Bodyweight pull ups feels too easy? 🥱 It’s time for weighted pull ups!
As I wrote few weeks ago in my September report, I have feeling that my pull up progress is stall. I realized, that my muscles get adapted to my typical exercises. It was expected I will reach such point some day and now I have to do something to get over that. Another raising reason slowing down my progress was, my pull ups repetitions. When repetitions exceedes 8-10, training is more into endurance zone. Best repetition count for strenght-training is 4-6. So it looks like it’s time to add some weight to make things harder!
My first weighted pullups.
I have never done pull ups with additional weight, as even without additional weight, pullups are quite hard excercise 😅.
I have read multiple advices and seen few videos about weighted pull ups tips and methods.
As adviced, I have to start slowly, and add small weight in small portions.
Firstly, I decided to test what I am able to do.
I tried 4kg, 8kg, 12kg just to understand how it feel like. I was able to do pull up with all of those weights, but of course I need to start with appropriate weight, to do 4-6reps. First weighted workout I went with 4kg and made sets with 6, 5, 4, 4 reps. And at the end, one more set of 6 reps without additional weight. I was surprised how easy felt bodyweight pull ups after weighted pull-ups! I felt completely different than previous workouts. It was really good shock for muscles.
Moving forward.
Now I do weighted pull ups instead of bodyweight pull ups during every workout. I do a couple of workouts with same weight and then add 1 or 2kg, depending what weights are available at the moment.
Usually, in first set I do 6-7reps, next one I do 5 reps, then 5reps and 4 reps. After that I do a couple of bodyweight sets, usually 7 or 8 reps. I really like it, how easy it feels to do bodyweight pull ups after weighted ones. 😎 Especially first repetitions feels amazing!
When I can do 7 weighted repetitions in the first set, it’s time to increase weight by another 1-2kg.
Progress after first few weeks.
I was doing weighted pull ups for few weeks, maybe some 5-6 workouts in total, and it was time to test results. As every month, I was testing my max bodyweight pull ups. I did good warming and came to my pull ups bar in good mood, full of energy.
It felt easy this time, and I did 12 consecutive pull ups, it was +2 increase from previous month!
I was thrilled by my progress, as I remember how hard was my previous months 10 reps. I really wanted those 10 pull ups that month to get to my first checkpoint – 10. Read more about it in my August report.
But this time I felt completely different. It was not easy anyway, but I felt that I have added strenght. I was not so exhausted than previous month.
Now, when I write this post, is five weeks gone, since I started weighted pull ups.
I am adding 13kg now, and doing sets of 6 reps, 5 reps, 5 reps, 5 chin ups, 8 bodyweight, 8 bodyweight.
Progress is really good I think, and I will test results in my next month progress report.
What to hang on your body?
There is plenty of possibilities what to hang on you and how to hang. Many different belts, vests and weights, but I have to buy any of it if I wish.
But for now, I am using what I have on my hands already. I took rope, thick as my finger, and couple of carabiners, and made my first belt. As weight, I used water jug. It was easy to add or remove weight – just pour in more water or pour it out. I used pavemant brick. Brick from my pavement weighed 8kg, and I have more than enough of them available.
I used two 5kg dumbels, and last one combination was two 5k dumbels plus one 3kg dumbel. It is little bit uncomfortable using such bunch of dumbells, but nothing more. I can resist that for now.
Conclusion
Weighted pull ups are really great booster when your progress starts to slow down. After few workouts you can feel more strenght. Feeling when doing bodyweight pull ups after weighted pull ups are really satisfactionary! 😀 But, as with every exercise, do it carefully, do proper warming and do not increase weight too fast. Your joints and ligaments need time to adapt too.