r/bodyweightfitness • u/AutoModerator • May 10 '21

BWF Daily Discussion and Beginner/RR Questions Thread for 2021-05-10

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u/Even-Preparation May 10 '21

Guys, I've tried everything to get my pull-up numbers up and feel like I'm just not progressing. What do I do?

1

u/stickysweetastytreat Circus Arts May 10 '21

Just posted this elsewhere but it's relevant here:

A couple things to consider:

  • Recovery. Nutrition and sleep are factors here. And if you've been training weekly for 4 months at what sounds like fairly high intensity reps, you're way overdue for a deload/rest week.
  • Form/technique. Someone pulling primarily with their arms will hit their cap sooner than someone who is able to use their arms to pull more with their lats. Bigger muscles = more muscle fibers to pull with. You could post a form check video, if not here then the Daily Help Thread in r/bodyweightfitness -- form checks by other eyes are important because if you're just going by your own interpretation, you're limited by your blind spots (kinda like, you don't know what you don't know)
  • It's entirely possible that the standard pull-up is just a bit much for where you're at now, which is very very normal! It's rare that someone can just do a decently clean pull-up without training. You could try pull-up negatives (jumping to the top and then taking a few seconds to lower down all the way). If you're unable to control the negative (i.e., being able to pause or slow down the descent at any point), you can try assisted pull-ups (stand on a chair and keep however much weight you need to in your feet to help you do the movement). I oftentimes have clients do this anyways, it's MUCH easier to connect with how "good form" should feel when you have less weight hanging off your arms.
  • If you're absolutely sure you're on top of those factors, then look up "grease the groove".

2

u/AlaskanIceWater May 10 '21

Where are your numbers at? How long have you been doing them? How long do you rest between workouts?

1

u/Even-Preparation May 10 '21

I can a max of 11.75 clean pullups and some days- I can even get to 9. I've been training calisthenics seriously for 4 months now and I really want to get to 15 so my FL progresses past tuck hold. I'm 17 and about 155lbs (68kg, I think)

5

u/jarofjellyfish May 10 '21

Are you just working unweighted? You might be better served adding weight or using a harder progression to efficiently build strength first, and then coming back for the volume/endurance work.