weak pulling power

No, not with the ladies!!

To briefly outline my problem, my capabilities at present are:

Unweighted dips: 3 x 20 reps nice and controlled

weighted dips: 30kg plates, 5 sets of 7 reps

(My bodyweight is 75 kg at 5'-9" tall, 32" waist)

Pull-ups / chins 3 sets of 6 with bodyweight only.

Bent over rows (barbell) 3 sets of 6 with 60kg.

My back seems to have good muscle and no different to my chest and shoulder development. My triceps are also quite well developed.

I am not speaking in terms of bodybuilding here, just good athletic functional build (I can still run 6 miles in under 38 minutes)

What concerns me is that when I dip with 30kg plus my BW this is 105kg.

Yet when I do rows I only shift for the same reps 60kg. Also only BW on the pull-ups. Yet I always thought the back was more powerful than the chest.

Is this just down to the fact that the levers for back exercises are not as favorable as those for the pressing/pushing movements?

But there is one thing I am a bit hesitant to mention. That is the strength and size of my bicep. Yes I am aware it is the bodybuilder favorite muscle. But even in my weightlifting days for rugby, I was always the weakest at curls.

I also have quite long arms so not the perfect genetics I guess. Certainly they are not small. But they are noticably smallER.

So without anymore writing about size, I need to increase strength in my pull-up and row. And I assume strength will carry over eventually into the levers.

I have seen a thread somewhere on 'basic strength requirements' and that included 15 pull-ups. I am some way off that yet.

Anyone offer any help and some kind of pulling strength programme will be much appreciated.

I have rings but now need some proper structured training. A rope would have been handy too but still working on building a scaffold frame in my garden to get extra height on ring set-up.

Definitely there is a discrepancy with your pulling power to your pushing ability. I think the cure for your illness is simply more pulling work.

Throw out the bent over rows and start working more pullups, weighted and unweighted.

You may have long arms but that wouldn't explain why your dipping ability is so far ahead of your pushing ability.

OK thanks Blairbob,

Just held out my arm in front of the mirror with the bicep facing the mirror and the arm up to the side as if assuming an iron cross with one hand. (arm locked). So I am lean, so my bicep is defined and yet I see the tricep much bigger behind it. My bicep is so much smaller literally the tricep measured 3" and the bicep under 2" (across the arm).

I may have been bamboozled many years ago by the 'overtraining the small muscles' experts and became almost fearful of hitting the bicep hard (or pulling in general)

I read somewhere about negative chins (weighted) holding for 5 seconds and lowering for 6s and doing something like 3 sets of 5 reps of these. I also saw your article on one arm holds on a rope was it??

Will really give this some focus now. How many times a week? three??

Biceps is 2 muscles and triceps is 3 muscles. Triceps are supposed to be bigger than your biceps... 3:2 ratio there is fine.

Just do more pulling work and stop pressing as much for now. I have a huge discrepancy in my strength as well:

+190 lbs dip

+130 lbs pullup

As long as you're getting stronger in your pulling and not exacerbating any discrepenacies you'll be fine.

Well Braindx, I give my back and biceps some pulling to think about tonight....

3 sets of 5 reps: 1st set: 15kg round my waist, each rep, hold in top position of pull up for 5 s, lower so upper arms parallel to floor another 5s hold, then 6s to lower from this position to full stretch.

Did first set palms facing away, then next two sets palms together 12" apart.

Then, 5 sets of 6 pull-ups with bodyweight only (palms facing away, last two reps converted it to 'yewki' Hell, what a burn in the bicep. This must be the bodyweight 'curl'

To finish, some straight arm face down pulley work with two separate pulleys like mimic the maltese cross. That really finished the biceps off after 3 sets of 5 reps ultra slow with a weight that ensured my arms are perfectly straight 8) !!

Shower and home!!