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weighted pullups vs pulldowns?
- Thread starter lavi
- Start date
Blaithin said:
Get your husband to help you up, and then do timed negatives. Probably about 10 total. Gradually increase the time. You can also pause for a few seconds at 3 positions (top, middle-arms at 90, near bottom).
If you search T-mag, I think there's an article with progressions.
supreme
New member
Timed negatives! - couldn't say it better myself. you can even do them on the assisted machine or do 1 arm negatives on the assisted machine.
i.e. use both arms concentrically & 1 arm for the eccentric - If you get shoulder pain stop immediately could be a cuff problem
i.e. use both arms concentrically & 1 arm for the eccentric - If you get shoulder pain stop immediately could be a cuff problem
Last edited:
At what point do you start adding weight? I currently do 3 sets of 10-12 pull-ups with various grips (wide, parallel, and underhand). How much weight should I add for best development? Should I add enough to limit myself to 6-8 reps or so? Last question...where can I find a decent weight belt online...my gym doesn't have any thing to hang weight on.
Thanks all-
JoBu
Thanks all-
JoBu
Tom Treutlein
New member
6-10 rep range seems best for weighted chinups and pullups. I don't have any basis on this, but I just like that rep range. It'll be difficult to hit a lot more reps with weight, and as far as I'm concerned more weight is better.
In any case, give it a try, Jobu. Strap 10 lbs. to your waist, or 20. See how it goes.
In any case, give it a try, Jobu. Strap 10 lbs. to your waist, or 20. See how it goes.
NoLimitsInFla
New member
Pull-ups done properly are far and away a better back builder (width and overall musculature) than lat pull-downs, the only exception being, IMHO, doing lat pull-downs with a narrow V-grip attachment with a heavy weight for multiple (4 - 6) sets of 6-8 reps per set max to blast your inner back and upper traps (along with your bis, of course).
If you can crank out 15 or more wide-grip pull-ups from almost a dead hang with your body weight before failure, however, on your initial set, then your body weight alone isn't going to get you anywhere doing pull-ups. Weighted pull-ups should factor into your thinking, but you should approach them cautiously.
Based on my experience, starting off with a moderate weight increase (say a 10lb plate) and seeing how many you can do from almost a dead hang with that weight before you hit failure, is a good way to gauge your abilities and how much you can reasonably add on in 5 lb (or even 2.5 lb) steps to give you an appropriate resistance to where you can do 10 - 12 pull-ups before failure (this is the usual number of reps if you're looking for hypertrophy). Jumping up with a 25 or 45 lb plate right out of the blocks is a good way to trash your shoulders and permanently injure yourself or send you to rotator cuff surgery. If you weigh 175 lbs you can do 15 pull-ups and you start off with a 25 lb plate, you're increasing the weight by almost 15%. You might get away with this. 45 lbs is almost a 26% increase. Such a drastic increase from body weight is insane. Go easy, Sparky, build up slow and incrementally, increasing the weight gradually every other work out so your shoulders can get used to the new demands on them. Weighted pull-ups place a lot more stress on your shoulders to stabilize you during the movement because the weight can act like a pendulum and throw you off if you jerk or hyper-arch your back (which is crappy form, weight or no weight). You want to go smoothly up, get a good squeeze and go down smoothly. Weights can really make the "negative" a new experience. This works for wide and medium grips. Weighted chin-ups should be approached the same way.
Be patient, go for quality in each rep, and in about 60 days of diligent work you'll make serious strength gains and see markedly increased definition especially in your upper lats, rhomboids, lower traps and teres majors/minors.
If you can crank out 15 or more wide-grip pull-ups from almost a dead hang with your body weight before failure, however, on your initial set, then your body weight alone isn't going to get you anywhere doing pull-ups. Weighted pull-ups should factor into your thinking, but you should approach them cautiously.
Based on my experience, starting off with a moderate weight increase (say a 10lb plate) and seeing how many you can do from almost a dead hang with that weight before you hit failure, is a good way to gauge your abilities and how much you can reasonably add on in 5 lb (or even 2.5 lb) steps to give you an appropriate resistance to where you can do 10 - 12 pull-ups before failure (this is the usual number of reps if you're looking for hypertrophy). Jumping up with a 25 or 45 lb plate right out of the blocks is a good way to trash your shoulders and permanently injure yourself or send you to rotator cuff surgery. If you weigh 175 lbs you can do 15 pull-ups and you start off with a 25 lb plate, you're increasing the weight by almost 15%. You might get away with this. 45 lbs is almost a 26% increase. Such a drastic increase from body weight is insane. Go easy, Sparky, build up slow and incrementally, increasing the weight gradually every other work out so your shoulders can get used to the new demands on them. Weighted pull-ups place a lot more stress on your shoulders to stabilize you during the movement because the weight can act like a pendulum and throw you off if you jerk or hyper-arch your back (which is crappy form, weight or no weight). You want to go smoothly up, get a good squeeze and go down smoothly. Weights can really make the "negative" a new experience. This works for wide and medium grips. Weighted chin-ups should be approached the same way.
Be patient, go for quality in each rep, and in about 60 days of diligent work you'll make serious strength gains and see markedly increased definition especially in your upper lats, rhomboids, lower traps and teres majors/minors.
miked8c
New member
Someone else mentioned this before. Pull ups are better because you are not moving a weight, but instead moving your body through space. Significantly more simulating. Same reason why it is better to jog than to go on the treadmill.
To the chick, the best way to get to 1 BW pull up is to start off with negatives. As in use a stool or something to get yourself into the top position of the pull up where your chin is above the bar and then try to lower yourself down so you are only doing the negative portion of the lift. Repeat until fatigue. Eventually you will have built up the strength to do a pull up, just by lower yourself down from the bar.
To the chick, the best way to get to 1 BW pull up is to start off with negatives. As in use a stool or something to get yourself into the top position of the pull up where your chin is above the bar and then try to lower yourself down so you are only doing the negative portion of the lift. Repeat until fatigue. Eventually you will have built up the strength to do a pull up, just by lower yourself down from the bar.
