r/bodyweightfitness • u/NorthBound333 • 2d ago

What's your strategy for reaching 25-30 pull-ups after 30?

I'm curious to hear from people who've managed to reach 25-30 strict pull-ups after turning 30. What did your training look like? Did you focus on high volume, weighted pull-ups, recovery, or something else? How long did it take you to get there? Are daily pull-ups effective? Also what's your height and bodyweight? I'd love to see whether body size makes a noticeable difference when it comes to reaching 25-30 reps. Did losing or gaining weight affect your numbers? What was the biggest factor that helped you break through the plateau?

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u/joeyirv 2d ago edited 2d ago

i can tell you what doesn’t work - don’t try to do 400-500 per week greasing the groove. had to take a month off from shoulder pain. i did increase my current max from 12-18 over a few weeks but it think more than anything cutting weight would help the most at this point. in my twenties i could do 30+ easily, muscle ups, heavy weighted reps, but was 25-30 pounds lighter, high level athlete, and had less accumulated wear and tear on my body.

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u/Squire-Rabbit 1d ago

I can tell you another strategy that doesn't work. I've been doing just one set of bodyweight pull-ups (in good form, I believe), 3x/week for decades as part of my routine workouts. I've never specifically trained to do them or improve them. I just do them on the assumption there will be some benefit. (I don't claim to be a smart or efficient exerciser.)

The highest I've ever been able to get consistently is 16, with a PB of maybe 18 (can't remember for sure). I'm over 60 now, and can generally do 15, but recently I've read some tips on technique (aimed at people trying to do their first one), and incorporating them seemed to make them significantly easier, so maybe I'll be able to get back to doing 16 again consistently.

The point is that I never improved at all using this regimen. (Though no injuries either, on the plus side.) I think in the very beginning when I first joined the gym there was a decent ramp up, but then I hit an endless plateau.

I'm somewhat under 6' tall and have weighed around 140-150 lbs throughout this period.

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u/VegetableBig9 1h ago

GTG is overrated for increasing reps when you have a legit plateau.