# Pull Ups and Dips ?



## TrojanMan60563 (Apr 10, 2009)

I am curious if any of you found them harder to do as you gained weight, or bulked? I have put on both good and bad weight over the past couple years and now that I am back full swing I find myself struggling to do them.

At 195lbs in the Navy I could do dips and pull ups with 2 plates on a belt. I would rep 8-12 times. I injured a shoulder and stopped both all together. I got up to 215lbs in real good shape without them in my routines. Bulked up to about 260lbs and gained fat and muscle and never really kept on track. Well now I am down to 245lbs and trying to make my way back to 215. I am just having hell trying to do pull ups at my current weight. Over the past 6 months I have gained back a lot of the strength I previously had prior to leaving the gym but I am still not having much fun doing pull ups or dips. I am taking dips slow since I don't want to hurt my shoulder again, but the pull up thing is killing me! I can't say I've done them every back routine, but I notice that I have not improved much either.

Basically has anyone in here bulked or put on weight and noticed these movements harder or not possible to do prior to the weight gain? I assume you can gain muscle and not get stronger at certain things right? I just feel silly asking about this but today was back day and pull up failures have me thinking. Do pro BBer's do these type of movements, or does their body weight hold them back too? I can exceed my bodyweight in any full body lift aside from these... i.e bench, deads, and squats, and in the case of the latter two I can more then double my body weight.


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## T_man (Apr 10, 2009)

I havent found them harder, but I can never seem to go past 11-12 dips maybe because I do them as my last chest exercise or the 2nd last ones, and because I'm gaining decent weight (2kg in the past 3-4 weeks), the weight I'm lifting is going up slowly but surely.

I do get a pain in my clavicle for about 2 seconds after I alight from the dip station and I dont know why.


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## kyoun1e (Apr 10, 2009)

I think unless you're one of those guys rail thin guys who can pump out 15 without ever going to the gym, you're going to have trouble with pullups unless you keep doing them. Especially if you've taken time off and gained weight. It seems like the only thing that improves pullups are doing more pullups.

I'd think that as you shed some pounds and keep working at pullups consistently you're going to improve. 

KY


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## TrojanMan60563 (Apr 10, 2009)

I guess what got me thinking today was the rail thin guy pumping out long set after set. It really got me motivated 

I remember back when i did them I had to start like now doing none, and got stronger at them very quickly. I will keep at them each rotation and make sure they are first up in my routine to give me the benefit of the doubt. I don't want to do 25 of them...just max of 12, and eventually get back into weighted sets.


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## T_man (Apr 10, 2009)

I think also as with time, you become a smarter lifter, not an ego lifter.
Doing slower reps, and full ROMs through the exercises will easily half the amount of reps you can do. I used to be able to do 15+ pullups but I used to do them really fast and didn't go down all the way.
Nowadays I can manage about 8-10 without weights, as my pull-up station requires a jump, but I perform full ROM, going to the "lockout" at the bottom so I have to pull myself up from scratch each rep like a deadlift, and I do them much slower, making sure I get that tearing contraction.


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## Chevrolet (Apr 11, 2009)

at 235 i could still do dead hang chins with +90 or even +135 on my belt.


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## TrojanMan60563 (Apr 12, 2009)

Chevrolet said:


> at 235 i could still do dead hang chins with +90 or even +135 on my belt.



I'm jealous...I have a feeling my 4-5 years of not doing weighted dips or chins due to shoulder issues has really weakened that lift for me...I think with time and practice I can bring that back up quickly...I'll see what happens over a month or so and repost in here my progress...I think its just lack of doign it that is my issue, not lack of muscle etc..


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## MeatheadSam (Apr 14, 2009)

I have found dips too hard on my shoulders and quit doing them. 

Pullups are a staple in my routine. I always included them to some degree. You cannot beat pullups for a great back movement.

Yes, added bodyweight seesm to affect my pullup str. I do 10 or so less now than I could do when I was 25 pounds lighter. Right now I do not add any more than a single 45 and mostly do bodyweight sets to failure.


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## AKIRA (Apr 14, 2009)

TrojanMan60563 said:


> I am curious if any of you found them harder to do as you gained weight, or bulked? I have put on both good and bad weight over the past couple years and now that I am back full swing I find myself struggling to do them.
> 
> At 195lbs in the Navy I could do dips and pull ups with 2 plates on a belt. I would rep 8-12 times. I injured a shoulder and stopped both all together. I got up to 215lbs in real good shape without them in my routines. Bulked up to about 260lbs and gained fat and muscle and never really kept on track. Well now I am down to 245lbs and trying to make my way back to 215. I am just having hell trying to do pull ups at my current weight. Over the past 6 months I have gained back a lot of the strength I previously had prior to leaving the gym but I am still not having much fun doing pull ups or dips. I am taking dips slow since I don't want to hurt my shoulder again, but the pull up thing is killing me! I can't say I've done them every back routine, but I notice that I have not improved much either.
> 
> Basically has anyone in here bulked or put on weight and noticed these movements harder or not possible to do prior to the weight gain? I assume you can gain muscle and not get stronger at certain things right? I just feel silly asking about this but today was back day and pull up failures have me thinking. Do pro BBer's do these type of movements, or does their body weight hold them back too? I can exceed my bodyweight in any full body lift aside from these... i.e bench, deads, and squats, and in the case of the latter two I can more then double my body weight.



To answer your closed ended question, No.

Open ended, no, because Ive always incorporated them in my routines.  Err, Pullups, not Dips.  They arent always in my routine.

In any case, it sucks that you lost strength but dont sweat it.  Its just another exercise you have to get used to again (if its safe).  For example, Ive benched on a flat surface for a year, maybe?  Now I do inclines and 225lbs gives me a run for my money even though I repped 315lbs on the flat bench.


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