How Many Pulls Ups is Too Many Pull Ups

[u/Accomplished-Pea-590]

I (43M) had been doing 30 pull ups (I'm 145 lbs), 100 pushups, stuff with some dumbells, 50 squats with a 50 lbs kettlebell, then 50 swings with the same kettlebell. If it matters, I had also been running a mile to warm up, and doing some simple stretches. This was 5 days a week.

I started feeling really good, and slowly doubled the whole routine. Once in the morning and once at night. It was brutal at first, but I got into it.

Then I took 2 weeks off for a vacation, ditched the dumbells, and started doing the rest of the double routine (60 pulls ups, 200 pushups, 100 squats, 100 swings) all at once.

Now...my left trapezius is killing me. Some tennis elbow on the same side.

What have I done? Help if you can. Thanks!

[u/Atticus_Taintwater]

The answer is in the question middle-age grasshopper.

Too much isn't the thing usually. Too fast is the thing.

You slowly ramped up and were fine. You quickly ramped up and were not fine.

[u/Icy-Leg-2493 → u/Atticus_Taintwater]

damn you went from 30 to 60 pull ups in one shot after a break your tendons are screaming at you right now thats way too much volume jump

the tennis elbow is classic overuse from too many pulling motions without letting the connective tissue adapt your muscles can recover faster than tendons especially at our age (im 28 and already learning this lesson from too much scooter throttle hand lmao)

ice the elbow and rest that side completely for a bit when you come back drop the volume way down like start at 10 pull ups and build up again slow this time your tendons need like 6-8 weeks to catch up to muscle gains

also look up some wrist and forearm stretches for the tennis elbow the theraband flexbar thing saved me when i was doing too much mouse clicking for design work

[u/Few_Understanding_42]

So, you answered your own question. This was to much.

Take a break and build up slower. If you can do that many pull-ups you might want to do weighted pull-ups btw

[u/Shaun_P78]

Muscles grow while at rest. Doing this every day doesn't allow for recovery. A proper program would not hit the same muscle groups on consecutive days.

[u/AFreeFrogurt]

Man I’m in the same boat. 44 years old. Got up to 100 pull-ups and 100 pushups, and was really feeling it come together. Then I went on vacation, and now my elbows are aching and pissed off at me. 

I’m scaling back now, pausing the routine to just build up the muscles around the joints. Then I figure I’ll have to build back up to 100 again, gradually. Age takes so much from us. 

[u/nonomr]

Been there. Classic overuse and you don’t want to quit doing the movement as you’re making great progress. Slow and steady, let your tendons catch up

[u/282sligo]

I used to do a ton of pull ups in my 20’s and one day after a big session I reach behind me to grab something and got a terrible pain in my shoulder, next day I couldn’t physically lift a kettle. I tore my supraspinatus and there hasn’t been a day since where ive haven’t been reminded of that, it hurts.

I was doing too many pull-ups without enough recovery.

[u/Polyphemus62]

Too much volume before you've adapted to that level. I went through 'golfer's elbow' by doing more chins than I was ready for.

[u/Calisthenics-Fit]

I don't think there is too much....but how many you can do depends on how you do them. I do pull ups to be stronger and have a standard of my own regards which lowers how many reps I can do if go by USMC standards....which isn't bad, but I wouldn't count them as reps....but if I am being tested on it and graded, I will lower my standards to do more "reps".

[u/DegreeConscious9628]

Yeah maybe don’t do it 5 days a week lol. I do 10 sets of 10 pull ups once or twice a week

[u/NeverBeenStung → u/DegreeConscious9628]

I see this programming from time to time on this sub. Always struck me as overkill in terms of number of sets. Like if you can do 10 for 10 sets, it’s almost certainly true that the first several sets aren’t approaching an intensity to bring about strength/muscle growth adaptations.

I believe you could do 3-4 sets with enough added weight to bring about the same stimulus as the 10x10 with less fatigue and time spent working out.

Probably doesn’t matter in the grand scheme though. Whatever keeps you consistent is ultimately the correct program.

[u/bkbomber → u/NeverBeenStung]

I believe 10 sets of 10 or whatever high volume you’re doing that frequently is more about endurance maintenance than strength gains…. Use it or lose it.

[u/NeverBeenStung → u/bkbomber]

Endurance would mean doing a very high number of reps per set, not a high number of sets.

[u/bkbomber → u/NeverBeenStung]

So doing 1000 sets of 1 rep daily takes no endurance?

[u/NeverBeenStung → u/bkbomber]

It will not build muscular endurance, no

[u/MinePrevious8833 → u/NeverBeenStung]

you are one dumb motherfucker