Tip: Do Stage Reps to Improve Your Pull-Ups
Tip: Do Stage Reps to Improve Your Pull-Ups
<div class="title-details">
<h2 class="article-detail">Suck at pull-ups? Avoid machines and use this training technique instead. Check it out.</h2>
<div class="article-detail-byline"><span class="byline">by <a href="https://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/authors/christian-thibaudeau">Christian Thibaudeau</a> |</span> <span class="timeStamp3">Today</span></div>
</div>
<div class="articleLeadImage"><img alt="Chin-up" src="https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003190/original/Chin-Up.jpg?1449613279"/>;
</div>
<div readability="18.795379537954">
<p>People who can't do many pull-ups usually turn to some type of assisted pull-up machine. But most of these machines don't go high enough to allow the chin to clear the bar, and none of them work on the capacity to move your body in space since the body is fixed (no tridimensional movement). A better method? Stage reps.</p>
<h4>How to Do Stage Reps</h4>
<ol><li>Bring yourself up to the chin-up bar by stepping on a bench. <span>Lift your feet off the bench and do partial reps at the top – only go down to a position you can get yourself back up from – for 3-5 reps.</span></li>
<li>Now lower yourself down to the bottom position under control and do partial reps from the bottom <span>– from dead-hang to as high as you can – lowering yourself under control. Do this for maximum reps.</span></li>
</ol><p>Over time, the length of each phase will increase and soon you'll be doing full-range movements.</p>
<h4>Bonus Method: Horizontal Rows</h4>
<p><iframe width="620" height="349" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cvnPT-Muoec?autoplay=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">[embedded content]</iframe></p>
<p>While these don't involve the same movement pattern as the pull-up, they still make you practice lifting your own body. There will be some skill transfer to the pull-up. This isn't my primary strategy, but it can be added since it's not too stressful on the body.</p>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/training/strengthen-your-strict-pull-up">Related: Strengthen Your Strict Pull-Up</a></h4>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/chin-up-project">Related: The Chin-Up Project</a></h4>
</div>
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<p><nobr>Christian Thibaudeau</nobr></p>
<p class="bio">Specializing in building bodies that perform as well as they look, Christian Thibaudeau is one of the most sought-after trainers by the world's top bodybuilders and CrossFit competitors.</p>
<h4><a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_CThib"; target="_blank">Follow Christian Thibaudeau on Twitter</a></h4>
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https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-stage-reps-to-improve-your-pull-ups
<div class="title-details">
<h2 class="article-detail">Suck at pull-ups? Avoid machines and use this training technique instead. Check it out.</h2>
<div class="article-detail-byline"><span class="byline">by <a href="https://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/authors/christian-thibaudeau">Christian Thibaudeau</a> |</span> <span class="timeStamp3">Today</span></div>
</div>
<div class="articleLeadImage"><img alt="Chin-up" src="https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003190/original/Chin-Up.jpg?1449613279"/>;
![https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003190/original/Chin-Up.jpg?1449613279"/>](https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003190/original/Chin-Up.jpg?1449613279"/>){kind=link}
</div>
<div readability="18.795379537954">
<p>People who can't do many pull-ups usually turn to some type of assisted pull-up machine. But most of these machines don't go high enough to allow the chin to clear the bar, and none of them work on the capacity to move your body in space since the body is fixed (no tridimensional movement). A better method? Stage reps.</p>
<h4>How to Do Stage Reps</h4>
<ol><li>Bring yourself up to the chin-up bar by stepping on a bench. <span>Lift your feet off the bench and do partial reps at the top – only go down to a position you can get yourself back up from – for 3-5 reps.</span></li>
<li>Now lower yourself down to the bottom position under control and do partial reps from the bottom <span>– from dead-hang to as high as you can – lowering yourself under control. Do this for maximum reps.</span></li>
</ol><p>Over time, the length of each phase will increase and soon you'll be doing full-range movements.</p>
<h4>Bonus Method: Horizontal Rows</h4>
<p><iframe width="620" height="349" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cvnPT-Muoec?autoplay=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">[embedded content]</iframe></p>
<p>While these don't involve the same movement pattern as the pull-up, they still make you practice lifting your own body. There will be some skill transfer to the pull-up. This isn't my primary strategy, but it can be added since it's not too stressful on the body.</p>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/training/strengthen-your-strict-pull-up">Related: Strengthen Your Strict Pull-Up</a></h4>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/chin-up-project">Related: The Chin-Up Project</a></h4>
</div>
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<p><nobr>Christian Thibaudeau</nobr></p>
<p class="bio">Specializing in building bodies that perform as well as they look, Christian Thibaudeau is one of the most sought-after trainers by the world's top bodybuilders and CrossFit competitors.</p>
<h4><a href="https://twitter.com/Coach_CThib"; target="_blank">Follow Christian Thibaudeau on Twitter</a></h4>
</aside><p><em>This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.</em></p>
https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-stage-reps-to-improve-your-pull-ups