Weighted pull up protocol?

[jlind]

Could someone provide a link to a good weighted pull up protocol.  Or if you have a good one share it with me.  
Thanks

[alexandra]

If your goal is to increase your 1RM pull up, a good protocol that has worked for me and others in the forum is Wendler's 5/3/1, which is designed for weightlifters. There is an iPhone app called Wendell 5/3/1 and calculates what you need to do each day. Here is roughly how it works (for me): I am 120 lbs and my 1RM pull up at the moment is 71 lbs. So total 120+71 =191 lbs. I enter this number in the app, and there is an option "use 90%", which would be 0.9*191 =171.9 lbs. This will be your working 1RM. Then first workout, you do 3 sets of 5 reps each at set percentages off of the working 1RM. The last set, you do as many reps as possible(so your goal is to exceed 5 rep). Then second workout you do three sets of 3 reps at the percentages the app calculates, third workout you do a set of 5 reps, a set of 3 reps, a set of 1+ reps at the percentages the app calculates. Next workout, you add 5 lbs to your working 1RM and repeat. Let me know if that works for you!

[dsm]

I do the weighted pullup protocol in Training for the New Alpinism and it is great. I can do a ridiculous number of pullups (I used to not be able to do many). I found a link to it online, here it is: www.theclimbingdepot.co.uk/blogs/training/give-me-strength-kev-avery

You'd do the pullups twice a week, and hang as much weight off of yourself as you need to in order to only be able to execute the number of pullups for a set. So if the set calls for 4 reps of one pull up, you hang as much weight as you can so you can only do a single pullup, you rest 3 minutes, and you do it 3 more times. Oh, and hold the top position for 5 secs on each last rep.

[jonfrisby]

IMO the 3RM plan is the way to go www.strongfirst.com/the-fighter-pullup-program-revisited/

I think 1rm based plans are less than ideal, especially for route climbers. All this caveated with the fact that I just do 4 sets of 4

[RobF]

Sorry I use kilos but hopefully you'll understand the idea and adapt it for yourself:

Last year I went off Prilepins Table to work out my figures (but theres plenty of other rep max calculators out there).

www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html

Based on a body weight of around 90kg (far too heavy / I know!)and doing around 20 body weight pullups in one go. To make life easier I rounded to the nearest 5% which gave:

1 RM = 100%
3 RM = 90%
5 RM = 85%
10 RM = 75%
15 RM = 60%
20 RM = 55%

So 20 RM = 90 kg --> 1 RM predicted = 100/55 x 90 = 164 kg
This gives a 3 RM of 148 kg (rounded to 150 kg) and a 5 RM of 139.4 kg (rounded to 140 kg)

My training was a 6 week block before the 2017 outdoor season started was based on 5x5's for 3 weeks then 3x3's for 3 weeks. These were my final exercise of the session x2 per week (Mondays and Thursdays).

This worked out as 5x5 with 50 kg added (+ bodyweight of 90 kg = 140 kg total)

And 3x3 with 60 kg added (+ bodyweight of 90 kg = 150 kg total)

Once the 6 week block was finished I did a 1 RM out of curiosity and got one good rep with 75 kg added.

Technique (most important for these) was based around that documented in the supple leopard book including generating torque in the upper limbs / neutral spine and activating gluteals.

There's lots to think about including how many warm up sets / rest intervals (my tendency with these is as long as it takes. My preferance was to start each set with a 90 degree bend in the elbow then lower slowly and up as explosively as possible (the intent is there even if the speed wasn't). Starting by lowering activates the stretch reflex and you get a stronger concentric contraction (compared to a standing start with straight arms).

Weight was hung with a sling from a belt but I have experimented previously with weight distributed in different locations on my body. You will need to think about the influence on muscles loaded when doing this and the relative contributions of biceps vs lats.

Please bear in mind that I have worked up to these figures over a lot of years (been climbing and weight training for 25 years) and also these should be at the top end of the regular rep max range- unless there's anyone heavier. A typical 60kg sport climber would be looking towards 2/3 of these figures. It also needs to be part of a properly periodised progamme- however if you add in something that you are not currently doing then there will be a much bigger training effect than trying to tweek something you've done for some time.

[RobF]

I'd agree with above that doing a lot of singles is probably not productive- you need some volume for hypertrophy / muscle building (at a suitable intensity). Also to consider the carry over to bouldering. You don't want to go on a long road trip to try a mega dyno if you've only gotten 5 reps in your arms.

For this year I'm going to experiment a bit with a conversion of the westside methods using bands or maybes chains if I can find some cheap enough. Also I have found pause reps useful in the past - get to the sticking point in the exercise and hold there for 5 seconds before continuing. Time under tension is another stimulous for muscle growth. Normally I would do 3 of these pause reps then finish with 2 normal reps (all the time slow down and controlled-fast up). I visualise energy being stored in the muscle as a spring on the way down and that energy released on the way up. Might sound a bit wierd but helps with the exercise tempo focus...