Greasing the groove.

rubadub

I have been "greasing the groove" for the last month, doing pullups chinups and dips on rings. It is basically training everyday a few times a day doing lower reps than normal, if you can normally do 10 chinups you might do 4 or 5. I think it works better for some exercises than others. It was brought to fame by Pavel Tsatsouline
http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/69/

Last month I was on about 14-15chinups, 12-13 pullups and around 11-13 dips on rings (dips are harder on rings).

I just did 19 chinups a minute ago, I would have stopped at 18 i.e. I went all out and usually don't, so I would call it an increase of at least 3 which seems OK. Most of my gains have stopped or plateaued recently so I wanted to try this out for a while. It suits me as I have the stuff at home, and could even do some dips on chairs in work during the day, and fingertip pullups on doorframes.
After a break I did 14 deadhang pullups, which I would count as an increase of 1 or 2 as I do usually do them to failure.

I do not train as much these days which is why I plateaued, I also do not eat enough to be really gaining. This last month I was on a deficit and have lost ~2lb, now 5'11'' 165lb. so you could say I am lighter so could do more bodyweight exercises, but it is not much to lose.

I would say on average per day I was doing 3 sets of chins/pullups/dips per day 6-7chins, 5pullups, 5-6dips.

Reg'stoy

Sorry to hijack your thread Rubadub, but hopefully you can help me. I recently bought a chinup bar and was just wondering how you started off using yours or did you start off with the rings straight away.

I've read on-line that at first you should stand on a chair and hang with your elbows bent from the bar (I'll admit to not being able to do more than 1 at the moment ) and slowly lower yourself, hopefuly hanging longer each time you attempt it.

Am I correct in thinking the above or are the any other methods of starting out with a chinup bar, by the way how do the rings compare and where do you hang them.

rubadub

Reg'stoy wrote: »

I've read on-line that at first you should stand on a chair and hang with your elbows bent from the bar (I'll admit to not being able to do more than 1 at the moment ) and slowly lower yourself, hopefuly hanging longer each time you attempt it.

That is it, and it works wonders. It is called "negatives". I stood on a small box or chair and held my self in the most upright position, then lower yourself slowly downwards, completely down to a "dead hang" i.e. arms straight.

Thing about chins & pullups is there is no starting wieght, other than your own bodyweight (it doesnt help that many beginners are overweight too!). When doing say military press you might progress from 15kg to 30kg fairly quick. With chins if you cannot do 1 then you have no practice so do not get to work the muscles. This is where the negatives help HUGELY. Do some and get back up straight away and do a few more. WHen you can do 1 or 2 normal ones, get back on the box and knock out more negatives.

I loop my rings over the chinning bar. I find them really great, cannot recommend them enough, I got them after my chinning bar, if you have rings you dont even need a chinning bar- though I still like to use mine, you could span a bit of wood across an attic hole and loop the rings on them. They are easier on the joints, and feel better when doing weighted work. When you do a pullup or chin up your arms can twist around with the rings, so it is a sort of cross between the 2. But dips are the real winner on rings, they work you far more than standard dips since you have to stabilise yourself. Also since you work stabilising muscles you will find you can do dips on the flimsiest of chairs!

You can make your own rings easy enough, could make them for under €20. Check the link in my signature for some sites.

And some tips on the first pullup here
http://bodyweightculture.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7977

another forum here
http://www.bodyweighttraining.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=2&sid=82e2b503409da5fcfb3c8a1768799f1d

Reg'stoy

Thanks for the tips Rubadub will do as you suggested with the negatives, would never of thought of using the attic access for equipment and my one is in the perfect position.
Just to keep on picking your brains, should the back of my hands be facing towards or away from me as I hang (does this make a difference?) also is there any exercise I could do in the gym with weights that might help me.

rubadub

Fingers/palms looking at you is a chinup, fingers/palms away is a pullup. Both are worth doing, most find chins easier. That is why I say on rings it is a sort of cross between the 2 since your hands can spin around. Chins work the biceps more, pullups work the back more, both very worthwhile and are compound exercises using a lot of muscles. I sometimes do leg raises at the same time as chinups.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXsUeQnmo58

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWBb3NoBK-k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_7rR3X-gdg

I am not sure what would help in the gym best, maybe lat pulldowns, but really if you want to get good at them just do them with the negatives. You will be flying along in no time. When I started I could do none either, and if anybody told me then that I would be able for 19 chins I would have laughed.

The added height of the attic is also and advantage, since you do not have to bend legs as much. Also it allows more easy twisting on the rings, higher the better. I have used goal posts on the local pitch.

Colm_OReilly

Were you increasing the numbers of the pull ups? Or still doing the 7 in week 1 and week x? afaik you're meant to increase the grease the groove numbers to set benefits in your max reps

rubadub

Colm_OReilly wrote: »

Were you increasing the numbers of the pull ups? Or still doing the 7 in week 1 and week x? afaik you're meant to increase the grease the groove numbers to set benefits in your max reps

I didn't increase them, I haven't read about that. In fact I found it hard to find much info at all on the technique, seemed to work anyways. I just did a few weighted ring pullups, 7 with 10kg, can't remember what I was at before but it is an improvement.

Google is pretty quick! this post is 5th down

http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&q=%22greasing+the+groove%22&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f

I see now "grease the groove" gets more hits.

http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&complete=1&hl=en&q=%22grease+the+groove%22&btnG=Search

Lockstep

I might give this a try.

I can do about 5 or so chin ups in a go, 8 if I'm doing really well.

Can't do a single pull up.