a maxed-out set, then your number is 3-5 repetitions per set. Perform 8-15 sets with as little rest as possible, and no more than 1 minute between rounds. Keep doing sets until your technique starts to decline, and stop if you reach 15 total. Set a personal record each time you do this session by doing more total sets than your last session.
Month 2 Training Schedule
Here is the training schedule to follow (it’s ok if you make some changes to this, just remember that less is more):
Week 1 – A1, B1 (e.g. A1 on Monday, B1 on Thu)
Week 2 – A2, B2 (e.g. A2 on Tue, B2 on Sat)
Week 3 – A1, B1, A2 (e.g. Mon, Wed, Fri)
Week 4 – B1, A2, B2 (e.g. Mon, Wed, Fri)
Note: these sessions can be done on any non-consecutive days, but ideally, they should be equally spaced apart throughout the week.
Pull-ups Workout Program – Month 3: Lowering Volume and Building Intensity to Peak for the Final Test
You’ve already laid a foundation of good technique in month one, perfected that technique and built a base of training volume in month two, and now is when the work starts to get hard because it’s time to increase the intensity of your sessions.
Pull-up Workout C1: Descending Pyramid Session
Instructions: This is essentially half of a pyramid, and you are starting at the top and working your way down. Perform a near-max set of pull-ups (approximately 90% of your max reps), then rest for as long
as necessary before performing a set of one less repetition, and continue this until you reach the final set of 1 pull-up. Obviously, it’s very important that you’re adequately warmed up prior to starting this session (see joint mobility recommendations below).
Here is an example of the progression: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps = 55 total pull-ups Pull-up Workout C2: 50-100 Reps in as few Sets as Possible
Instructions: Perform between 50-100 pull-ups in as few sets as possible. Select the goal number based on your conditioning level. It’s probably best to try and select repetition amounts for each set that land around 60-80% of your maximum ability. So, if you can perform 10 pull-ups, then sets of 6-8 are probably optimal for this session. Rest as necessary.
Here’s an example for a goal of 100 repetitions:
10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 8, 8, 7, 7, 6, 6.
Pull-up Workout C3: Maximum Set Practice Sessions
Instructions: Repeat the following 3-5 times.
1 Set of maximum pull-ups with 3-5 minutes of rest between sets
These are an all-out effort, and you should be trying to hit 100% exertion every time. Your repetition numbers will likely decrease every subsequent set. This is a sign that you’re doing it right. When you repeat this workout later in the month, try to score more total reps on your last set to both gauge and ensure progression.
Month 3 Training Schedule
Here is the training schedule to follow (it’s ok if you make some changes to this, just remember that less is more):
Week 1 – Rest. No pull-up training at all. This is a time for your body to recover from the high volume training that you’ve done over the last two months and prime you for a few weeks of higher-intensity training. Other fitness training is ok, but depending on your program, it might be a good idea to take a 5-7 day break anyways (highly recommended if you haven’t taken a week off in the last 12 weeks).
Week 2 – C1, C2 (e.g. C1 on Mon, C2 on Thu)
Week 3 – C3, C1, (e.g. C3 on Mon, C1 on Thu)
Week 4 – C2, C3, C1 (e.g. Mon, Wed, Fri)
Week 5 – Pick a day for your pull-up test. Plan ahead, and give it a shot.
Notes for maximizing your pull-up test performance:
1) Get plenty of sleep at least a couple of nights before your test day.
2) Make sure you are fully hydrated well in advance. Start front-loading your water at least 48 hours in advance. The same should go for front-loading optimal nutrition as well.
3) Make sure you’ve taken at least 2 days off from ALL formal exercise, and 3-4 days would be better.
4) Perform a basic joint mobility session to prime your joints, muscles, and nervous system, increase your core temperature, and specifically prep the ranges of motion for the pull-up exercise (prioritize the following: scapular shoulder circles, humeral shoulder circles and figure eights, elbow basic ranges and circles, wrist basic ranges and circles, hand and finger mobility – if you don’t know what these are, see here)
5) Perform a very low intensity warmup set – just a few reps to groove the technique without fatiguing you at all.
6) When you know you’re ready, step up to the bar, and know that you’ve spent the last 3 months preparing for this test and that you will ace it with flying colors.
The Bottom Line
If you follow the above program, then I guarantee that you will amaze yourself, as I did, with the results you can achieve in only three months time. There’s nothing quite like knowing that you’ve mastered a very challenging exercise, and on top of that, you’ll be turning heads in disbelief as you continue to rep out on the pull-up bar. One last thing: the fitness benefits you experience will also be exceptional. You probably don’t care about that, though.
If you’re ready to get started, and haven’t done so already, check out my detailed tutorial on how to do pull-ups right now, or see below for more info.

版权声明：本站内容均来自互联网，仅供演示用，请勿用于商业和其他非法用途。如果侵犯了您的权益请与我们联系QQ:729038198，我们将在24小时内删除。