A lack of variation is one of the most common reasons that pull ups are so hard to progress. As an example, if you typically perform 3 sets of 8 reps at the start of every back day workout you may find that you have plateaued. Furthermore, you may have a weak link that is holding you back, e.g. weak lats, biceps, grip or core.
You Always Train Pull Ups in the Same Way
The main reason you’re not progressing with pull ups is because you train them the same way, all the time.
The body typically adapts to the stress we place upon it through exercise fairly quickly.
And this is often why you may hit a plateau with any exercise or movement.
Most of us will look to progressively overload just about any exercise that involves weights.
The simplest way to do this is to add more weight to the bar, or to choose a bigger set of dumbbells.
However, when it comes to bodyweight exercises, we typically look at progressing through adding more reps.
So, going back to “always training pull ups the same way”, I would hazard a guess that you may be performing the same number of reps, at exactly the same point in your workout.
And you do this week-after-week.
“The pull-up is a king among exercises. But for many, it’s a crown that’s a bit too heavy.”
Stuart McGill (Strength Coach)
Let’s say that you generally train pull ups as the first exercise on back day.
Your aim is to perform 3 sets.
Perhaps you started out with 3 sets of 6 reps.
You then add an additional rep every so often, but now you’ve been stuck on 3 sets of 10 reps for what seems like months, possibly even years.
Basically, the body has become accustomed to performing pull ups in the same way at the same time.
So, even trying to add just one extra rep is a real struggle.
Make Some Changes
For me, I would look to make some changes.
This may involve performing pull ups later in the workout.
Admittedly, your lats, biceps, and grip may have taken a bit of a hammering by the time you get to pull ups.
So, you may find that you can’t even get to 3 sets of 10 reps anymore.
However, this simple change can actually stimulate new strength gains and muscle growth.
Therefore, it may not be long before you’ve hit 3 sets of ten again.
But, you will have actually progressed as you’re not performing your pull ups “fresh”.
Then again, you could look to perform more volume by lowering the reps, but upping the sets.
Let’s say 5 sets of 7 reps.
This may not seem like progression, but simply the fact that you’re doing a few more reps can once again stimulate growth.
How about trying weighted pull ups for 5 sets of 5 reps.
Perhaps, you can do 4 sets of 8 reps, but you reduce your rest between sets from one minute to just 45 seconds.
The list could go on.
What you’re trying to achieve here is to shock the body in some way.
As I’ve mentioned this can help to stimulate new growth in terms of muscle and strength.
If you do this for a few weeks and I can guarantee that if you perform a test at the end of a month that your max reps will have increased.
You’re Not Training Pull Ups Often Enough (Grease the Groove)
I’m a great believer in high frequency training.
Now some people will believe that training a muscle or an exercise more than once a week could be considered overtraining.
Then again, there are those that say to train the same movement or muscle group multiple times a week you need to be some type of genetic freak.
NOT TRUE on both counts.
Sure, if you’re completely new to working out then training the same muscle (or exercise) many times a week could lead to potential injuries.
However, I myself have performed squats and deadlifts (at separate times) every single day for an extended period.
I did use variations of each exercise, plus some days weren’t as intense as others.
But I have definitely squatted 5 days a week before and I have deadlifted 5 days a week as well.
Plus, I have probably performed push ups nearly every single day for over two decades now.
Now I’m not telling you to start cranking out pull ups every single day, with no real plan, in the hope of progressing.
However, there is a very focused way to do this, and you can guarantee that your pull up numbers will definitely go up.