I have the ability to do set after set of pullups for volume. My rep max isn’t very high though.
Before the lockdown the best set would be 7 or 8, 9 on a good day, now it’s 4 or 5, 6 on a good day, though I can still hit a bunch of 4s before dropping to 3s.
Still, 50 reps in under 20 minutes, 100 in under 45:00. Pretty quickly I’ll be back to 3-5 reps or greater a minute.
People (particularly girls in their 20s) stare, it’s uncommon to see a man weighing 265+ lbs banging out that many chins so quickly.
I definitely have work capacity.
That hasn’t left me, and now back in the gym I probably did more chins in the last 48 hours than I’d done through the entire lockdown. My forearms have a nice soreness, I like this effect from chins.
Though the high volume density sessions don’t seem to be the manner in which I get better rep counts.
The last time I consistently hit 10+ (this time in 2017, “hardcore” gym) was just doing a good set to just shy of strain every session. Maybe two sets. As many as possible but fresh, without straining. Bodyweight was between 255 and 235.
A year or so prior to that (early to mid 2016, good ole commercial gym hell) I got 10+ doing 20 reps spread throughout every gym visit, trying to get there in as few sets as possible, but still without straining. I’d spread them out generally throughout the entire visit. Bodyweight was 230-235.
A year or so prior to that (2015 Vegas early summer) I hit 19 reps open handed neutral grip round a fat tree branch, I’m guessing bodyweight was between 195 and 215, probably 205-210, I didn’t own a scale, and got to 19 by lots of back isometrics, a set off that tree here and there (probably as many as possible without straining, roughly a set daily while I cared to do them), and by virtue of being nearly in military weight regulations not far heavier.
Why is it that I don’t rest much between sets of chins at pf?
I don’t like standing around.
I could use the 2016 method, 20 reps done without strain and hidden amongst other exercises…or I could continue high work capacity low rest low reps many sets like I’m currently doing expecting reps will come per set at some point.
The density style is good for growth, but it’s keeping it a low rep strength exercise, while building strength-endurance, instead of allowing it to be a high rep endurance exercise building endurance.
And last winter, despite rep maxes not only under 20 reps, but under 10 reps, I started doing weighted chins, at +20, 25, or 30lbs for the most part, and obviously low reps per set, generally doubles or triples. This made chins easier, and could be another way to add reps. For example get used to 3s at +30 and 5 x bw isn’t so difficult. It had that effect.
Also, before the lockdown I was mixing chins with the curl machine as supersets, at one point consistent at averaging 6 chins, set of curls, superset to infinity while resting little. Heavy bicep development plays a big role in chins, I’d argue one even more important than the lats.
Persistence & Tenacity