Ways to improve chin/pull up strength

Building chin/pull up strength

Working on eccentric (the negative or lowering phase of a rep) strength on neutral grip chin ups with my client Mary Kay.

A good way to build chin up or pull up strength, especially if you can’t do a chin up yet, is to work on your eccentric strength. The body is always stronger on the eccentric phase of an exercise and even if someone can’t do a chin up yet they can probably lower themselves (the eccentric) under control. Someone can then work on getting stronger on the eccentric by lowering themselves as slow as possible and trying to go slower each workout. Once someone reaches a 30 seconds eccentric they can probably do one chin up.

We started with Mary Kay being able to lower herself for 8 seconds and today she was able to do it for 25 seconds (that was on the first set, the 4th and final set seen here on this video she is doing less as fatigue is starting to set in).

What I am doing here is using a resistance band that offers a counter resistance so she can perform the positive or concentric phase. I take the band off at the the start of the eccentric to perform the negative as slow as possible. Once she gets to the bottom I put the band back on for the concentric. If and when the concentric strength starts to fail (as seen here on her last rep where she can’t get a full range of motion) I use a bench for her to get back up to the start of exercise to perform the eccentric.

The other reason I pull the band out for the eccentric is because the counter resistance it offers doesn't match the strength curve of the exercise. The strength curve is in any movement or exercise there will be a point in the movement where the body is the strongest and a point in the movement where the body is the weakest. During a chin up the top part of the movement is where the body is the weakest and the bottom is where the body is the strongest. The bands in the eccentric phase of this exercise actually work backwards. It makes the easiest part of the exercise, the bottom position, the part where you need the least help or counter resistance where you get the most counter resistance or assistance. It then makes the hardest part of the exercise, the top position, where you need the most help or counter resistance the part where there is very little counter resistance or assistance. Because of that I don't feel it offers much help on the negative phase of a chin up and therefore I don't like to use it for the eccentric. 

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