• Keep up to date with Ausbb via Twitter and Facebook. Please add us!
  • Join the Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

    The Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum is dedicated to no nonsense muscle and strength building. If you need advice that works, you have come to the right place. This forum focuses on building strength and muscle using the basics. You will also find that the Ausbb- Australian Bodybuilding Forum stresses encouragement and respect. Trolls and name calling are not allowed here. No matter what your personal goals are, you will be given effective advice that produces results.

    Please consider registering. It takes 30 seconds, and will allow you to get the most out of the forum.

Assisted Chin ups/ Pull ups/ Dips?

SWH

SWH

New member
I was just wondering what people think about assisting when using bodyweight excercises. I've been assisting while doing dips, pull ups and chin ups for a while now since i'm no good at any of this and I feel like its getting harder to do non assisted reps now that i'm so used to being supported at the knees.

Has this happened with anybody else? Would you recommend declines instead until I'm strong enough to dish out a few more reps? Thanks for any feedback :)
 
I agree, I was heavier than most when I started and found bodyweight stuff hard, I started off doing assisted and didn't feel it helped much.

I think aiming for a number of total reps is better, aim for 15 total reps in the lowest amount of sets, at the start it might be 15x1 rep then in a few weeks you might be doing 7x2 reps, etc, before you know it it'll be 3x5, best way to increase I think.
 
Last edited:
Morgan said:
I agree, I was heavier than most when I started and found bodyweight stuff hard, I started off doing assisted and didn't feel it helped much.

I think aiming for a number of total reps is better, aim for 15 total reps in the lowest amount of sets, at the start it might be 15x1 rep then in a few weeks you might be doing 7x2 reps, etc, before you know it it'll be 3x5, best way to increase I think.
Click to expand...

True man. Assists almost feel like a different exercise. I've never been able to do lots of bodyweight just because either i'm too heavy or i've never been strong enough to lift my own bodyweight.

Anyways, Thanks for the advice I think i'll give it a go. Don't have anything to lose :)
 
I was using one of those assistance machines for pull ups to begin with, but I was not progressing at all. I did it for an entire 12 week routine and still couldn't wide pull up my own body weight. Than I came across a thread Fadi wrote about body weight exercises, basically don't use assistance, you need to treat the movement as a strength building movement not a bodybuilding one. So basically I used negatives and partials until I could do one full rep.
Example;
10xNegatives (eccentric movement), just jumped up etc.
Than
10xPartial concentric (as high as I could go, even if only an inch to start)
Than
10xStatic holds (for as long as you can on each rep)

I started this 3 weeks ago twice a week, and now I can do 2 full reps.
I now do:
10x2 (or that is the aim, I'm getting about 5x2 than I do singles)
Than
10xStatic holds (at abut half way up, as thats where I'm weakest)
So I think assistance machines or partners don't really help, or didn't for me.
 
Rambodian said:
I was using one of those assistance machines for pull ups to begin with, but I was not progressing at all. I did it for an entire 12 week routine and still couldn't wide pull up my own body weight. Than I came across a thread Fadi wrote about body weight exercises, basically don't use assistance, you need to treat the movement as a strength building movement not a bodybuilding one. So basically I used negatives and partials until I could do one full rep.
Example;
10xNegatives (eccentric movement), just jumped up etc.
Than
10xPartial concentric (as high as I could go, even if only an inch to start)
Than
10xStatic holds (for as long as you can on each rep)

I started this 3 weeks ago twice a week, and now I can do 2 full reps.
I now do:
10x2 (or that is the aim, I'm getting about 5x2 than I do singles)
Than
10xStatic holds (at abut half way up, as thats where I'm weakest)
So I think assistance machines or partners don't really help, or didn't for me.
Click to expand...

Well done Champ, really well done and congratulations x100! I really liked and was very impressed with your entire post.

Your timing of this post was impeccable since I'm still in pain after performing 4 sets of 3 eccentric reps for the wide grip chin ups on Sunday the 20th just gone. I jump up through the concentric phase and slow it right down during the eccentric (negative) phase. Pain!

Please never forget the king of all methods: VARIETY.


Fadi.
 
Last edited:
Fadi said:
Well done Champ, really well done and congratulations x100! I really liked and was very impressed with your entire post.

Your timing of this post was impeccable since I'm still in pain after performing 4 sets of 3 eccentric reps for the wide grip chin ups on Sunday the 20th just gone. I jump up through the concentric phase and slow it right down during the eccentric (negative) phase. Pain!

Please never forget the king of all methods: VARIETY.


Fadi.
Click to expand...

Well I guess i'm canning the assist and going legit :) i'll be at the same starting level since i really can't do pull ups or dips very well, but i'll stay at it to see how much i can improve :) thanks alot
 
Keep at it mate. For pull up, i could only bust out one... then came two. few weeks later i can do 3 sets of 8.
 
I went from not being able to do 1 good form pullup to 3 sets of 8 (with pretty good dead hangs) in about 3-4 months. I've never used an assistance machine yet. I just started on the bar doing negatives i guess.
 
I love it when Fadi posts something, someone tries it, it works, then they spread the good word.
At gymnastics, when they want the kids to chin, they start them with flexed arm hang until they can hold for about a minute. Then negatives. Then partials, but never assistance.
 
Rambodian said:
Example;
10xNegatives (eccentric movement), just jumped up etc.
Than
10xPartial concentric (as high as I could go, even if only an inch to start)
Than
10xStatic holds (for as long as you can on each rep)

I started this 3 weeks ago twice a week, and now I can do 2 full reps.
I now do:
10x2 (or that is the aim, I'm getting about 5x2 than I do singles)
Than
10xStatic holds (at abut half way up, as thats where I'm weakest)
So I think assistance machines or partners don't really help, or didn't for me.
Click to expand...


This I must try!!!
 
Iv'e been stuck on 10 pull up's since the dinosaur's romed. It doesn't seem to matter if i do them assisted, weighted or jus reg, seems 10 is my set point! ha
 
Just keep at em, Do negatives. untill you can do one,

Then just do 1, as many times in a day, untill you can do 2 and so on.
 
I didn't know there was a thing called an assisted pullup/dip whatever having never been to a commercial gym.

I found that with bw exercises doing them each day and just adding a bit of volume (ie. one per day) really helped with progression.

Negatives and partials until you can do the first one.
 
I worked my way through the coloured power bands until I could go unassisted. First 2 sets would be the achieveable coloured band (blue), and the last set would be to fail on a thinner band (orange). Eventually my first 2 sets went to orange bands then last set unassisted. Not sure on peoples thoughts on powerbands but I have found them useful :)
 
Went to the gym a few days ago and almost got 3 full sets of 5 dips so i was pretty surprised. I always used to suck at any body weight and that was when I was like 5-8kg lighter.

Today's the real tester with pull ups and chin ups. Wish me luck :D
 
Powerbands are better than the machines due to not fixing you in place. Not everyone has bands though so eccentrics, partials and holds would be better for the masses. I would use both personally.

Good luck with the Pullups Sam.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top