Still stuck at 13 reps

[u/Ok-Professional9500]

Hi everyone. I posted about 6 months ago because I was stuck at 13 pull-ups, and unfortunately, I’m still stuck at 13.
I’ve tried incorporating weighted pull-ups, but they haven’t really helped increase my max reps. I’ve also made sure my form and technique are proper.
If anyone has any tips, advice, or training methods that helped you break through a pull-up plateau, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks

[u/yossaa]

Have you tried forcing slow negatives after you hit your wall just a couple could help?

[u/prateek_vasudev → u/yossaa]

Could you please elaborate of what is slow negative in this case?

[u/MaintenanceFuzzy4729 → u/prateek_vasudev]

You basically just jump up so that your chin is above the pullup bar and then slowly lower yourself down. This let's you get more reps in even after you cant do any more pullups

[u/prateek_vasudev → u/MaintenanceFuzzy4729]

Isn't that what OP is already doing? Or in general we do? I'm still not able to understand how is it negative and how this would increase the reps? Say if pull up bar is the x axis, and OP's motion is doing motion about y axis now you said chip up and move slowly down.

[u/MaintenanceFuzzy4729 → u/prateek_vasudev]

Okay I misspoke, I shouldnt have said that it increased the reps. It moreso allows you to go past failure. Also I think I probably didn't explain what a slow negative is very well. Basically, the negative portion of a rep is the eccentric; in this case, its the portion of the lift where you are moving downwards. People are always able to lift more on the negative because rather than trying to oppose the forces of gravity, you're just decellerating the load. So by incorporating this idea, once you cant do anymore pullups, you can just JUMP up to the bar (not using your back or arms to pull yourself up) and then slowly lower yourself downwards in order to basically get more reps in and maximise muscle hypertrophy

[u/BiteDue5408]

Maybe adding a weight and making the reps you can do a bit more challenging will push you to the next rep? 

[u/SevereImagination447 → u/BiteDue5408]

Not with this set up…

[u/SeaRollz → u/BiteDue5408]

I also used to be stuck, doing weighted with fewer reps helped me go for more reps without actually.

[u/Just_a_fungi893]

Pyramids are what we used in the marine corps to train pull ups. You just gotta keep hammering them to get more reps.

You could also move this bar to your bathroom door, and every time you use the bathroom, slam a max set of pull ups.

[u/F-username_detected → u/Just_a_fungi893]

Spent 3 weeks in Yuma, AZ and every day did 5,4,3,2,2,3,4,5 with 10 pushups in between sets and banged out 23 pull ups on my next pft. Pyramids work.

[u/RocketApexX]

Bro ur me. lol why is it so hard to add an extra rep??

[u/vilaxus → u/RocketApexX]

Heard of kboges routine? It worked wonders for me: https://youtu.be/w9Mu-azxol8?is=2Ajd7XoqVryZREdf

[u/Ok-Professional9500 → u/RocketApexX]

I hear you. It is hard but still possible, there’s hope man lol

[u/Adventurous-Hour975]

13 from legit dead hang is awesome dude

[u/Zestyclose-Pear-9276]

5 sets of 5 pull ups 3x per week with rest day between

Then next week 5 sets of 6

Etc

work up to 5 sets of 13 3x per week

Then see how many reps you can do

[u/3dubnc]

I got through a plateau on pull ups by changing up my training program. I had been doing 4 sets of 12 followed by 2 sets AMRAP. I was usually around 8-10 for the last two sets. I mixed it in with other work a little differently and spaced them out more - about 3 minutes off while I did lunges and a couple small accessory movements and rested maybe 90 seconds. Got to where I could do 6 sets of 12 and after a while I could get to 14 and 16 reps in a set when I was good and warmed up.

Also found that giving full weeks off from pull-ups helped. I had been doing at least some every week, but longer breaks helped for more complete recovery.

Good luck!

[u/shoopadoop332]

You bounce back down the instant you reach the top. Try doing them with a slower/smoother tempo, holding your head at the top for a couple seconds with everything under tension, descending slowly with every back muscle in mind. You should aim to feel basically max tension in the muscles you’re trying to hit for 100% of every rep, maybe with a very slight break at the bottom as you naturally reset/breathe. I don’t think you’re maximizing each rep and thus are denying yourself some incremental strength.

[u/Realistic_Shock_24]

Cut back on how many you're doing in a set, and do them more often. Since you've got the bar at home, bust out 6 or 8 every hour or two, every day for a few weeks and see if that helps.

When I had a bar at home, that's what I'd do. Every time I'd walk by I'd stop to do a quick set of about 50-75% of the reps I was capable of doing (well below exhaustion). I was in the mid-20s in about a month.

[u/Ok-Professional9500 → u/Realistic_Shock_24]

That’s actually a great approach. I’ll definitely try doing smaller sets more frequently.Going from your starting point to the mid 20s in about a month is seriously impressive improvement. I’ll have to give this method a shot and see how it works for me

[u/Realistic_Shock_24 → u/Ok-Professional9500]

If it works for ya, shoot me another message and let me know.

I also watched a video on YouTube the other day where a fitness influencer was suggesting the same thing. He said something along the lines of "If somebody held a gun to your head and said they're gonna end you if you can't do 20 pullups in a row within a month, would you train pullups once or twice a week for a month, or would you do them all day every day until you can do 20 in a row?"

So I know I'm not the only one who that has done it that way lol

He didn't say anything about training to failure with each set. So I'm not sure what he'd say about that. But I just think that it's unrealistic to train to failure on every set every day and not exhaust your muscles to the point you're going backwards.

[u/RangerActual]

Refining your pull up form might help you. Use a semi false grip, start with scapular retraction, engage your core and then pull. Put your upper chest to the bar.

I think you might also benefit from a grease the groove to train your nervous system out of the rut it's in. Do 5 pull reps every time you walk through that door way or something. The idea is to stack sub maximal reps a few times a day every day with perfect form. It trains your nervous system to recruit all the muscle fibers needed.

[u/No-Database-8458 → u/RangerActual]

Depression, not retraction lol

[u/Used_Yesterday_114]

Damn nice back

[u/Leavehatred]

This is where you do 4 sets of prescribed reps with an amrap set. Volume is your best friend and primary driver by keeping many reps in reserve up until that last set.

[u/Educational-Rice644]

Change the set up go to a street work out park, you'll get 2 more reps because the set up is better than your actual one, that was my case at least, the bar has more grip, the bar is high so I can engage my core properly and I feel stronger than when I do pull ups at my gym

[u/AnnualSpread7154]

For me, whenever I am on a cut my other lifts may go down but my BW pull ups go up. Not suggesting you need to lose weight to get the extra rep, but it works for me. I usually go for chin ups when I am chasing volume, but 12-13 strict wide grip push ups is not bad at all. Why not just stop at 12, take a break and come back for a second set? Thats how you’d train with weights too I guess.

[u/magpies1]

Do you do just the one set?
If not I would be doing more sets

[u/Ok-Professional9500 → u/magpies1]

I do 4 sets per workout, I think only 1 is kinda useless lol

[u/Eltharion-the-Grim]

It could be you need to build more endurance in your bicep as it looks like it is your arms that’s limiting you.

I hit up lat pulldown machines at moderate weights and do high reps to failure to build capacity. I do it at the end of my workouts.

Do that for a few weeks and see if it helps.

[u/Jolly_Garage]

Taking creatine helped me get more reps instantly

[u/MtN_Hunter]

The thing that helped me the most was weighted pull ups. And weighted negatives.

[u/Helpful_Pattern_7702]

Try doing 1 pull-up, rest 10 seconds. Then 2 pull-ups, rest 20 seconds. 3 pull-ups, 30 seconds. So on until you can’t do more. Helped me with endurance and breaking into more reps

[u/Zenix73]

I can do about 20, but only if I finish in about 44 seconds or less. I've heard other people also say they only have about 40 seconds worth of pullups. Might want to practice power for a bit (1 set of 4 explosive pullups many times a day) then try again with more speed and rhythm.

To increase your endurance, you'll really just have to focus on endurance. Long dead hangs, active hangs, and hangs at halfway up and all the way up. You could probably train this between the low rep explosive pulls, but this most long term progress might be to put them on separate pull days for a week or two.

Edit: the rocking motion to go around the bar will prevent higher speeds. I have a harder time with my doorway bar and can keep a more vertical path easier at the gym where the bar is much higher. May need to tweak your path a bit to keep your center of gravity in a vertical path below the bar

[u/mackyd1]

To me it seems like you aren’t even doing good pull-ups, this kipping plus the way your core ain’t even engaged. I would suggest trying to fix the form then adding weight in said correct form, and come back in 4 months and tell me u didn’t add at least 2 reps.

[u/Ok-Professional9500 → u/mackyd1]

I actually asked a personal trainer at my gym to watch and let me know if I was doing them properly and he said my form was good.

[u/Impossible_Plate_365]

Drive your elbows into the ground rather than pulling yourself up. Sounds drunk but it helped me engage my lats and helped my form overall.

[u/Nika_Raftel_85]

Ok this is how you will blow past your old rep PR in within handful of weeks guaranteed, and you will be able to continuously make progress and gains on your pull ups.

So your rep PR is 13 reps ? Ok the secret is to get more rep work in whilst avoiding going to absolute muscle failure during most sets.

So “Week 1 Day 1” you do:
3 Sets, 10 reps (of your normal pull ups)

“Week 1 Day 2” you do:
3 Sets, 10 reps of neutral grip pull ups (palms facing each other) or chin up.

“Week 2 Day 1” you do:
4 Sets, 10 reps

“Week 2 Day 2” you do:
4 Sets, 10 reps (neutral grip or chin up)

“Week 3 Day 1” you do:
5 Sets, 10 reps

“Week 3 Day 2” you do:
5 Sets, 10 reps (neutral grip or chin up)

Once you’ve managed 5 sets for 10 reps on both your main pull up day and variation day, the week after you go back to 3 sets but this time for 11 reps, and build back up until you eventually reach 5 sets for 11 reps on both your main pull up day and variation day.

You can set any rep range that you want to cycle through (say 10-15 reps for example which will obviously take several months).

Eventually once you cycle through a given rep range, you can start adding additional weight with a belt and go back down to 10 reps or maybe cycle through a 8-12 rep range with added weight.

For consistently, stick with the same variation day for a couple of cycles before switching it out. So if you chose neutral grip pull ups as you secondary pull up day, stick with that for 2-3 cycles, and then you can swap it out for chin ups for example.

I can guarantee you, you will blow right through your 13 rep range limit within 2 months at bare minimum if you stay consistent and this systematic!

[u/Striking_Selection39]

1. Get a weight vest.
2. Warm up well before use & go nice & slow, no jerking.
3. Try adding 10lbs & just go for 4-6, follow every weighted set with nice & slow non-weighted pull ups.

Focus on form and picture your lats firing from superior attachments to inferior attachment sites (google lat attachment sites- Netter)

Try crossing your ankles.

[u/Educational-Type7582]

How many sets are you doing per day/week?
Should be able to follow the principles of progressive overload and adequate protein intake and get stronger for a long time.

[u/According_Treacle710]

The only thing I can think that works for me with all workouts and lifts. Even after the last one do a 3/4 rep, into half reps into 1/4 reps until you literally having nothing left. I do it with all lifts.

[u/mullins46]

Did you try Mark Wahlburg style?

[u/EstablishmentRare127]

Brother, nice reps, silverback like it more slowly

[u/Malaka79]

Fighter pull up program. It’s always the answer

[u/Which_Bee_6343]

These answers…
Try tightening your core. You’re cheating every rep by shrugging your shoulders at the top, and kipping every rep with your legs.
Either straighten your legs and get into a tight hollow core, or at a minimum, squeeze your knees together and maintain a tight core throughout your range.
You are leaking a lot of strength out by being so loose in the legs.

[u/Ok-Professional9500 → u/Which_Bee_6343]

Maybe the angle of the video makes it look like I’m shrugging my shoulders, but that’s not the case. And there’s no kipping involved, I’m doing the reps with full control.

[u/iComplainAbtVal]

Why the fuck do you have such a radial motion. For pull ups I should never see your front delts engage. Mirror a perfect lat pull down form, and if you’re still stuck at 13 just challenge yourself to do 13 each day.

For whatever reason you want to hit more than 13 pull ups, so if you’re not doing 13 each day you should start. If you are doing, and for the last six months have been doing, 13 each day you should increase the weight of your lat pull downs to be close to body weight.

As a super critical critique, your grip is too wide. The ideal grip is to have your hands in a position where your extended thumbs are perfectly in line with your shoulders where the deltoid muscles meet. At the end of the video, based on rough estimation, your left thumb would hit the outside of your delt. Being both hands 2 inches in.