how many pullups can you do?

[danhelmstadter]

i've been doing some pullups recently, i think the last time i did any on any routine was back when i was a punkass teenager, my pullup ability has definetly diminished...

 

just wondering about how many the average core-climber can do.

Edited September 18, 2009 by danhelmstadter

[Plaidman]

I suck at pull ups. Every time I get good at them I stop and then have to start all over again.

I have done as many as 25 at a time.

But every time I have to start over it is brutal.

I start with about a dismal 3 then by the end of the week I can get up to 10 or 12.

My buddie told me to do 50 a day. Not at one time. Just by the end of the day.

I hate pull ups.

 

Plaidman

 

[denalidave]

I just did 10 with a light pack on (harness, belay devices, shoes and helmet inside). Only 10 but with very good form. Hands facing away from me, nice and slow up and down. I guess I could squeeze out 1 or two more if I was not so lazy.

[eldiente]

"Stop doing pullups. Lets face it, nobody who climbs 5.12 still thinks pullups are good training. Pullup pansies thrutch their way up 30 foot grid bolted 10+. Doubtless you know some ex-marine who puts in 50 chin ups before breakfast and just redpointed Love Slave. But those people are douchebags. You don’t want to be a douchebag do you?"

 

Umh...

 

 

 

[jon]

Forget the pullups, this is what all the CrossFit people are doing now! Frieh recommends 4 sets of 15 minutes, with the 4th set one in each hand!

 

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4HFoYqCA6g

[olyclimber]

[eldiente]

Jokes aside, it would be really bloody hard to climb much of anything if you couldn't do at least a pull-up or two. However there is diminishing returns on that. When is the last time you fell off a hard route because you lats gave out or your biceps got flash pumped? Maybe some types of cracks, lay-backs and OWs come to mind, that might require a lot of upper body pulling with minimal forearm strength.

 

Eric Horst claims in his writings that the if you can do 10 pull-ups in a row, that is good enough for high-end climbing and anything beyond that has little added value and might be a determent as you put on muscle mass.

 

Any thoughts?

 

For what it is worth, I do 10 reps x5- 3 days a week on open grip bar. As for the max? Not sure but somewhere around 15 (?)

 

 

-nate

 

 

 

 

[marc_leclerc]

The most I have done in one set is 45 or 50.... it doesnt matter much once you can do about 25. Do staggered pull ups ore one hand + two fingers from the other hand and so on... and do less pullups from bad holds like two finger pocket and big slopers and stuff. that will help more than 40 in a row from a bar....

[tvashtarkatena]

I know some pretty good climbers who can't do that many pullups.

 

I suck at rock climbing, so I do them.

 

I do hang rod (two 1" free hanging dowels wrapped in grip tape) pullups for ice climbing, and it really helps grip endurance and confidence, but like I said, I need all the help I can get wherever I can get it.

[Sherri]

I do four sets of 10(each set with a different hand position on the bar), but I don't think I'd go so far as to say that it directly translates into any benefit for climbing. If anything, being strong tempts you to cheat on technique, which is more likely to make you a worse climber than a better one in the long run.

 

 

[RuMR]

do your feet ever leave the ground? BAWAHAHAHA BAWAHAHAHA BAWAHAHAHA BAWAHAHAHA BAWAHAHAHA BAWAHAHAHA

Edited September 18, 2009 by RuMR

[t_rutl]

I know some pretty good climbers who can't do that many pullups.

 

I suck at rock climbing, so I do them.

 

I do hang rod (two 1" free hanging dowels wrapped in grip tape) pullups for ice climbing, and it really helps grip endurance and confidence, but like I said, I need all the help I can get wherever I can get it.

i like that idea for ice...was looking for a way to mimic the grip...how do you have them mounted?

[t_rutl]

as far as your question Dan...30ish...but not for any specific climbing goal...just lifting

[tvashtarkatena]

just drill perp. holes through the dowels near one end, (OK, I used sections of AL tubing I cut from a walker I got at Goodwill...no FUCKING JOKES, assholes!) run some 6 mm or whatever cord through them, tie them in a loop, and hang them from anything you like. I take them to the gym and hang them from the regular pullup bars. You can supplement the grip tape with golf/batting gloves for improved grip so you can hang on longer. This helps with timed lock offs...something I also do.

 

The downside is that my hands are now permanently locked in that gripping position, but I figure that's where they're most useful...at least the right one, anyway. Just wish I'd chosen 2" dia dowels instead of 1.5".

[t_rutl]

sweet!

 

thanks...new project for ice prep...making note of the 2"

[tvashtarkatena]

Just kidding on that. Actual diameter, with grip tape, is about 1.25", although 1.5" would probably work fine, too.

Edited September 18, 2009 by tvashtarkatena

[Crillz]

Earlier this year I could fire off 20. Didn't think it would, and it didn't do a damn thing for my climbing.

 

[davidk]

I don't go for max reps anymore, but I've been doing pullup pyramids to maintain muscle endurance. The concept is simple: start at 3 reps (because doing 1 and 2 separately is trivial), rest briefly, then 3, 4, 5, ..., up to around 10, then back down 9, 8, 7,... to 3 reps. Rest enough between (30 seconds to a couple minutes) so that you can complete the pyramid. That's 100 pullups. Do a couple pyramids a week, and you'll never get tired of pulling yourself up on any climb.

 

I agree that being able to do a lot of pullups isn't very important for rock climbing, but for ice and alpine climbing it's good insurance for muscles that can get used a lot.

[Off_White]

I think contact strength, flexibility, and footwork all matter more than raw pull up power. Seems like knowing how little you can use to hang on is much better than pulling as much as possible.

 

Then again, I've always sucked at pullups, and mostly don't climb any harder than 5.10, so the above opinion might just be so much old fart sour grapes.

[marc_leclerc]

yes.. doing 5 pullups from shollow mono pockets is much better for climbing than 20 pullups from a bar

[olyclimber]

jokes aside, that's what she said.

[olyclimber]

isn't climbing all in the footwork?

 

look at the advice they give here, in ALLCAPS even:

 

http://www.goclimbing.com/FAQ.html

 

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO PULLUPS IN ORDER TO CLIMB! As you will hear your guide say, climbing is all in the feet! If you use your feet, you can get up a climb with a lot less effort than if you pull up with your arms.

[Kimmo]

yes.. doing 5 pullups from shollow mono pockets is much better for climbing than 20 pullups from a bar

 

depends on what yer climbing.

[pink]

dip, dips and more dip with lots of weight hangin from ya.

[pink]

who works out more than anyone on this site and is really just a mediocre climber?

 

i'll paint yer house for free if u can name the cc.cummer...... but you gotta drag me far above the treeline.