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Chin up advice


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Hi friends,

 

I can only do 3 chins max, so I am planning on doing just one rep at a time so that per day I'd have completed 20 reps. Is this a good method? If I do 3 in a row, I'd have exhausted myself - so I thought I could do only one at a time.

 

Will this eventually help me do more?

 

Thanks.

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i'm also quite weak on chin ups, it seems to be the slowest progession for me strength wise, but when i started, i could do 2, and i'm up to 5 now

 

what i'd suggest, if you're doing these at home place a stool or a chair or something under your bar so you can stand up, and be in the chin up position, do your 3 in a row that you can do as normal, and aftwerwards do 2 negatives from the chair (negatives being, you jump up, or stand up to where you're in the chin up position, then you very slowly lower yourself)

 

after that, do some more sets of 5 negatives, like 3-4 more sets after the initial 3 chin ups and 2 negatives

 

if you can, do as many chin ups as you can in subsequent sets before swapping to negatives.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I myself haven't found negatives all that helpful. The technique you describe is similar to what's call "grease the groove" or GTG. GTG is extremely helpful for being able to do more reps rather quickly and can be done almost daily. Instead of trying to hit a set # of total reps go for one set per hour or so. If at any time that set becomes difficult you are done for the day. GTG sets are typically done with around 40% of max reps so 1 rep is perfect.

The routine would look like this

Day 1: 16 sets x 1 rep

Day 2: same

Day 3: same

Day 4: same

Day 5: same

Day 6: 1 set x max reps

Day 7: rest

Day 1: 16 sets x 40-50% max reps

 

Continue this for 4-6 weeks for excellent progress. You can also continue your other training as usual but probably not do a heavy back workout on day 5/6

 

I have used GTG many times with excellent results. Specifically I went from 4 rep max on pistol squats to 15 reps in 3 weeks. And 2 rep max with chins with 50lbs to 7 reps with 50lbs in 2 weeks.

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thanks for the tip, eiji. But doing it throughout the day is not practical if you're a working person. Can GTG be done within a certain time, like any regular workout? For instance, doing 16 sets of 1 rep would be 16 reps. So can one do 16 reps in twenty minutes or so?

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thanks for the tip, eiji. But doing it throughout the day is not practical if you're a working person. Can GTG be done within a certain time, like any regular workout? For instance, doing 16 sets of 1 rep would be 16 reps. So can one do 16 reps in twenty minutes or so?

 

GTG needs to be done with 40-50% of max. So if your stuck at work just do them at home in the evening and do them every 30 min so you can get a few more sets in. On the weekends you do a regular GTG.

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Not really. Do full ROM but just shy of elbow full extension if your elbows hurt. Also I have found that pull ups stress my elbows but chins do not. For that reason I do chins and weighted chin more often than pull ups. The biceps get a good benefit from this approach.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Excellent suggestions already made. Various varieties of greasing the groove can help to increase reps, as already mentioned. The 'traditional' way is to do about half of your max a few times each day, a few times each week. But then you have to make sure you are near a chin up bar three, four or five times a day. I have successfully used the following method. Aim to do about 1.5 times your max. With an odd number, such as 3, go up to the next rep above or below 1.5. 1.5 times 3 is 4.5, so choose to do 4 reps or 5 reps, whichever seems more appropriate.

 

You would do one rep. Wait a certain number of seconds - say 10. Do another rep. Wait 10 seconds and then anothe rep. Keep doing this until you have done all 4 or 5 reps. Do it 3 or 4 days a week. If the last rep is too easy, reduce the rest to 9 seconds. Gradually reduce the rest times by one second. You might be able to do this every second or third session. When you get down to, say, 5 reps at 3 seconds rests, you will probably be able to do 4 reps in a row. If so, set a new target and have 10-second rests again with the higher number of reps. If you can then do 4 reps you can set the new target of 6. Once you get down to 6 reps with 3-second rests, you'll probaly be able to do 5 in a row. Or 6.

 

The rest periods depends on each individual's ability. You might set a rest period of 10 seconds but then realise you can immediately reduce it to 8 or you might have to increase it to 15. Start from where you can.

 

With this method you do it once - early morning or evening if you have to be away from home during the day - and then forget about it until the next session.

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  • 5 months later...

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