Guest
Guest
I'm inspired to write this article after starting my second week of a powerlifting routine. I have almost exclusively trained in a bodybuilding style after high school and have decided to spend my time off cycle running a 6 week routine to improve my Big Three.
One of the accessory movements is weighted pull ups.
I used to pride myself in being able to do 4 sets of 10 strict form pull ups. At 200 pounds this was generally fun. As I started getting heavier I moved away from pull ups unless I was doing the assisted machine to get good quality reps. I figured that heavy lat pulldowns was a good substitute.
Until the time came for that first set of pull downs and I realized: they want me to do these with weight strapped around me??? I could barely get to ten reps without any added weight.
It's been a few workouts since that first one and the muscle memory that's been restored thus far has allowed me to do 6 good reps with a ten pound plate strapped around me. I'm now eager to surpass the 4 sets of 10 and be able to do the same volume but with 25 or even 45 pounds around my waist. I just don't see too many guys over 230ish doing weighted pull ups. Probably because they're hard as fuck. But I remember reading an article featuring Kai Greene the year he won his first Arnold. In that year he made drastic improvements to his back. It became, in one year, the best back on the planet. When asked how, after so many years of training and steroid use, was he able to make newbie-like gains to his back, he explained that the results came from doing pull ups. In classic Kai fashion, he elaborated (verbosely; I'll paraphrase) that it came from doing pull ups while focusing on developing a stronger connection with his back muscles. In time, he was able to contract his back to a greater degree by strengthening this exercise. The significance of this lies in the fact that it was a body weight exercise. By utilizing the relatively light resistance of one's self, we can train our muscles to respond to external resistance to a greater degree.
It took a powerlifting routine to remind me that the best exercises are the most simple, and sometimes don't need to involve any weight. This has led me to develop a new standard in bodybuilding strength for myself:
Wide Grip Pull Ups: 3 sets 10 reps 5 second negatives
Pushups: 3 sets 20 reps 5 second negatives
Dips: 3 sets 15 reps 5 second negatives
Wall Squats: 3 sets x 60 seconds (back against a wall, knees at 90 degree angle, sit still)
I think anybody who can complete this workout can categorize themselves as strong. It's very simple, very concise and it provides a full body workout in only 4 movements. The heavier you are, the more impressive it is to be able to do it. It's something I'm going to add to my already extensive list of fitness goals. I invite anyone to give this a shot - keep the negatives slow, explode on the concentric, don't lockout between reps (keep constant tension on the muscles) and limit time between sets to 90 seconds. If you're used to training with weights it'll be an entirely new attack on the muscles and should provide some good soreness, and good gains.
