[Journey] Join me on the road to weighted pull ups

Indeed , I think I'll also try the same idea once I get the time to start training again..

I was having great results using creatine(obviously) and : Leucine ,do you also use it ?
 
Indeed , I think I'll also try the same idea once I get the time to start training again..

I was having great results using creatine(obviously) and : Leucine ,do you also use it ?
Nope, BCAA's are a complete waste of money and overpriced (if not, they will bring 0.1% of your results). Rather get some fish oil capsules.

"leucine appears to be more effective at promoting gains in muscle in people with lower dietary protein intake and in the elderly (who tend to have impaired muscle protein synthesis in response to the diet) "
https://examine.com/supplements/leucine/
 
Nope, BCAA's are a complete waste of money and overpriced (if not, they will bring 0.1% of your results). Rather get some fish oil capsules.

"leucine appears to be more effective at promoting gains in muscle in people with lower dietary protein intake and in the elderly (who tend to have impaired muscle protein synthesis in response to the diet) "
https://examine.com/supplements/leucine/

I agree BCAA are overpriced .. When I bought leucine I read a lot of good stuff about it (unfortunetly I haven't found the article you shared) ,and I thought it might be good , then I tested it and I was considering it to be effective , even though the reality now seems that it might have been the placebo effect..
 
As I am not doing pull-ups for a while, I'll still keep updating this thread regularly with small achievements and progress.

Yesterday, it was the first time ever I hit 10 push-ups with strict form and a slow tempo - without shoulder pain.
For me, this is a big achievement as I've finally found a pain free chest routine with my scoliosis. Doing push-ups on my knees, and fly's with bands, really helped to build mass on my chest already over the last few months, which is the first time in years I've been able to do this. For now I'm going to keep progressing this area the same way, and not hopping on the good old bench press as it's just too risky for now.

Once gyms finally fully re-open, I will start testing stuff like dumbbell presses, and incline smith machine to see how these things feel now.

Upped my calorie intake over the last week and I feel really full every day, but weight is adding up slowly. Not going to be cutting throughout this summer, but I'll be lean bulking for 12-20 weeks to go up to about 98-99kg. (Maybe even 100kg if everything goes according to plan)
 
If you want to get good at pull ups, try the Armstrong pull up program. I can do 15-20 strict pull ups right now, guess i can go up to 30 once i finish it myself.
 
To help avoid elbow pain, use different grips either throughout your sets or throughout the week ie one day over one day under etc. I just mix them up in my warmups as well as I build up the weight.
Same goes for my pressing, though shouldnt be an issue as youre not barbell pressing.
Rotate between over/under/neutral/ring(rings let you turn from over to under, pronated to supinated as you pull). As well thumbs over and monkey/false grip(no thumbs)

I also use DMSO cream from time to time.(basically transdermal MSM). DMSO makes many things transdermal however so make sure youre all clean and dont let it rub off, I wash it off after about 30 minutes.

Good luck, I started weighted pullups in HS I just added 5lbs each workout, started with one little 5lb weight lol. One of the best exercises. I notice a lot of people dont have good scapular retraction with their pullups so doing scap pull holds is good too.

A nice back exercise to add as well is Zercher holds and shrugs. Plus youll also get asked wtf youre doing in the gym lol.
 
Been a while since I've updated this.
Progress is going hella good. All my numbers/lifts are going up, and slowly gaining body weight according to plan.
Doing inverted rows currently to build towards pull up strength, while I can slowly let my elbows get used to these type of movements.
 
All is going well. Gained about 1.5 kg ever since starting this thread. (Not too much, but it's barely any fat, so I'll take it for sure.)
Realized my grip strength is a very limiting factor in the body weight rows I am doing, so I've added DB shrugs to my pull day.
Next to that, my back is growing like crazy. I can feel thicker by the week, and wider lats are making my shoulders pop out as well.

Inside part of gyms are most likely opening the 18th after about 5 months, so I'll finally be able to go heavier on squats again since I'll have safety bars, and I'll finally be able to deadlift as it's not possible outside on the uneven mats my gym offers.

Feeling greater than ever mentally as well. Business is going well. Zero injuries which is fun for once. And the extra vegetable and fruit intake through my evening smoothie make me feel even healthier. (Probably placebo, but it's okay.)

Until next time :cool:
 
Wasnt expecting to find a weight lifting journey in BHW, but super cool!
Give us some more stats in the future please. How much are you lifting, reps, max rep development, what feels like its hitting the spot for you..etc
Reminds me of youth!
 
Gyms are opened again, and I am having zero pain whatsoever on bench press and incline DB press (FINALLY, AFTER YEARS).
Will start incorporating pull-ups again slowly in the new program that I'll run for 2-4 months. Going for upper lower (4x/wk) instead of push-pull-legs as I feel like changing it up for once.

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Currently weighing 95.0kg. Will do a small mini cut to lose about 1.5-2kg in June, before I go on my lean bulk until the end of the year with the hopes of reaching 98-99kg.
 
What’s the update? Are you big enough for a deadlift competition with me now? :p
 
What’s the update? Are you big enough for a deadlift competition with me now? :p
Haven't been focusing on pull ups anymore really, and I also don't do regular deadlifts - only romanians. :D

It's going very well. Lost a good amount of fat and I'm continuing the cut. Really liking to see more definition on my frame.

BW 93.3kg

Edit: some cool stuff though. At the beginning of this journey, I was finally pain free with my scoliosis and benching is going amazing. I've hit 77.5kg for 3x5 and linear progression keeps going great even though I'm losing weight. Very happy with this. Zero injuries and feeling better than ever. Muscle memory is real, and seeing quick improvements in my chest and shoulders even though I'm in a deficit.
 
Edit: some cool stuff though. At the beginning of this journey, I was finally pain free with my scoliosis and benching is going amazing. I've hit 77.5kg for 3x5 and linear progression keeps going great even though I'm losing weight. Very happy with this. Zero injuries and feeling better than ever. Muscle memory is real, and seeing quick improvements in my chest and shoulders even though I'm in a deficit.

I know too well about shoulder injuries, and I hope you are putting in the work to rehabilitate it. Just resting it will now help - especially if you want to bench/lift proper weight. Lightweight dumbells and elastic bands are your friends. My shoulder gave out while benching 80kg, which was when I realised strengthening those small shoulder muscles and proper warm-up is no joke. Thankfully, it was my first warm-up set. If you're still figuring stuff out for your shoulder, I'll gladly discuss the subject more privately.

Hopefully, your shoulder stays good because if you weigh 93kg and your repping 77,5kg, then you have a ways to go hit your optimal numbers. Of course, I don't know what your gym philosophy is, but you have "lifter" in your name, but it sounds like you're more into muscle building/definition. Anyways, with that weight you should easily be bench repping at least 100kg for 3x10 reps... so yeah, time for you to go beast mode :)
 
I know too well about shoulder injuries, and I hope you are putting in the work to rehabilitate it. Just resting it will now help - especially if you want to bench/lift proper weight. Lightweight dumbells and elastic bands are your friends. My shoulder gave out while benching 80kg, which was when I realised strengthening those small shoulder muscles and proper warm-up is no joke. Thankfully, it was my first warm-up set. If you're still figuring stuff out for your shoulder, I'll gladly discuss the subject more privately.

Hopefully, your shoulder stays good because if you weigh 93kg and your repping 77,5kg, then you have a ways to go hit your optimal numbers. Of course, I don't know what your gym philosophy is, but you have "lifter" in your name, but it sounds like you're more into muscle building/definition. Anyways, with that weight you should easily be bench repping at least 100kg for 3x10 reps... so yeah, time for you to go beast mode :)
It's going great, and I'm doing everything to prevent injuries - because they suck. Just keeping chest at a low volume (14 sets a week), and keeping pulling exercises at a high volume. My philosophy is, there is not such thing as too much back volume. Most shoulder injuries don't come from benching alone, but from an imbalance in the front/back. So very strong front delts, and very weak rear delts.

Doing a lot of rows, face pulls, reverse fly's, etc.

My backside is currently insanely strong, and I feel very stable when benching :)
 
Back progress. Gained a shit ton of mass. Cutting at the moment for a few more weeks.

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TheBackGuy, is that you?
Good progress my guy. I unfortunately have to quit the gym for about a year to focus on some projects.
Haha, thanks man. Did tons of upper back volume and my shoulders feel stable as fuck now as a result. Zero pain in benching, and weights keep going up!

Don't you have an hour every one or two days to get a quick hypertrophy session (no compound lifts that take long) in? :D
 
Haha, thanks man. Did tons of upper back volume and my shoulders feel stable as fuck now as a result. Zero pain in benching, and weights keep going up!

Don't you have an hour every one or two days to get a quick hypertrophy session (no compound lifts that take long) in? :D
That’s good progress since you had difficulty benching right?

I do. But I’m ocd when it comes to lifting and I’d end up spending so much more time on diet and sleeping. Not to mention the feeling of satisfaction after a good lifting session would make me feel less motivated to focus on other goals. I just suck at compartmentalisation.
 
Good progress ;)

Do you manage to do squats without hurting your back?? I also have a little bit of Scoliosis and I had to stop doing them.
How many calories do you take per day?
 
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