How to Increase Reps With Chin Ups?

Hi all,

I'm struggling to increase the amount of repetitions I can do with chin ups. At the moment I can do 6 in a row without going to failure but I just can't seem to go any higher. I don't train to failure and I never want to so as soon as my form starts getting worse I stop doing reps. At the moment I'm training full body (only bodyweight exercises) 3 times a week. I don't have a pull up bar at home (workout at park) so doing grease the groove is not an appropriate solution to my current situation.

Hi @James Coppola 218326 

in my experience the best way to get solid chinups is to do row variations. i strongly suggest if you get a chance to get Foundation One. awesome progressions that'll help you build a stronger and be much more efficient in pulling. i hope this helps.

From my personal point of view 6 reps it is a result of not enough basic strength on rows variation. follow the suggestion of Leo.

I am doing the foundation series and I boulder twice a week. I almost never check my max, but one year ago I could hit 18 good reps in a neutral grip pull-up contest at the climbing gym. I wasn't fresh, as this was after a Foundation and bouldering session . So that's what I would recommend :-) 

Thanks everyone for your responses, I've been doing rows during my workouts but only shoulder width maybe I should try different grips...

James are you training consistently?

@Luke Searra I have never missed one training session this year.

How are your chin holds James?

By chin holds do you mean an isometric hold at the top, middle or bottom of the chin up motion?

Isometric chin holds at the top

I could probably do it for 1 minute maybe more.

@John Koliopoulos Thanks man, I will give it a go and report back to everyone if I make any progress.

One of the easiest ways to increase your pull-ups or chin ups is static position holding like the chin hang or dead hang. Instead of going outside of GB and using dumbells and other equipment I would like to see you to persist and continue using GST strength movements. Why not also think about trying a combination of dead hangs and chin hangs. Your chin up deficit could be due to a variety of factors including grip strength.

@Luke Searra Thanks, I will try this method as well. 

You're welcome James, let us know how it goes

On 8/6/2016 at 4:37 AM, James Coppola 218326 said:

Hi all,

I'm struggling to increase the amount of repetitions I can do with chin ups. At the moment I can do 6 in a row without going to failure but I just can't seem to go any higher. I don't train to failure and I never want to so as soon as my form starts getting worse I stop doing reps. At the moment I'm training full body (only bodyweight exercises) 3 times a week. I don't have a pull up bar at home (workout at park) so doing grease the groove is not an appropriate solution to my current situation.

 

So there are multiple way you can increase how many reps you can do. The easiest would be to focus on building strength rather than worrying about endurance. The biggest thing that helped me develop a one arm pullup/chinup was a combination of static holds(Ie top felx hang, mid flex hang, 3/4 flex arm hang and pullup progressions.) 

@waler white I'm working on the hangs at the moment.

9 hours ago, James Coppola 218326 said:

@waler white I'm working on the hangs at the moment.

bottom Hangs will mostly just help with grip strength and are very simple you wil develop strength in that position very fast than hit a wall. To continue developing stength you need to train a mid or top flex arm hang.

6 hours ago, waler white said:

bottom Hangs will mostly just help with grip strength and are very simple you wil develop strength in that position very fast than hit a wall. To continue developing stength you need to train a mid or top flex arm hang.

I'm sorry I wasn't clear, I mean't I'm working bottom, middle and top hangs.

Before I start I just want to let you know that I started this topic (there was some issues with the original account so I use this one now, it's a long story). So I was able to increase my reps from 6 to 10 a couple of weeks a go in chin ups. About a week later I was able to perform 10 reps of pull ups and I'm now working on wide grip pull ups. I'm not quite sure what I did exactly to get 10 but I will list the things I added to my training:

• Bodyweight ring rows
• Every now and then performing an easier workout
• Started to train for front lever by performing tuck front lever

I think that was all, if I had to say which one was mostly responsible for my increase in reps I would say the bodyweight ring rows but I will never know for sure. I encourage anyone else struggling to increase their reps in chins to try what I did and see if it works for you. 

HI quote James.

One my client had a strength competition during the summer at the point he was able to perform one arm pullup with each arm. After the preparation he was so tired that he stopped for a couple of months with everything. Of course he lost one arm pullup up.

I decided with him to rebuild up some strength with elevated rows. after about 4 weeks he got back hip one arm pullup with both arms.

for sure not a coincidence. this was the only pulling word that we did.

You guys who have mastered rows and are doing more advanced chin/pull-up varieties easily, do you keep rows as a sort of secondary exercise every workout, add extra weight on it or go back and test yourself every now and then, or skip it entirely?

2 hours ago, Jonas Winback said:

You guys who have mastered rows and are doing more advanced chin/pull-up varieties easily, do you keep rows as a sort of secondary exercise every workout, add extra weight on it or go back and test yourself every now and then, or skip it entirely?

I do bodyweight rows every workout and I don't plan on ever removing them. Here is how you can increase the difficulty over time:

• Move legs more forward so that your body becomes more and more horizontal with the ground.
• Elevate feet (decline rows)
• Lower rings
• Change grip
• Remove fingers one by one (no, do not cut them off)
• Do one arm variations
• Front lever rows
• Weighted variations

Rows are a basic strength when you have to work to a minimum of 5x15r,when you reach that they will become a part of warm up with 25-30 reps in a row.

19 hours ago, Alessandro Mainente said:

HI quote James.

One my client had a strength competition during the summer at the point he was able to perform one arm pullup with each arm. After the preparation he was so tired that he stopped for a couple of months with everything. Of course he lost one arm pullup up.

I decided with him to rebuild up some strength with elevated rows with a minimum of 5x15reps controlled. after about 4 weeks he got back hip one arm pullup with both arms.

for sure not a coincidence. this was the only pulling word that we did.

Row was the only pulling work you did to get back the OAC? That's amazing. I guess that client already had the skills and physics for the OAC, and just needed the strength element to kick back in. For ppl who are trying to build up to the OAC, do you think the one arm row would be of any benefit? Or those who are ready to build up to a OAC should really focus more on the more difficult pulling exercises such as assisted OAC, OAC negative, holds, archer, weighted, etc?