Stalled on lat width progress

[Grant]

I was using pullup / chim ups with various grips. My reps ranged anyhwere from 8 ( max number ) to 1.

I feel I have stalled on these and want a new program for lat width. Pull ups and chin ups seemed to work better for me then pulldowns.

I will take a break from the pull up variations. Anyone have any good programs or ideas how to get the best out of pulldowns or its variations? Thanks

[beckie]

What style of pulldowns have you been using? I would suggest you use a mix of close,reverse,wide as well as partials,supersets of wide and close to at least get you started. You do not need to go 'too' wide otherwise your triceps take over-just stick with a few inches past shoulder width..

[Grant]

Beckie,
I use all sorts of grips for pulldowns. I have not use partails before but willing to try. How do you incorporate them?

Should I do something like supersetting wides with reverse? Or wides with stiff arms? Thanks.

[mrbeefy]

Grant,
Here's a few suggestions....

Get a "V-Handle" (like used for rowing), and throw it over a chin up bar. Grab the handles and do the pulls ups using that mind-muscle connection of flexing and stretching your lats.

One arm rows ~ HEAVY, make sure you get a good stretch on the down position.

One arm rows on a smith machine ~ sounds weird, I know.
Place the smith machine on its lowest setting. Stand with your right side (calf) against the bar, bend knees like in a one arm row, grasp bar with one hand and row. Takes a little while to get used to.

Deads - nuff said.

Weighted side bends ~ grasp a db in each hand, do side bend but pull the upward arm up toward your arm pit (or as close as you can).

Good Luck.

[RUBICON19]

Have you increased your weight on the pullups? If not, then that is my suggestion. Add weight on a belt with a chain week after week,

[youngblood]

Like Rubicon said, add weight around your waist (even if only holding a 10# plate between your legs for now). You can do this many ways, with DBs or just weight plates.

At the end of your regular sets, try stepping up on something to get you to the top position and then lowering yourself slowly; getting the negative.

But lately, the one thing I highly suggest is one arm chin-ups! Start using an Assisted Chin/Dip machine, and slowly decrease the amount of weight helping you out. Then, eventually (as I began today) you'll get all your reps with no assistance whatsoever. It will also help if you use your non-working arm to grip your wrist too.

[Sareen]

Pullups is by far one of the best exercise you can do for your back other than deadlifts imo.

There are several ways to improve in the pullups department.

Pavel Tsatsouline calls it greasing the groove where the moreoften you perform a certain thing the better you get at it. When you are doing this you gotta make sure that you don't train to failure or to the point of complete fatigue. Idea is to train short of failure and nail your form perfect.

This is how it works......You mentioned that your max number of chins is 8 cut it to half ie 4. Now do 5 sets of 4 spread throughout the day. For example one set of 4 in the morning, one in the afternoon, one in the evening, one in late evening and so on......done everyday, six days a week. After three to four weeks take 5 days off and do a max set of chinups. You will be happy to report with a new personal best with great form.

Another thing what I have successfully used in the past is the following.......

Say your target is 30 reps.Rather than doing 3 sets of 10 do 10 x 3. Every week decrease the sets by 1 but perform the same amount of reps. Once you are able to do easy 3 sets of 10 reps it's time to add some resisstance in the form of weights.

Good luck.

[fit]

Thumbs up to getting a weight belt. I use a leather Grizzly Belt w/chain. Got it online for about $19.

And sorta like Ein says, cut your reps up- but I was going to suggest, rather than spread them over the day (if you can't get to the gym multiple times/don't work at home and do it this way:

If 8 is your PB, hang 10lbs on your belt and do your pull-ups... maybe you can get 5. rest and go again... so if your rep count had been 8/5/3 (18), go for 20 but it might be: 5/4/3/2/2/2/1/1

That helped me quite a bit- though I am by know means a pull-up cham-peen.

[RUBICON19]

fit said:

Thumbs up to getting a weight belt. I use a leather Grizzly Belt w/chain. Got it online for about $19.

And sorta like Ein says, cut your reps up- but I was going to suggest, rather than spread them over the day (if you can't get to the gym multiple times/don't work at home and do it this way:

If 8 is your PB, hang 10lbs on your belt and do your pull-ups... maybe you can get 5. rest and go again... so if your rep count had been 8/5/3 (18), go for 20 but it might be: 5/4/3/2/2/2/1/1

That helped me quite a bit- though I am by know means a pull-up cham-peen.

Fit. I need a new chain belt. Where did you find yours?

[fit]

I grabbed this one from bb.com a few years ago. It's a beast that I will never wear out. It must have been on sale or the price has gone up. But still less than $30. The Progryp is a few bucks cheaper if that matters.

Seriously though- the Grizzly is one tough bastage- and I know you'll put a lot more weight on than I. Most I've ever had on it was 50lbs.

[RUBICON19]

fit said:

I grabbed this one from bb.com a few years ago. It's a beast that I will never wear out. It must have been on sale or the price has gone up. But still less than $30. The Progryp is a few bucks cheaper if that matters.

Seriously though- the Grizzly is one tough bastage- and I know you'll put a lot more weight on than I. Most I've ever had on it was 50lbs.

Very cool. Thanks.. My last belt broke due to too much weight

[fit]

I forgot one other useful tip: negatives.

Try this Grant- put a bench nearby- step up and start in the upright/contracted position and slowly lower yourself down. Then repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Jump-negatives too if a bench does work. Jump up and clutch, then lower. I find those awkward but they might work for you. Jump-chins seem easier.

[Grant]

Thanks for all the advice. Will try the weighted chins and negatives tomorrow since I have back to do.

[Maximum6]

www.bodybuilding.com/fun/schultz54.htm

May I suggest shrug, pull, and squeeze ??