3 month pullup program

8/13/2019 3 Month Pullup Program

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The Over 30 Pullups In 3 Months

Complete Workout Program

You could cheat and just follow the pullup workouts in the book I used, and that would probablywork out just fine, but not everyone wants to train like a Navy SEAL. So, Ive outlined what Iwould recommend for a complete pullups program, and its a little different than what youll find

in the book.

But what if I cant even do 5 pullups? Heck, what if I cant even do ONE?

Whatever your level of conditioning or skill, you can start using this program to start buildingyour pullup strength whether you can already do 30 pullups or even if you cant do a single

pullup. The following program can be modeled using any of the following exercises:

Beginner level 1: flexed-arm hangsBeginner level 2: negative repetition pullupsBeginner level 3: the many forms of assisted pullups (partner-assisted, band assisted, or jumping

pullups, etc.).

Intermediate level 4: deadhang pullups (ie traditional pullups)

Advanced level 5: weighted pullups

Whichever level youre able to do comfortably and with good technique, you should start the

first month using that particular technique, and work your way up to the next levels, if possible.

Pullups Workout Program - Month 1: Grease the Groove

Technique

For the entire first month, the most important thing you can do is practice pullup technique as

frequently as possible. You can do this using the grease the groove technique, which is verysimple. Several times each and every day (5-6 days per week, 1-2 days off), perform a sub-

maximal set of pullups. Your goal should be to do as many pullups as possible throughout the

course of each day. However you accomplish those reps is up to you, but here are some things to

keep in mind to maximize your results.

Your goal should be to do more pullups than the day before every single day you grease the

groove. Youre slowly building volume over the course of the month. One other thing to keep inmind is that increasing intensity/effort is NOT the key this month. Fatigue is to be avoided, nomatter how tempting it may be. Put your effort into your other training workouts. Hold back on

the effort until month two. Youll be glad you did.

The number of repetitions you do each set is dependent on two things:


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1) your perceived level of maximum reps (% of max)

2) the amount of sets youre planning on doing throughout the day.

If you only do a handful of sets throughout the day, then your repetition amounts should be

higher (but never higher than 60% of your max reps per set). On the other hand, if you do a ton

of sets throughout each day (ie 10-20+), then stay down in the 20-40% of maximum effort range even as low as 1-3 reps per set is fine. So, the more sets you do throughout the day, the lower

the repetition amount should be each set.

Keeping your technique solid is of paramount importance and will directly transfer over into

better performance once we get into months two and three. Follow the instructions in my videoabout how to do pullupswith perfect technique and start doing them in this way from day one.

Of course, on your actual first day perform your first set as a test to find out what your max is.

Get out a sheet of paper and post it somewhere youll see it regularly (or keep it in your

wallet/purse), and use that to record the actual number of pullups youve done each day. Then

break that record the next day.

Most people will notice a huge increase in their pullup numbers just after month one (often over

double what you started at), which usually astonishes them because although it required frequent

practice, it did NOT require much effort. You can chalk it up to practicing the technique andtraining the nervous system to perform it efficiently. If youve done this right, youll be primed

for compressing your training into actual sessions and building volume next month.

Pullups Workout Program Month 2: Building Volume

With Pyramid Training and High-Volume Sessions

Grease the groove is all over now. No more practice sets throughout the day, no matter how

tempting it is (though, you could start greasing the groove with another movement skill on the

side). Be glad about the progress youve made, but its time to move on before you hit a plateau.This month your goal is to build volume during actual training sessions, and were going to do

this with two different types of workouts that youre going to alternate throughout each week.

If you can find a way to integrate these into your current training sessions, then by all means, do

so. If it just wont work, then either do these at the end of your workouts as finishers, or

perform them at a different time entirely.

Pullup Workout A1: Double-Step Pyramid Training

Instructions: Perform a pyramid of pullups all the way up to your max and then back down again

using multiples of twos to climb each step. In this A1 session, youre going to go up by doubles.

Here is an example of the progression: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 (max), 8, 6, 4, 2 = 50 total pullups


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Go up as high as you can while maintaining proper technique, and rest as much as necessary

between sets. Instead of following a rigid structure for rest, just rest as much as you feel isnecessary to complete the next step. Generally, I recommend using as little as 15 seconds of rest

on lower levels, and up to 2 minutes on upper levels.

Pullup Workout A2: Single-Step Pyramid Training

Instructions: This is identical to the pyramid workout above, except this time (A2) youre

climbing the pyramid one repetition at a time.

Here is an example of the progression: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (max), 4, 3, 2, 1 = 25 total pullups

Heres another example for performing 100 total pullups: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (max), 9, 8,

7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 = 100 total pullups

Go up as high as you can while maintaining proper technique, and rest as much as necessary

between sets. Instead of following a rigid structure for rest, just rest as much as you feel isnecessary to complete the next step. Youll probably need a little more rest in between sets when

climbing the pyramid via single steps.

Pullup Workout B1: Low-Rep, High Volume Training

Instructions: Select a number of repetitions based on approximately 20% of your maximum. So,

if you can do 10-12 pullups in a maxed-out set, then your number is 2 or 3 repetitions. Perform

15-20 sets with as little rest as possible. Keep doing sets until your technique starts to decline,

and stop if you reach 20 total. Youll need to rest more during the latter sets, of course. Set a

personal record each time you do this session by doing more total sets than your last session.

Pullup Workout B2: Moderate-Rep, High Volume Training

Instructions: Select a number of repetitions based on approximately 30-40%% of your

maximum. So, if you can do 10-12 pullups in a maxed-out set, then your number is 3-5

repetitions per set. Perform 8-15 sets with as little rest as possible, and no more than 1 minutebetween rounds. Keep doing sets until your technique starts to decline, and stop if you reach 15

total. Set a personal record each time you do this session by doing more total sets than your last

session.

Month 2 Training Schedule

Here is the training schedule to follow (its ok if you make some changes to this, just remember

that less is more):

Week 1 A1, B1 (e.g. A1 on Monday, B1 on Thur)

Week 2 A2, B2 (e.g. A2 on Tue, B2 on Sat)


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Week 3 A1, B1, A2 (e.g. Mon, Wed, Fri)

Week 4 B1, A2, B2 (e.g. Mon, Wed, Fri)

Note: these sessions can be done on any non-consecutive days, but ideally, they should be

equally spaced apart throughout the week.

Pullups Workout Program Month 3: Lowering Volume

and Building Intensity to Peak for the Final Test

Youve already laid a foundation of good technique in month one, perfected that technique and

built a base of training volume in month two, and now is when the work starts to get hard

because its time to increase the intensity of your sessions.

Pullup Workout C1: Descending Pyramid Session

Instructions: This is essentially half of a pyramid, and you are starting at the top and workingyour way down. Perform a near-max set of pullups (approximately 90% of your max reps), then

rest for as long as necessary before performing a set of one less repetition, and continue this until

you reach the final set of 1 pullup. Obviously, its very important that youre adequately warmed

up prior to starting this session (see joint mobility recommendations below).

Here is an example of the progression: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps =55 total pullups

Pullup Workout C2: 50-100 Reps in as few Sets as Possible

Instructions: Perform between 50-100 pullups in as few sets as possible. Select the goal numberbased on your conditioning level. Its probably best to try and select repetition amounts for eachset that land around 60-80% of your maximum ability. So, if you can perform 10 pullups, then

sets of 6-8 are probably optimal for this session. Rest as necessary.

Heres an example for a goal of 100 repetitions:

10, 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 8, 8, 7, 7, 6, 6.

Pullup Workout C3: Maximum Set Practice Sessions

Instructions: Repeat the following 3-5 times.

1 Set of of maximum pullups with 3-5 minutes of rest between sets

These are an all-out effort, and you should be trying to hit 100% exertion every time. Your

repetition numbers will likely decrease every subsequent set. This is a sign that youre doing itright. When you repeat this workout later in the month, try to score more total reps on your last

set to both gauge and ensure progression.


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3 month pullup program

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