Dear Diary, If I Fell Into a Pit of Snakes… I would Surely Die
Falling into a pit of snakes is seriously my worst nightmare. I’m dead serious when I ask, if you fell into a pit of snakes, and could reach the top edge of the hole, could you pull yourself out?
Or a more practical, similarly horrifying example, if a building was on fire and you had to pull yourself up and out of it, could you? Could you pull someone else out?
These are two - yes, extreme - examples of why being able to perform a pull up as an able bodied human is important!
As a cornerstone functional movement, pull ups translate to many real world scenarios that are less life or death. They are an important link in our posterior chain; central to having great posture; improve cleans, snatches, deadlifts, and many other in-gym movements; as well as counter-act many daily movements that predominantly utilize the anterior (in the front) muscles of our bodies.
PULL UP CHALLENGE
There are two ways to complete this challenge, and depending on your strength levels now, you may be able to do it in 10 seconds or less.
OPTION A
Complete 5 Strict Pull Ups (women) or 10 Strict Pull Ups (men).
OPTION B
This is the test-retest option. If that many (or more) strict pull ups are unavailable to you, what you’ll do instead is pick a modified variation, test it, and then in 30 days retest it with intent to achieve a higher score. To help you along in this process are four different workouts to follow and complete two days per week. For best results, maintain this schedule for the next four weeks.
Each of these workouts you’ll do twice; they don’t necessarily need to be in order, but as humans we thrive in routine; therefore, I’d recommend following along in order.
Workout #1 & 5
*Workout 1 ONLY: Pull Up Test (how many can you do?! attempt after the warm up)
Use any variation you need so that you have a number greater than 0.
Warm Up
3 x 6 Tennis Ball T-Spine Release
Reads as 3 spots x 6 reps at each spot, 3 reps clockwise and 3 reps counterclockwise.
10 PVC Around the Worlds (5R/5L)
10 Forearm Scap Push Ups
Strength
E2MOM: 5 Rounds
6 Ring Rows @ 3:0:0:0
Reads as complete 8 ring rows using a 3 second eccentric count (on the way down).
Add any 20 - 30 second accessory movement you’d like.
Workout #2 & 6
Warm Up
Hug of Death (see workout #4)
2 Rounds
5 Scap Pull Ups
10 Ring Rows
10 PVC Around the Worlds (5R/5L)
Strength
EMOM: 10 Rounds
Minute 1
Max Eccentric Pull Ups
Lower down as slow as possible, as many times as possible, in 1 minute.
Minute 2
Rest
WORKOUT #3 & 7
Warm Up
3 x 6 Tennis Ball T-Spine Release
2 Rounds
5 Cuban Press
5 Scap Pull Ups
Strength
6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4
Bench Assisted Pull Ups
30 - 45 seconds
Rest
Reads as complete 6 Bench Assisted Pull Ups, then rest 30 - 45 seconds, complete 6 BAPU again, and then rest, then in the next round drop down to 5 reps of the BAPU, and so on.
Workout #4 & 8
Warm Up
Hug of Death
5 DB Cuban Press
3 Rounds at increasing weight:
5 Romanian Deadlifts
5 Bentover Barbell Rows
Strength
E2MOM: 5 Rounds
6 Pendlay Rows
8 Deadlifts
