THE HISTORY OF MY PULL-UP RECORD NOW AT 58 REPS
From the first time I started lifting weights and developed upper body strength I have been able to do pull-ups with little or no effort.My heavy bench and arm lifts have helped in moving my bodyweight and pulling myself up in the pull-up. Having strong lifts in bench, dumbbell flyes, lat pulldowns,dumbbell rows,barbell curl, tricep extensions and bar-dips have all contributed to my pull-up. In the 9th grade I can remember doing 22 for a fitness contest in P.E. class. When I first joined local gym I held the gym record with 41 I was 20 yo. at the time and weighing about 142 . I was able to do 4 one arm pull-ups in 1985 when I owned my gym in Montana .Then I was doing 44 at the age of 28 and weighing about 148-150 pounds. As time went on from 1986 to 1995 I still did the lift but off and on and at times wouldnt do them for months.I was doing them weighted as I was not into reping then.This is a lift that needs to be trained on a regular basis to maintain endurance.I had all but stopped doing them as a staple in my workout.Around 1996 I reinvented my pull-up again and started training them to achieve a new personal best. When I started back up I was amazed how far I had lost my strength as in reps I was down to 32-35. I quickly increased them back over 40 again gaining a rep a week doing them after my back routines.For a few years I was able to do 45-48 on any given workout. I first reached 50 reps in 2000 at Golds gym I was in my best shape ever in strength as far as chest , back and arms lifts weighing in at 166 pounds .I found the perfect balance to achieve opitium reps for me was weighing around 162 to 166. In the last 6 years my reps stalled increasing only a rep a year . In 2006 finally setting a new record of 53 .At the time I was weighing around 165 . It had been close to a year since I had done 52.I again stopped doing them every week as I had forearm injury problems and I would go a month or so with no pull-up in my routine. Last year again set out to reistablish a new record and trained again to do so.Heavy lat pulldowns and upper body lifts and 2 pull-up routines a week I was able to set new records of 54 and then 55 .Recovering from my rotator cuff injury held me at that total for about 8 months until May of this year when I did 56 .I was surprized to do so that day but every thing fell into place. Thats leads me to today smashing my record again with 58 .Its rare when I can increase my personal best by 2 reps and have done so maybe only a few times.Im guessing I weighed about 162 pounds today .I can contribute the 3 rep increase in the last 2 months to heavy dumbbell rows for reps of 8-20 using weights of 100 pounds to 140 pounds.The 18-20 rep sets with a 100 pound dumbbell has developed not only a power stroke for the pull-up but endurance .When I started the set of 58 I felt pain in my lower lat and some tightness in my shoulders .I normally do the first 20 in controlled even pace and kick in my turbo and pound out about 20-25 more rapidly then come down some and slowly again a good rhythm power out the last 10-18. To acheive opitium reps you have to have no swinging from the legs they have to be prefectly still. I cross my legs at the bottom . I hope by the end of the year to reach 60 barring any injury or setback .If not theres always next year .To do pull-ups at your best is to be consistant and dedicated to the lift itself. Thank you for stopping in and reading my history to my new personal best in one of my all-time favorite lifts that bolds both strength , power and finese .
