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1 Simple Trick to DOUBLE Your Chinups

Written by

Eric Wong

in

I was running around the other day, busy as a madman, driving to and fro, but I needed to get a workout in.

Because I wasn’t near my gym, I drove to the local YMCA and bought a day pass.

Sure, it was $15, but when it comes to my personal fitness, I take it seriously.

Those thoughts of, "Is this worth it?" are quickly erased when I look back and think of all of the times I’ve spent $15, or much, much more on things far less important than my fitness.

T-shirts that don’t fit right. A couple of beers at a bar. ONE beer at a baseball game.

Long story short, I bought the pass and had one of the BEST workouts in a while.

Here’s why…

If you’ve read my last couple of newsletters, you know I was in Vegas with some buddies discussing fitness related topics, brainstorming new ideas and having a good time.

I also had a chance to train at Wanderlei Silva’s gym courtesy of my man Sidney Silva, so that was a blast.

So anyway I hadn’t lifted a weight since Thursday a full 7 days before, so I was ready to ‘stomp’ out a good workout (true Wandy fans will appreciate the choice of adjectives).

What was my workout? 

1) Deadlifts – built up to a set of 275 lbs x 12 reps

2) Bench press – built up to a set of 195 lbs x 9 reps

3) Weighted chins – built up to a set of 70 lbs x 3 reps

At a bodyweight of 163 lbs, not bad at all I reckon.

And after that my nervous system was fried and I had to call it a day.

Boy did that feel great. 🙂

What I wanted to share with you was how to add weight to your Chins.

If you’ve only been doing Chinups or Pullups with bodyweight, it’s time to step your game up and build some real strength.

Here’s how I recommend you do it:

Simply grab a dumbbell, put it between your ankles, bend your knees, and pull!

The side benefits of this method are that it prevents you from swinging, which helps you focus on proper pulling technique.

Like it?

Questions/Comments?

How much weight can you add to your Chins? 

If Bob likes Jane and Jane likes Rob, are Bob and Rob brothers?

Let me know in the Comments section below:

Comments

20 responses to “1 Simple Trick to DOUBLE Your Chinups”

  1. Heath Avatar
    Heath

    Just wondering what is the best way to build up doing body weight chin ups. Is it a case of just stating, or are there other exercises that will assist me getting there faster?? The goal is to be able to pump out 3 sets of 20 body weight chins.

    Reply
  2. steve Avatar
    steve

    hi there just started to try and do some of the exercises you demonstrated,i am having trouble with the bulgarian squats i am not a fighter i am not supefit but i do love to exercise and i realise my body needs perpetual change in order to stimiulate a response my problem seems to be balance and keeping tall ,also keeping my foot firmly flat on the floor i need to do this any tips..same sort of problems with prisoner squats i always have to watch the feet rising of the floor and tripping forward i know my technique sucks ..i live in a small village and there are no places with adequate space, experts,and equipment !!! HELP

    Reply
  3. Josh Avatar
    Josh

    Yeah weighted pull ups/chins are awesome !!
    Slightly misleading title however…

    Reply
  4. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    Great info I’m actually trying to gain strength without gaining muscle but at same time I don’t want to get joint or tendon/ligament problems any suggestions

    Reply
  5. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    This is a good way to increase your chin up. I have also found that by using a belt and hooking chains to it to hold your plates etc. works well.. this helps when you start getting into heavier weights such as 100 pounds for max reps. hooking the weights into chains also pulls the weight straight down so that you are forced to do form.

    Reply
  6. Scott Avatar
    Scott

    My buddy J. is a BJJ Brownbelt and MMA fighter @ 150# he does triple pull ups with 185# strapped to his waist,triple dips with 170#,triple slant board sit ups with 140# dumbbell under his chin,triple dead lift with 405#…FrEaKy StRoNg !!

    Reply
  7. Ferg Avatar
    Ferg

    Yeah, I love any excercise that involves strapping heavy stuff onto yourself plus bodyweight, dips are great fun too.

    Anyway Eric, I noticed your man Claude Patrick on the roster for UFC 120, unfortunately I’m too far north in the UK and too busy at the time to make it down for that night, put it looks set to be a great show, best of luck to your team and I hope you enjoy London!

    And just a quick question, mostly in my weight training I focus on the lower rep ranges, the very highest I’ll go is usually around 8, how important is it to work in the kind of ranges your doing here?

    Thanks man

    Reply
    1. Eric Avatar
      Eric

      Depends on the exercise/goal of course!

      Up to 15 reps is very useful in some cases, depending on the phase of training.

      It’s a good way to deload the joints/tendons because heavy all the time can lead to some breakdown.

      Variety based on smart programming is crucial to long-term heath and results. Injuries set you back far, especially as you get older.

      Reply
  8. ken Avatar
    ken

    Hi Eric, i currently perform wide grip pull ups with 45lbs for 3 reps, hammer grip pull ups with 65 lbs for 3 reps and chin ups with 80 lbs for 3 reps at a bodyweight of 170lbs. Are there any other techniques you can share with us that can make pullups/chin ups more challenging or should i just keep focussing on gradually adding extra weight over time?

    Reply
    1. Eric Avatar
      Eric

      Some ideas here:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4Bz_Wb3FWc&feature=watch_response

      Reply
  9. Mike Avatar
    Mike

    I have done low rep- high set weighted pull ups for a long time. I have a belt, but just tried the dumb bell trick. It works great! But the belt allows negative only work. Nice Silva pic!

    Reply
  10. Dru Avatar
    Dru

    Nice, I’ve been using the weight belt thing with the chain but have only been able to add 45 pounds. I have been doing sets of 8 though. I had a question, when you were describing your workout how you built up to your sets and weight, how did you build up? Because I have always gone down in weight and sets as the workout progresses.

    Reply
    1. Eric Avatar
      Eric

      My goal is to build strength without adding any lean mass, so I build up by doing low reps, low sets, at a high velocity to prime my nervous system, then do one all-out set. This allows me to achieve my goal.

      Reply
      1. Jord Avatar
        Jord

        Sorry for this basic question. What kind of sets and reps for those exercises would i need to do to build strength and lean mass because i am currently at lightweight but due to my 6’1 height i’d like to get to middlewight. i know its a basic question but it helps when you get the answers from someone you can trust thanks

        Reply
  11. Clement Avatar
    Clement

    Hey Eric,

    I can’t even hit 8 reps, so I’m going to start training chinups from Monday to Friday. I already lift for 3 times a week (Mon, Wed, Fri) and do rowing variations for 2 of these days for 2 exercises at 3 sets of 6-8 reps each. I’m talking about DB one-arm rows, pullovers and bent-over row variations here. The only thing I’m worried about is if the high volume on my back will hinder my progress. I’d like to hear your opinions on this.

    Your video is great. Please shoot more!

    Reply
    1. Eric Avatar
      Eric

      You need lots of pulling, 2 exercises at 3 sets each, twice per week is totally acceptable within the confines of a properly balanced program…

      Man I sound like a government nutritionist. 🙂

      Reply
  12. dragonmamma/naomi Avatar
    dragonmamma/naomi

    I’ve been slacking off on pull-ups the last month, since I’ve been focusing on my 5K Harvest Fair Run tomorrow. (Wish me well.)

    I haven’t tried weighted pull-ups for a couple of years. I only got up to an added 25-pounds, then my “golfer’s elbow” started acting up. But this has got me revved up to give it another go next week! Now that I’ve been taking glucosamine/chondroitin for a couple of years, I hope my cartilage is in better shape.

    Reply
  13. Novan Avatar
    Novan

    Damn man you’re strong!

    As for the pullups, I’m going to try it out. How many should I be able to do just with BW before I start adding weights though?

    I can only do about 8 strict wide chins with BW. Should I add weight or stick with BW?

    Reply
    1. Eric Avatar
      Eric

      Good question bro – if you’re hitting 8 reps in good form, mix it up by adding a bit of weight (10-20 lbs) and do 4-6 sets of 2-4 reps… It’ll help boost your strength so you can soon bang out 10-12 reps no problem.

      Reply
      1. Novan Avatar
        Novan

        Wicked, thanks Eric!

        Reply

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