Strength that I have gained so far

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imported_etothepii

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Before starting HST, I was very weak in pullups. I could eek out 10 or so, doing multiple sets of 3, 2, 1, etc. On a good day, I could do a set of 5, but I would not be able to go down all the way on the last couple.

I was hesitant to put pull ups in my HST routine because of my weakness, but I figured out a way.

-During the 15's, I put both feet (toes) on a step ladder behind me, using my legs as assistance to help me get up. There was no progression through the 15's. I did them all that way.

-For the first week of the 10's, I put both feet (heels) on the ladder in front of me. I did not assist myself on the way up, but just supported myself.

-During the second week of the 10's and the first two workouts of the 5's, I progressed by first dropping down to one leg supported, then one leg supported +10# backback, then one leg supported +20# backpack.

-Last night, my third workout in the 5's, I progress to full body weight. I was able to do two sets of 5, then a set of 4, then after a couple seconds rest, I did one more pull up -- and these were with full stretch on the down motion! If I were willing to go to failure and fry my muscles, I could have done three sets of 5!!!

That's a big improvement.
 
Great job! I like the way you improvised. You should be pushing out 10-20 in no time. To me, doing pullups really increases your upper body strength. After getting into weighted pullups, I noticed I could pull more weight doing rows.


BTW i like your sig ahaha.
 
I have the same problem, pull ups have always been my weakpoint although I can really pull weight on the rows. I'm going to try weighted pull ups to see if I can improve. Any suggestions?
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I have progressed quite a bit since that first post.

I am set to do body weight pull ups in my next cycle in the 10s phase with no assistance. I'm not saying I have the greatest solution, but the modifications that I posted above have helped me greatly in pull up strength.

Currently, I can do two sets of 8 body weight chin ups. I will be doing three sets for my next workout, then I will slowly add weight -- probably 2.5 pound increments. I'll be working pullups too, but later on.

By the time I start my 4th cycle, I should be doing 15s with one leg supported, 10s bodyweight, and 5s with body weight plus increments of 5 or 10 pounds each.

I'll do some negatives with heavy weights too. I think it will be only a few more cycles before I can get 15 bodyweight chin ups. With a little time, it should progress to 15 bodyweight pullups.
 
neg's are the way to go, you can really pile the weight on. You don't need to go super slow either, 4-5 seconds is enough.
 
I agree, negatives on chins are awesome. The only downside for me is that my biceps are useless the next day. But with chins, who needs curls?
 
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