Mission 1 was a great success. For our next Mission, to begin July 6, we will keep it a little shorter but increase the intensity.

Day 1: Do as many pull-ups as possible without rest (we will refer to this as “Max”. No kipping or swinging. Afterward, repeat the same Max, but do it in two sets instead of 1. Repeat. (Example: New Max = 25, Set 2 = 13, Set 3 = 12, Set 4 = 13, Set 5 = 12.
Day 2: With 25lb strapped to your waist (or dumbell between your feet), take Max from Day 1 (25), divide by 6, round up to nearest whole number, do 6 sets with 1 minute rest (6 sets of 5 reps for our example).
Day 3: Max times two, plenty of rest. Break it down into 10 sets. (25 x 2 = 50 => 10 sets of 5)
Day 4: Add weight at intervals of 2.5 lbs doing reps of one with 2-4 minutes rest until you reach your max (1 rep max, or 1RM); then cut back to 80% of that total and do 6 sets of 2 at that weight with 2-4 min rest.
Day 5: No weight. Max times 5 at your own pace.
Day 6: Burpees into a pullup: squat down, thrust out legs into pushup position, do pushup, bring legs in, jump up and grab pull-up bar, do 2 pullups. Repeat. Go until you can’t do even one pullup.
Day 7: Max x1.5 with 80% 1RM weight as quickly as possible (1RM established in Day 4)
Day 8: Pull, Push, Dip, Row: 3 rounds of 10 pullups, 10 pushups, 10 dips; then 2000m row @ 7:30 min pace; then 2 rounds of pull, push, dip then 1000m row @ 3:45 min pace; then 1 round of p, p, d; then 500m row for time.
Day 9: day off
Day 10: day off
Day 11: Pull-ups for new max

Step 1: Go to Home Depot
Step 2: Purchase one 3-ft long x 1 in diameter wooden dowel.
Step 3: Grab ~24-30ft of free tie-down twine located just outside the exit doors.
Step 4: Cut twine in half.
Step 5: Tie twine in two loops hanging from almost anything at home. Use two or three wraps of the twine on each side for added strength.
Step 6: Slide wooden dowel through loops.
Step 7: Pull

Mission 1 of Pullup Club:
dream-on(<==click)

30 days – to begin April 1 and conclude on April 30
April 1: max number of pullups for test
April 2: Day 1 number divided by 3 multiplied by 10 – as quickly as possible
April 3: Complete the total from Day 2 with as much rest as you want
April 4 thru April 13: Repeat the Day 2 and Day 3 sequence (5 more rounds) adding 5 pullups to the total every round – Example: day 1 – 18 pullups with no rest; day 2 = 60 pullups (18/3 X 10 = 60); day 3 do another 60 with as much rest as you want (more than day 2); day 4 do 60 + 5 pullups as quickly as possible; day 5 do 65 pullups; …day 10 do 80 pullups as quickly as possible…etc.
April 14: Take your total from Day 13, divide by 2 and complete that number with plenty of rest
April 15: Pullup Ladder – Take your Day 1 total, divide by 3.  This works best with a partner but is not necessary.  Just estimate the time it would take for someone else to do the pullups.  If Day 1 was 18, then do ladder 1-6.  Looks like: you do 1, partner does 1, you do 2, partner 2, you 3, partner 3, up to 6.  Rest 5 minutes.  3 rounds.
April 16: do day 14 workout
April 17: Cardio warmup, preferably swimming or rowing, but walking is fine then take your ladder max (6 from our example).  Do 6 pullups, 6 pushups, 6 tricep dips – 3 rounds; cardio for 8 minutes; 2 rounds of pull, push, dip; cardio for 4 minutes (equal pace or better than previous); 1 round of pull push, dip; cardio for time.
April 18: Day 13 workout total (85 from our example) x 1.25 (106 pullups in our example)
April 19: Day 13 divide by 2 with lots of rest
April 20: Repeat day 19
April 21: Day 1 total x 3 with 25lb weight (either weight belt or a dumbell held by feet) with plenty of rest (if your day 1 total is less than 5, use 10-15lb weight instead)
April 22: Repeat day 19
April 23: Same as Day 21 but with 5 extra lbs
April 24: Repeat Day 19
April 25: Pullup ladder going 1 more round than last time (1-7 for our example)
April 26: Repeat day 25
April 27: Day 18 total x 1.25 (133 pullups for our example) as fast as possible
April 28: Do one (1) pullup
April 29: Do one (1) pullup
April 30:  Pullups for new max

Use this worksheet to plan your month. Just fill in Day 1′s total into the blue box. When it applies, round up to the nearest whole number. I could not get the cell format to save when I posted it.
Mission 1 Worksheet

“300″ workout, compliments of http://www.gymjones.com

25 pullups
50 deadlifts @ 135lb
50 pushups
50 24″ box jumps
50 floor wipers with 135lb barbell (Lay on back with weight overhead. Legs straight, touch toes to 45lb weight, back to floor, then to other 45lb weight, back to floor. That is 1.)
50 clean & press with 36lb KB (or 35lb DB)
25 pullups

Workout:

10 minute warmup run

10 front squats @ 60% 1RM, 10 split jumps, 10 weighted squat jumps with 2x20lb DB – 3 rounds

1 mile run @ 6 min/mile pace

10 front squats @ 60% 1RM, 10 split jumps, 10 weighted squat jumps with 2x20lb DB - 2 rounds

1/2 mile @ 6 min/mile pace

10 front squats @ 60% 1RM, 10 split jumps, 10 weighted squat jumps with 2x20lb DB - 1 rounds

1/4 mile for time

No rest between running and lifting, no rest between rounds.  Non-stop all the way through.

I’m too lazy to write about or do a big pullup workout.  I think this is the best workout on the site.  LIVE IT,  BREATH IT,  EAT IT:

Monday – Friday:  Do as many pullups/chinups as you can once a day.

Saturday-Sunday:  Don’t do any pullups/chinups.

Monday-Sunday:  Pat yourself on the back.

YUMMMM!

Pullup Workouts

Here is an ever-growing list of workouts to increase your pullups:

1. The Decreased Rest Method: Perform as many pullups as possible, divide that number by 3. Do 4 sets with this many reps, resting 60 seconds between sets. Do this three times a week. For the next week, decrease your rest by 5 or 10 seconds. Rinse, lather, and repeat, until you don’t need any rest. Start the program over again when rest is zero. Example: Max = 12; Divide by 3 = 4; 4 sets of 4 with 60 seconds rest for week 1; 4 sets of 4 with 50 seconds rest for week 2; 4 sets of 4 with 20 seconds rest for week 5; week 7 you would do 16 pullups with no rest. Your new number would be 6 (rounding up from 5.3).

Q&A: What if I can’t do 16 by week 7? If you dropped from 10 seconds rest to zero and you can’t do it, then spend another week or two with 5 seconds rest before you make the last jump to zero.

Q&A: What if I can’t do one? There are a number of things you can do. First lose weight, fatty. Secondly, get a chair, grab the pullup bar and start with your chin above the bar and hang there for 30 seconds. Once you can hold it for 30, you should be able to do one pullup. You can also concentrate on supporting muscles with other exercises. I recommend the rowing machine, bent over rows with dumbells, swimming, and military press to name a few.

2. http://www.cbass.com/Pavel’sLadders.htm

3.  Irongrip’s method – My method has been a modification of the decreased rest method.  My max at one point was 12 pullups.  I divided by 3 to get 4, just like in workout 1 above.  Instead of 4 sets, I did 6 sets.  I tried 60 seconds rest until I could do 6 sets of 4 with good form and no “kip” (swinging your legs forward and up to get the last few inches of your pull).  Then I advanced to 50 seconds rest.  This continued until I could do this workout with 20 seconds of rest.  Instead of continuing down to 5 seconds rest or no rest, I started over at 6 sets of 6 with 60 seconds rest.  After a few months, I was doing 6 sets of 12, my original max.

4. Recon Ron pull-up Program: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recon_Ron_Pull-up_Program

I remember when I first started coaching track (discus and shot) and heard a fellow coach make a comment about one of the throwers. He said that she always came to practice, but was a good example of just showing up and not putting in the effort to improve. She didn’t improve. From where she started her freshmen year to where she finished as a senior was disappointing at best.

Not only did I use that phrase over my coaching years (”If you are going to put in the time, put in the effort.”), I also always tried to live by it in my triathlon training. “Putting in the effort”, I found, is quite a loaded statement. How much is “the” effort. 100%. Just how much is 100%? That is a question we must all answer for ourselves. As I look back, there are countless times when I just showed up. Some days were hard pushed, but I don’t think I ever gave 100%. Whether because I was just too uncomfortable or afraid to fail, I rarely gave everything.

I put in hundreds of hours training for the Ironman. If I had put in the effort I could have, maybe I would have finished better. But it wasn’t all for nothing. Afterall, I did finish. I also learned one very important lesson, simply: I didn’t give 100%. Knowing that has been the start of a whole new world. Since my race in August I have hurt on more days in the gym than the entire 51 weeks I spent training for Ironman.

This not only applies to fitness, though. Giving 100% applies to everything from marriage and parenthood to working on a job. The hard part, though, is giving 100% in every area of life every day. Yeah, I row hard on the Concept II, but I eat like crap. If I started eating well, I start giving less effort in my spritual life. The most important lesson I learned is that I am weak.

Pullupclub.com was created for a number of reasons. Some I will list here, others we will make up as we go along. The first reason was to bring together those of us who are capable of doing more pullups than the average Joe. Unfortunately for Americans, the “average Joe” is obese and watches 40 hours of television per week. From what I have seen at the gym, I think the average number of pullups per person is less than one (1). With this in mind we decided that we would start with a site that could include those people who could do at least one, but with special priveleges for those who can do more (special privileges post coming soon).

The second reason we created this site is to provide goals and encouragement for anyone who wishes to join our club. A ranking system is in place based on the number of times you can pull your body from full extension at the elbows to getting your chin above a bar with your palms facing outward. If you can only do one or two, we want to provide information that can help you reach the next level. It is up to you to do the work.

Our blog will be used for giving advice. All members are welcome to share their experiences and lessons learned, and even to brag about their stats. It will be a good place to start for those who are inexperienced.

We chose pullups because, as far as body weight exercises go, they are the toughest. With a few months of hard work, you can go from 20 pushups to 50 pushups without rest. With a few months of very hard work, you can go from 10 pullups to 12 pullups. This club is not for the wary or half-hearted “spring-breakers” and “New Year Resolutionists”. Only hardwork and committment will bring you to the upper echelons of the club.

The scope of the site is likely to change over time and will be driven by you, the member. You will get what you put into it. Did you learn something? Share it. Have a question? Ask it. You will find most people are willing to help. If you wish to join just to say you are part of the club, it will show. Your numbers will never increase. At this point we have no way to verify your numbers. We hope to have video capabilities soon. Members will have to submit video footage for the master level and above. For anything below that, members are on the honor system. Your character will determine what info you provide. Don’t waste our time or your time with inflated numbers. We have no patience for people like you.