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How to get volume for chin-ups

J

joeblowforshow

New member
Trying to improve my chin-ups from a miserable starting point (having just started a few weeks ago, I can do 4 full ROM chin ups, except for the last one which comes up just a tad short).

The issue is that it's really hard to get volume. With weights, I can just fine-tune the weight so that I can just barely finish the (say) 4 sets. So at the end of a workout I've lifted the weight 40 times and lowered it 40 times.

With chin-ups, it would take me hours to get the same volume.


So what I do at the moment is just 2. Then another 2. Then another 1. Then another 1. Then I go away and do something else.
Then I come back and try and do a few more (1 or 2 at a time) - that might be half an hour or an hour later.
Then I might repeat the same thing again later in the evening

My question is - is this an effective way of getting volume?

I would feel better if all my sets were closer together, but I don't know if that really matters. I tried doing the ladders (1, rest, 2, rest, 3, rest, etc.) but at the moment, I can't get to 4 so again I fall short on volume.
 
Do you have the machine with the counterweight to do assisted ones?
If not, just get a band and use that. Hook it over the bar and put your feet/knee in it.
10 with assistance would be better than singles IMO

What sort of grip are you using?
 
Palms facing (supinated?) grip, slightly less than shoulder width apart.

Don't have a machine, so it would have to be bands. Don't have any of those either, but much easier to obtain.
 
joeblowforshow said:
Trying to improve my chin-ups from a miserable starting point (having just started a few weeks ago, I can do 4 full ROM chin ups, except for the last one which comes up just a tad short).

The issue is that it's really hard to get volume. With weights, I can just fine-tune the weight so that I can just barely finish the (say) 4 sets. So at the end of a workout I've lifted the weight 40 times and lowered it 40 times.

With chin-ups, it would take me hours to get the same volume.


So what I do at the moment is just 2. Then another 2. Then another 1. Then another 1. Then I go away and do something else.
Then I come back and try and do a few more (1 or 2 at a time) - that might be half an hour or an hour later.
Then I might repeat the same thing again later in the evening

My question is - is this an effective way of getting volume?

I would feel better if all my sets were closer together, but I don't know if that really matters. I tried doing the ladders (1, rest, 2, rest, 3, rest, etc.) but at the moment, I can't get to 4 so again I fall short on volume.
Click to expand...
Try setting yourself a total reps target, say 8 (if you can do 4 currently)
Now keep going until you reach 8 total reps, keeping rest between reps short, say 30 seconds.
Then finish off with one negative rep counting to ten on the way down
When you can reach your target of 8 reps total, increase the target to 10 reps
Repeat.
 
You just need to get stronger overall. When your back work, deadlifts and bench go up, your pullups will go up automatically. Chinups are primarily a bicep exercise. You get bigger and stronger biceps by getting a bigger and stronger back.
 
Silverback said:
negative's
Click to expand...

Thanks Silverback, I feel pretty stupid for not thinking of that. If I could do say 5 good, slow chin ups, (which I can't) that might take 20 seconds.
But if I can do a one negative rep for 20 seconds, I can get my muscles under tension for that same period of time - not the same, but will certainly help with at least improving the volume.

Cheers.
 
jzpowahz said:
second the negatives.

And isometric holds at various parts of the lift also. (quite tough!)
Click to expand...

Yes!

The trick with negatives is to maintain a constant speed, the slower the better, if you don't keep a check on this, you tend to speed up at the toughest part of the movement, in the case of the chin-up it's half way down.
 
Silverback said:
Yes!

The trick with negatives is to maintain a constant speed, the slower the better, if you don't keep a check on this, you tend to speed up at the toughest part of the movement, in the case of the chin-up it's half way down.
Click to expand...

Totally agree e.g. most women I see have no trouble with the top half of the chinup when it is really the biceps doing the majority of the work but they lack the lat strength to even get to that position. Focussing on the last half really helps here.

Also, I don't know what the technical name is but I call them anti shrugs. Dead hang from the bar and squeeze your lats so that you raise a few inches (arms stay straight), hold for a few seconds and back to dead hang.
 
Shrugging is an excellent thing to do, and hard to master for a beginner, that's such a good thing to bring up.
 
How much do you weigh? Obviously the lighter you are, the easier it will be.

It's just one of those exercises that takes time to build up strength; much like dips. Just do them as often as you can.
 
Plenty of excellent tips here, lovin' like a maccas 30c cone really. Must try anti-shrug and also slow negatives with my pullups/chinups tomorrow when I bust into a gym!
 
I just cannot hit the bicep with chin-ups.
And [MENTION=10084]Jungman[/MENTION] ; as strange as that sounds, the Maccas 30c cone costs 50c.
 
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