How to do pull-ups and dips

[enwar3]

So I follow the basic SS routine with all the main barbell lifts (3 warm-up sets or so, 3 work sets of 5 reps each). Do I approach dips and pull-ups the same way? Or do I put weight on the belt and go straight into work sets? I've always been under the impression that dips and pull-ups are different...

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Approach it the same way if you haven't been using that group of muscles earlier in the workout. You are warming up your muscles - this is universal for lifting without injury.

 

[brikis98]

Warm-up as usual - a few very light sets just to get form down, warm-up the appropriate muscles and prepare your body for exercise. In terms of how many sets/reps, pull-ups and dips are assistance exercises, so as long as you do them at the end of the workout and they aren't interfering with the core lifts, it's kind of up to you. As long as you're making progress each workout, any scheme works, such as 3x5, 3x8, 1xF, etc. Hell, mixing it up every now and then will shock your muscles and potentially speed up your progress.

 

[Koing]

warm up the body, dynamic stretch, warm up for the exercise. If you do weighted dips then increase the weight in a few steps. Don't go from nothing to 25kg or you will jack yourself...

Koing

 

[gramboh]

I was in a similar position in that I'd done neither prior to starting SL 5x5. In terms of the actual exercise, try a few reps (start with no additional weight) say maybe 1 or 2 at a time to see how your form is. Since you are doing them at the end of your workout, I don't think you need to do any additional warm-up since you already did dynamic warm-up before starting and did 3 big compound lifts.

If you are able to bang off a decent number of reps (say 10) in your first set then start adding weight. I believe SL 5x5 calls for 3 sets of 5 reps weighted. If you can't do 10 reps with no weight, then keep working to failure (or one rep before) for 3 sets each time.

I'm still struggling to get 10 deadhang reps on pull-ups, probably because I always do them at the end of other heavy lifting. Dips came easy for me.

 

[Koing]

Bashed out 16 after my dynamic stretchs. 18 on a good day and 21 at my peak. I hope to get 21 pull ups and 20 chins by the end of the year. My plan is to just hammer out as many as I can after I stretch out 🙂

Pull ups (palms facing away, chin ups = palms face you) feel a lot easier now that I have had about 4 sessions on them 🙂

Koing

 

[enwar3]

Definitely pull-ups to work the lats more yes?

I'm doing weighted 3x8reps I think... and I'll stay at the same weight until I can do 3x8 of the next increment up.

 

[KoolDrew]

Definitely pull-ups to work the lats more yes?

During a chin-up the lats will be worked as a shoulder extensor and during a pull-up the lats are worked as a humeral adductor. So don't get too hung up on which one to do, switch it up every once in a while for best development.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
So don't get too hung up on which one to do, switch it up every once in a while for best development.

I think that's the best advice. For the best results, vary your workouts by doing pull-ups, chin-ups, parallel grip pull-ups, kipping pull-ups, muscle ups (if you can do them), and various inverted pull-ups (if you have rings).