Is 5x10 pullups too much?

Man I've been training my pullups since the start of the year, I started off with 4x4 pullups, with the aim of 5 sets of 10 pullups before I progress to a harder exercise.

I'm currently stuck on 2x8 + 2x5 pullups (2 sets of 8 followed by 2x5, 2.5mins rest between sets).

Been stuck on it for a month. Before that I was stuck on 2x8+2x4 for a month. Is progress meant to be this slow? At this rate, I might be lucky to get to 5x10 at the end of the year. That's a whole year trying to get to 5x10 pullups.

I thought that 5x10 was a good level, but now that I think about it, I can't see any vids of anyone on youtube doing it.

PS. I used to be able to do 5x9pullups if I arched my back heaps and did it like that picture of Franco Columbu doing pullups, but now I'm trying to do it maintaining flexed abs (straight body) the whole time. Strength didn't really transfer over lol.

Nop

After that you can start adding weight. 

I've seen workouts of 50 rope climbs...so 50 reps with bodyweight is a good objective for novice, but after that you can start adding weight or progress to a harder variation.

5x10 is not too extreme, it's a fine target IMO.

For me that is a lot of volume for a practitioner of any level, , unless your aim is to add mass, bc this kind of volume is usually used to increase mass. Controlled with a pause at the top and especially controlled eccentric.  If your aim is simply to be able to do that many pull ups the fastest way is simply to increase strength and throw in volume days every once in a while.

I was close to 10x10 when I was lifting for size but even then I was cycling volume with strength 3x3 weighted pullups or 3x5.   The slowest way is to keep trying to increase volume.

Also a year is not a long time if you are starting with 4x4.

Anyway I would suggest 10,8,5x3,3x3 reps once or twice a week and deload in the 5th week. for the 10 and 8 reps just do as many sets as you can until u can reach your target.  max 60 sec between sets on 10 an 8 and 3 mins on the 5 and 3.  I wouldn't do this for other exercises in the same cycle unless again you want mass fast, depending of course on your genetics.  

ASNB said:

For me that is a lot of volume for a practitioner of any level, , unless your aim is to add mass, bc this kind of volume is usually used to increase mass. Controlled with a pause at the top and especially controlled eccentric.  If your aim is simply to be able to do that many pull ups the fastest way is simply to increase strength and throw in volume days every once in a while.

This. In OP situation with my goals I would move onto something harder, but I don't know whether they align with yours

Thanks guys. I want to get 5x10 pullups because I don't want to advance to a harder exercise until I have mastered pullups. 

I chose 5x10 because I thought that was the norm for gymnasts, because they can do like, 30+ pullups in a row. But I don't actually know if they ever do 5x10, that's just my impression. If it's not, how do they get so good at it? 

My goal is just to be strong, and have endurance, like a gymnast - they know advanced techniques but also have good endurance (30+ pullups).

Gymnasts are automatically good at high rep pullups because they have mastered rope climbs.

I believe that the most pullups one of my elite gymnasts ever performed in a single set was 48 reps.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

ForzaCavaliere said:

Thanks guys. I want to get 5x10 pullups because I don't want to advance to a harder exercise until I have mastered pullups. 

I chose 5x10 because I thought that was the norm for gymnasts, because they can do like, 30+ pullups in a row. But I don't actually know if they ever do 5x10, that's just my impression. If it's not, how do they get so good at it? 

 

My goal is just to be strong, and have endurance, like a gymnast - they know advanced techniques but also have good endurance (30+ pullups).

5 x 10 is a LOT of volume, and insufficient intensity. That rep range is probably building more strength-endurance and hypertrophy instead of the relative strength levels that a gymnast wants. 

In my own training, once I can do 4-5 sets of FIVE reps, I always move on to a more advanced progression or add more weight, switch up the tempo, reduce rest, etc. Just SOMETHING to give your body new stimuli. 

For isometric strength work, I shoot for a time under tension (TUT) of 20-30 seconds before moving to a more advanced progression. 

Hope that helps. 

I know that at that point it's tending towards endurance and not strength. 

As I said, my goals are a good combination of endurance and strength.

Would it be better to continuously progress to harder variations of pullups with low reps (5r) and then after the solid strength base is established, develop endurance? Or move up a progression, and build up endurance in the 10 rep range, and then move up another progression, develop endurance with that progression, etc. 

Would any users of foundation know if it would help me with 5x10pullups?

Finally, everyone says 5x10 is a lot of volume. I am also working towards 5x15r for pushups, before I move onto 5x10r for dips. Would you say 5x15 for pushups is too much too? My reasoning is that, arbitrarily, pushups are about 1.5 times easier than pullups, so I gave it 1.5x more reps. Should I just stick with 5x5 pushups as well? Seems way too easy.

As Coach said his elite level gymnasts are able to do a great number of reps.  They are elite level bc they continuously progressed to harder variations and exercises.  

Just test your max reps for fun every month or so.  The added benefit is that you will hit and exceed those reps, faster than you can imagine, while developing other skills as well.

ForzaCavaliere said:

I know that at that point it's tending towards endurance and not strength. 

 

As I said, my goals are a good combination of endurance and strength.

 

Would it be better to continuously progress to harder variations of pullups with low reps (5r) and then after the solid strength base is established, develop endurance? Or move up a progression, and build up endurance in the 10 rep range, and then move up another progression, develop endurance with that progression, etc. 

 

Would any users of foundation know if it would help me with 5x10pullups?

 

Finally, everyone says 5x10 is a lot of volume. I am also working towards 5x15r for pushups, before I move onto 5x10r for dips. Would you say 5x15 for pushups is too much too? My reasoning is that, arbitrarily, pushups are about 1.5 times easier than pullups, so I gave it 1.5x more reps. Should I just stick with 5x5 pushups as well? Seems way too easy.

I would say that consistency is the key and if you are improving, even slowly, then awesome. I find slow progression frustrating as well but after 12 weeks following an ideal load/deload cycle I would be looking to move onto a different variation like rows where you aren't going to lose pull up strength but you may stimulate new gains by working your body in a slightly different way. I'd try that for a month and keep checking each week on my pull up progress.