Following on from Crossfit London’s excellent Ring Training guide, they have now published a Kettlebell Training guide, which I am stocking.

Like the Ring Training guide, this Kettlebell Training guide is a snip at only £3.50 and if you buy it via gubernatrix.co.uk you will also be supporting this site and helping me to continue to bring you great training content.

We’ve had some great feedback on the Ring Training guide, so I’m confident the Kettlebell Guide will be just as effective.

Kettlebell Training Guide content

So what’s in it? Mainly step-by-step instruction on all the major kettlebell exercises, including:

• Swing
• Clean
• Press – shoulder, waiter and bottom-up
• Snatch
• Turkish Get-up
• Windmill

In other words, everything you need to get started with your shiny new kettlebell. Short of actually going to a kettlebell seminar, this guide is probably your best bet to ensure that you are getting your technique right. Kettlebells are not the easiest things in the world to handle (that’s the whole point), so some clear instruction will take you a long way.

Here is what Andrew has to say about kettlebell training in his guide:

“A kettlebell, in spite of the hype, is neither a gym in the palm of your hand, an item that flenses fat from your body, nor builds indestructible bullet-proof abs: that’s done by hard work, skill, determination and diet.

However, if it can be swung and lifted with correct form, it confers on the user a variety of strength, power and CV-based improvements that, some insist, outstrip conventional training methods.”

I like Andrew’s honesty here; he’s not a kettlebell evangelist but recognises the contribution of kettlebells to the strength and conditioning arsenal.

I feel the same way: there are some kettlebell exercises that I love, like the swing and the Turkish get-up, and they are just not the same with a dumbbell. But like any training method, you get out of it what you put in. So, get stuck in and let me know what you think!

I’m interested in your thoughts about supplementation. I am talking about all the different types of supplements: vitamins, minerals, fish oil, creatine, stimulants, protein, recovery drinks and so on.

I have rarely used them up till now as I have been unconvinced of the need for supplements for myself.  I reckon I eat a pretty healthy, balanced diet. Even if there has been a bit too much of the bad stuff in the past, there’s also been a lot of good stuff. I don’t see people dropping dead because they didn’t pop a vitamin pill and I am naturally sceptical of anything that claims to be ‘good for you’. After all, haven’t unscrupulous people been peddling tonics and potions for centuries?

However, plenty of people disagree with this take! In some circles, supplements are pretty much standard practice. I’m not talking about naïve trainees who will simply stuff anything down their throats if its got a picture of a six pack on the bottle, but people who have exercised some discernment and come to the conclusion that there are things that they feel they are not getting, or not getting enough of from their food.

As I’ve recently overhauled my eating, I have been thinking about the whole supplements issue and I am even considering using a protein supplement.

So what are your thoughts on the issue? Do you use supplements? Why do you think you need them? What benefits do you get from them?

Photo credit: Karimian

I have recently started the Zone Diet and I thought it would be useful to post my experiences up here every so often.

I found out about the Zone Diet through Crossfit; it is their prescribed diet as it is consistent with the Crossfit recommendation to “eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar” for optimum health, body composition and physical performance.

What is the Zone Diet?

Originally devised by Dr Barry Sears, Crossfit has adopted the Zone Diet for its athletes. The Zone Diet is designed to control levels of insulin and thereby reduce fat storage in the body. It cuts out foods with a high glycaemic index and encourages consumption of protein and mono-saturated fats, aiming for a macronutrient split of 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 30% fat.

This is not in line with conventional diet wisdom which tends to recommend a higher proportion of carbohydrates (50-60%) and a lower proportion of fat and protein (15-25%).

Although no particular food is prohibited or required, Crossfit has produced lists of ‘favourable’ and ‘unfavourable’ carbohydrates, and recommended proteins and fats. Starchy carbs and refined sugars, for example, are ‘unfavourable’, in line with the Crossfit recommendation to eat “little starch and no sugar”.

Everything you would need to know to get started with the Zone Diet can be found in this Crossfit journal article.

Why did I choose the Zone Diet?

I have tried conventional calorie-counting diets in the past and have had some success with them. However, recently I have found it much more difficult to stick to them. I have felt like I just wasn’t eating enough.

I know a number of Crossfitters who are following the Zone Diet. They seem to have similar activity levels to myself and similar performance and body composition aims, and all were reporting success with this diet. So I thought I would give it a try.

The First Week

I have been following the Zone Diet for a week now and my experience has overall been very positive, although I have also had one or two issues.

The good points

Firstly, the positive points:

I haven’t felt hungry at all. When I totted up the number of calories I was eating per day, I was amazed that it could be so low and yet not result in hunger. Previously I found it difficult to keep to less than 1800 kcals per day (I’m a 60kg female). On the zone, I have been eating 1350-1400 kcals per day and not feeling hungry.

I haven’t had energy peaks and troughs throughout the day. Energy levels have stayed constant. I am able to go from breakfast to lunchtime without needing to snack, which is very unusual for me.

I have eaten no sugar except that which occurs naturally in the foods I am eating and I haven’t missed it at all. This was another shock as I have always had a sweet tooth and I was a complete monster for chocolate, biscuits, cake etc. I would never have believed that I could be perfectly happy not eating sugar. I haven’t even felt the need for sweetener.

I’ve lost weight, around a kilo in the first week.

It’s easy to use. I had thought at first that it might be a bit complicated but I am actually finding it easier than previous dieting experiences. I am used to weighing and measuring food, which probably makes a difference.

The less good points

However, I have had a couple of issues in these early stages. Firstly, the sheer bulk of food that I am eating at one sitting has increased significantly and there are times when I feel a bit too full. Getting your carbs from vegetables and a bit of fruit means eating a lot of vegetables! Also, eating protein at every sitting makes a difference. I am not used to having porridge for breakfast and then gobbling down several slices of ham and a few nuts.

The solution to this is either to tweak your food choices until you get a volume of food that you can handle or eat more frequently. However I imagine the body does get used to eating this way after a while. I found it a bit awkward in the first few days but I think I am already getting used to it.

The other problem I am encountering is tiredness. This kicked in around day five and I’m still suffering from it now, on day eight. I have been told by others on the diet that it does go away eventually once your body has adapted to the new diet and caloric intake. But right now it is frustrating because I am finding it harder to train and I want to sleep all the time!

I also found myself getting a bit emotional today – a classic symptom of the reduction in carbs. Again, I understand that this goes away eventually.

UPDATE: Since I wrote this post a couple of days ago, my energy seems to have returned. So the tiredness only lasted a few days, or so it seems at the moment

Into the second week

Despite these issues, I am looking forward to what the second week might bring. As a result of my first week experience I am looking to:

1. Scale back my training slightly until my body has adapted better to the new eating pattern.
2. Try a protein supplement to get around some of the bulky food issue (and hopefully save money!).

Watch this space!

Zone Diet links

Crossfit Journal article on the Zone Diet

Crossfit dietary prescription

Enter the Zone Diet - the unofficial zone diet online

Zone Diet - Barry Sears’ official zone diet site

Get Zoned - Australian zone diet information

Photo by latvian

Being able to run fast and strong is a pretty useful skill. Although it is trendy in some strength training circles to bash running and other cardio exercise, the fact remains that it is useful – even necessary – for taking part in many sports, outdoor pursuits and other fun stuff.

The distances don’t have to be daunting or boring; you can train for anything from 800m to 5k. For fitness and enjoyment, being able to run a mile or three at a decent pace is a popular goal. The cardiovascular endurance benefits will also help in strength training sessions and daily life.

You can improve your mile time and overall fitness with only a couple of running sessions a week. The key is how you train. Just going out for a half hour jog might be a pleasant way to spend some time but it won’t make a huge impact on your performance over a distance such as a mile. You will see much better improvements from interval training and some attention to technique.

Interval training

Most people need to improve two parameters: endurance and speed. Fortunately, you can do both at the same time through interval training.

Interval training is where you work for a prescribed interval (based either on time or distance) and recover for a prescribed interval, repeating this pattern a number of times. An example of an interval training session would be to run 400m four times, with 4 minutes rest between each 400m.

This improves your mile time in two important ways. Firstly it makes your body used to running faster. This is actually something neglected by a lot of people who habitually run a mile or more. They get better and better at trotting along over the distance but find it difficult to improve speed. Running shorter distances at a faster pace will train your nervous system and muscles to generate more speed. The second improvement is in fitness and endurance. Working at a high heartrate over a shorter distance will improve fitness, and working hard for the duration of the training session, even though you are having recovery periods, will improve overall endurance.

You can even combine the running elements of the training session with other exercises. For example, do your 400m run and then do sets of press-ups or sit-ups until the next run. This maintains the intensity of the session and keeps the heartrate up but allows you to recover from the running before the next interval. And you get some strength training in as well!

Hill sprints

Photo by jurvetson

Hill sprints are a type of interval training that build strength in the legs and work the heart and lungs very intensively. Hill sprints are also useful for running technique as they teach you how to use your arms and legs effectively.

And finally but perhaps most importantly, hill sprints teach mental discipline, how to push through the pain barrier and carry on working even when it hurts and you desperately want to stop! For most people, this has to be learned and takes practise; it’s not just a facet of your personality. Some will find it easier than others, but even if you think you don’t have the will power to keep going, you can acquire it with practise.

How to do hill sprints

Find a steep hill that takes between 30 and 60 seconds to sprint up. Sprint to the top of the hill, jog slowly back down and then sprint up it again. Repeat as many times as necessary. If you are not used to hill sprints, then 4-5 sprints is probably sufficient. If you are very fit, go for around 10 sprints. This is a tough session but well worth it.

The most important thing is not to stop at the top of the hill. It is supremely tempting but you must turn around and go back down immediately. Jog as slowly as you like – but keep moving. You will be surprised at how quickly you can recover and this recovery ability will only improve the more you train.

Good technique for hill sprints is to lean slightly into the hill, lift the knees and pump with the arms to propel yourself up the hill. Keep your head in line with your spine so you will end up looking at the ground a few feet ahead of you, with occasional glances at the top of the hill if you want. Breathe deeply and in a steady rhythm.

Try to maintain a steady cadence going up the hill. Cadence is the rate at which your feet strike the ground. What this means in practice is that as the hill gets steeper, you will need to shorten your stride slightly in order to maintain the same cadence. If you don’t shorten your stride, your cadence will slow down and you will begin to lose momentum. Keeping the same rhythm helps you to keep going mentally, even when your legs are burning.

Running technique

It is productive to train distances that are a bit longer than your target distance. For example, if you want to improve your mile time, run 5k. This helps to build up running strength in your body, primarily the legs but also the core, to maintain good posture while running. It is also an opportunity to work on running technique.

Many people slouch or hunch over their shoulders while running. They look at the floor, don’t really use the arms and fail to maintain a consistent stride length or pace. Often people don’t breathe in a regular rhythm and the breathing is shallow. A common error is to start off too fast, and get out of breath quickly or get a stitch. Running longer distances such as a few kilometres at a steady pace will allow you to iron out these technique problems.

Keep the head up, in line with the spine and looking straight ahead (unless you are running up a steep hill as mentioned above, where looking up would put your head out of alignment with your spine). Shoulders should be down and relaxed. Core should be firm and supportive. Arms should be relaxed and should swing naturally with the body. Be prepared to use them if you need extra effort. In a sprint or on a steep incline, focus on pushing the elbows up into the sky.

Walking lunges are a good warm-up exercise to include as they train your abs to maintain the right posture for running.

Overstriding

Be careful not to over-stride, as this will put the brakes on and throw you off balance. People sometimes do this in order to run faster but ultimately it is counter productive. The cumulative effects of the increased impact can cause injury and an ineffective stride limits your potential for speed.

Over-striding happens when you reach too far forward with your lead leg or land with a straight leg. So without reaching for the ground, land lightly on the heel with a slight bend in the knee and push off strongly with the balls of the feet.

If you are not sure if you are over-striding, you can test this by counting how many strides you do in a minute. If it is less than 90, you may be over-striding. When your stride is spot on, you will be able to feel it. You will feel as though you are gliding along and everything just feels easier. It’s a great feeling, as any runner will tell you!

Further information

Over-striding and how to correct it

Workouts for the mile and 1500 metres

Running correction video from Crossfit (mov)

Mile training schedules from Runner’s World

The video below has been brought to my attention and I wanted to share it with you! There’s a really important message here, but it’s best if you see it for yourself…

Rebuilding Aimee

This is the seventh article in my series of Top 10 Functional Strength Exercises. The aim of this series is to introduce some of my favourite strength exercises, that people may not be aware of or may not have tried.

What is the push press?

A push press is a press from the shoulders to a locked-out position overhead, using a dip – a bend in the knees – to help drive the weight upwards. The push press can be performed with the weight across either the front of the shoulders or the back of the shoulders. Most people perform the push press with the weight across the front of the shoulders.

Why is it such a great exercise?

There are three main overhead pressing exercises: the shoulder press, the push press and the push jerk. These three form a continuum of overhead pressing that starts at one end with absolutely no leg involvement (shoulder press) and finishes with quite a lot of leg involvement (push jerk). Crossfit has a useful video that shows the differences between these exercises side by side

Crossfit video: tri panel of shoulder press, push press and push jerk (wmv)

I think the most useful exercise is the push press, although it is fine to practise the others too. The shoulder press is pure upper body, particularly shoulder strength with no involvement from the legs. A push jerk is more technical, as there is a re-bend of the knees in order to receive the bar with bent legs before pushing up into the final locked out position. The push press gets the best of both worlds. Because there is involvement from the legs, heavier weights can be pressed than would be possible in the shoulder press and it’s more of a full body movement (although of course much of the effort comes from the upper body). However, it is not as technical as the push jerk, so it is easier to perform.

How to perform the push press

The key to the push press is to drive aggressively and get your torso right underneath the bar for maximum stability. At heavy weights you are more likely to be a bit wobbly so keep everything tight and use your abs to keep your body stable.

Step 1: Starting position

Take the bar out of a rack or clean it to the racked position across the front of the shoulders. Feet should be shoulder-width or slightly wider apart.

The hands hold the bar just outside the shoulders and elbows should always be forward of the bar. They do not have to be pushed right up as they would be in a clean or front squat, but having them forward of the bar keeps the bar in the right position. If the elbows drop, the bar drops and not only is it less stable and harder to hold but you also have to lift it that extra inch further.

Step 2: Dip and drive

Dip down at the knees and use that momentum to drive the bar upwards. Bend your knees to a quarter squat and as you drive back upwards, press the bar up with your shoulders and arms. Make sure that when you bend down at the knees, you don’t push your hips forward. You want to maintain that hip angle so that you can use the power that comes from extending (straightening) the knees and hips. It’s a fast, snapping motion.

Step 3: Lockout with bar overhead

Finish with arms straight and the bar locked out overhead. Poke your head through the window made by your arms so that the bar is over your hips. When you press upwards, the bar should be as close to your face as possible without bashing yourself, so you will probably end up tilting your head back slightly before driving your head forward as the bar clears your face. At the same time, the hips come back slightly so that there is a slight curve in the lower back at the end. This helps to give the drive some extra oomph when the weight gets heavy.

Be careful not to re-bend the knees after the initial dip and drive. This would make the exercise a push jerk, if you received the bar with bent knees.

If you can’t quite get your head around the notion of the hip drive, take a look at this video by Coach Mark Rippetoe, where he talks about this aspect of the exercise. He is teaching the shoulder press rather than the push press, but the principle still applies.

How to use the push press in your training

The push press is a great exercise for upper body and core strength, and probably more functional than the bench press. It can be used as part of a strength routine, for example on the same day as squats. It also builds strength for the Olympic lifts.

You can push press anything, not just a barbell. An uneven or instable weight such as a sandbag or water barrel makes a good training tool in this exercise.

The press or push press can also be added into a routine involving other exercises. A popular combination is the push press added to a front squat, known as a thruster.

You can also add a push press to a Turkish get-up from the standing position halfway through the exercise.

Further information and related posts

Crossfit push press instruction wmv mov

The clean: common problems

It’s about time I shared some more great links with you, to give you both food for thought and entertainment. Today I’m introducing a new forum, a video series, some great blogs and a fab free training guide. You can always check out my Links page anytime as well.

Funckey forum - This new forum on all things functional fitness (including a lot of Crossfit and some Ross Training) has already developed a friendly community bringing together functional training fans from all over the UK. Nice one, Chet!

Squat Rx videos - if you haven’t come across this video series on youtube yet, check it out. Very clear and thorough advice. Even if you are an experienced squatter, you will probably find something that you hadn’t thought about for a while.

Skwigg - Swigg is a self-confessed “food lunatic” who has got herself into great shape and wants to help others do the same. Her website is full of interesting (!) dishes and nutrition advice. An entertaining read!

Laurensfitness - Lauren is a personal trainer and professional athlete. Her well-written blog covers all aspects of fitness and diet. The blog is oriented towards the conventional gym-going crowd, but there are often gems to be found as she covers a wide range of topics and writes with clarity.

Male Pattern Fitness - Lou Shuler’s blog is always worth a visit if you are bored of a lunchtime. Writing on fitness ‘current affairs’, he’s usually entertaining and thought-provoking. He’s a bona fide journalist (and co-author of New Rules of Lifting) rather than amateur blogger. Don’t be put off by the name, his content isn’t always male!

Easy Ring Training Guide - Crossfit London’s free ring training guide, perfect for getting started on gymnastic rings. And if you are really into them, step it up with the full ring training guide (including muscle-up drills) available here for £3.50.

Related posts

Other strength websites (1)

Strength training books: 6 of the best

This is the sixth article in my series of Top 10 Functional Strength Exercises. The aim of this series is to introduce some of my favourite strength exercises, that people may not be aware of or may not have tried.

What is the overhead squat?

The overhead squat is a deep squat performed while holding a barbell over your head with straight arms. It actually feels more like a snatch (one of the Olympic lifts) than a back squat. The fact that the bar is overhead rather than across your back changes the nature of the move significantly. For this reason, I prefer the term ‘snatch squat’ as I feel it is more descriptive, but ‘overhead squat’ is the more commonly-used name.

Why is it such a great exercise?

The overhead squat is a great assistance exercise for the Olympic lifts. In particular it teaches the correct position of the lower back for Olympic weightlifting. The move also works legs, hips and core very intensely so is effective both as an assistance exercise for the powerlifting squat and as a whole body exercise in its own right. It is quite a challenging exercise for someone who is used to more conventional, bodybuilding-style training, and so acts as a good introduction to the rigours of Olympic weightlifting.

How to perform the overhead squat

Whatever your strength level, it is advisable to practise this exercise without weight first, or with a very light weight – trust me! If you don’t know what to expect it is possible to overbalance when doing this exercise for the first time. However, if you take it slow and practice with a wooden stick or light bar, you will be fine.

Step 1: Starting position – bar overhead with arms locked out in snatch grip

The overhead squat is performed using a snatch grip. This is a wide grip on the bar. Finding the ideal width grip is a process of trial and error. Those with long arms will have their hands right up against the ends of the bar. I am a not-particularly-tall female and I grip the bar just outside the smooth rings.

There is more than one way to get into the start position. The easiest way is to get the bar across your shoulders (i.e. in the position you would use for a back squat) using a rack and then perform a push press to get the bar up into position. Don’t forget to adopt the snatch grip before you press up! You can also snatch the bar into position – although of course you need to be competent at snatching in order to do this.

You should be standing with feet shoulder width – or even slightly wider – apart, toes turned out slightly. In other words, in your normal position for squatting. With the bar locked out overhead, you are ready to begin the squat.

Step 2: Squat down as far as you can, holding the bar steady overhead

Push back from the hips, keeping your back slightly arched. Look straight ahead with chest up and out – this helps to keep the arch in the lower back. Keep your weight on your heels and descend as far as your flexibility will allow. If your back starts to round, this is as low as you can go. Keep your knees directly over your feet, not collapsing inward or bending outward.

As you descend, keep your arms locked out overhead. The bar should be held so that the weight is above your hips, either just behind your ears or even just behind your head. You should be able to feel when the bar is in the right position as it will feel balanced. It is important never to let the bar come forwards as it will pull you forwards and you will have to drop it! Also, if you have very flexible shoulders, you might need to watch that you don’t over-extend backwards and have the bar too far behind you.

To keep the bar in place, think about pulling your hands outwards. Imagine you are trying to stretch the bar or pull it in half.

Step 3: Reach squat depth

The aim is to go as low as possible but your squat depth will be limited by your back flexibility. This will improve as you practise the overhead squat.

As with any kind of squat, your knees should remain over your feet. Ideally, your knees should not push out beyond your toes, but this is dependent on your flexibility. The more flexibility your have in your back, the more vertical your knees can be in the bottom position. You can see from the picture that my flexibility is a bit lacking here as my knees are slightly past my toes! But I know from my own experience that this improves with practise, so if your knees do come out past your toes, don’t let this stop you from practising the exercise as your flexibility will improve.

If you are not used to squatting to this depth, think about letting your body hang between your legs, not behind them. Often the squat is taught with a narrow stance and only to a parallel position, but it is difficult to hit a deep position with a narrow stance so if you have been taught this way, experiment with a wider position. Also if you need to turn your toes out a bit more in order to sink your hips lower, this is not a problem.

Step 4: Push out of the bottom and return to a standing position, maintaining the bar overhead

Press your heels into the floor and use your hips and glutes to push up out of the deep squat position and back to a standing position. Keep your core strong, holding your upper body in position. Continue trying to pull the bar apart to maintain its position securely above your head.

How to use the overhead squat in your training

There are a number of ways you can use the overhead squat in your training:

• As a warm up for Olympic lifts
• As an assistance exercise for the Olympic lifts and the squat
• As a core strengthening exercise
• As a tough workout in its own right (e.g. 15 bodyweight overhead squats) or combining it with other exercises in a circuit

The overhead squat has been growing in popularity, due in particular to its adoption by Crossfit as a key exercise. It is a very versatile move to master.

Related posts/further reading

Crossfit OHS Basics - explaining grip and position

The Overhead Squat by Dan John - more information on using the overhead squat in training

Mark Rippetoe teaches the overhead squat (mov video clip)
Crossfit workout incorporating overhead squat - snatch, overhead squat and pull-up

I suspect all of us have emotional routines attached to our training sessions that play a big part in the training process. I often feel nervous before a workout, but at the same time I know this is a good thing. If I don’t feel nervous, a little voice in the back of my head admits that perhaps this should be classed as an easy session or active recovery.

The nervousness starts several hours beforehand and kicks in with about an hour to go. Then suddenly I can’t wait to get to the gym, just to get the bloody thing over and done with - the nervousness is killing me!

On the way to the gym, the adrenalin starts pumping, I start getting a bit excited and have to remind myself to warm up properly. Right before the workout, whether it is heavy lifting or high intensity conditioning, the nerves briefly reappear and I faff about making sure everything is set up just so.

Then all of a sudden it’s into the workout and all systems go. Finally, I am having some fun! Yes, it is usually painful, messy, infuriating and desperate but there’s no way I’m going to stop until it’s done or I hurt something.

Some days I really feel that I am pushing myself to the limit. Other times I am working really hard, but I know deep down that I am not pushing myself as hard as I can go. What makes me push myself harder? Competition, definitely! Other people watching, other people shouting encouragement, good music.

Unfortunately most of the time I don’t have any of this. I like to think it is character-building, trying to push yourself to the limit while all around you people are chatting and pec-dec-ing while cheap music video channels pump out ‘hits of the nineties’.

I finish and either collapse in a heap or sit down and try not to faint (if it’s a max strength day). After about a minute, when the recovery has kicked in, I am already re-writing history and thinking “dammit, I could have done that quicker/heavier/better!’

But I always leave the workout on a high and the buzz lasts for the rest of the day.

How about you? How does your training make you feel?

Related posts

• What lengths do you go to for your training?
• How to be hard as nails
• Do your workouts scare you?

I went for a max chin-up attempt the other day and got 11 good reps with the form I was aiming for. Going over 10 reps was a milestone for me as I was stuck on around 7 or 8 for ages! However, once I had broken through that particular plateau, progress was faster and I’m now aiming for 20.

Gubernatrix max chin-up attempt (video clip)

I attribute breaking through that frustrating plateau to two things:

1. Improving my max pulling strength through deadlifts and other pulling exercises.
2. Practising frequently (several times a week) and doing 3 or more smaller sets, not going to failure.

There’s no one right way to train chin-ups or pull-ups, but I can share what worked for me.

Pulling strength

I think general pulling strength is very useful. Most of you reading this will be all too aware that few people in the gym bother to deadlift, whereas you cannot move for people benching or shoulder pressing. In fact, attempting chin-ups or pull-ups might be the heaviest pulling exercise people ever do in the gym, which makes it them difficult to improve. However, if you are already deadlifting upwards of 150% of your own bodyweight, your ability to do bodyweight chins should improve greatly.

I’ve also been training other pulling movements in recent months, such as cleans (explosive full body movement), rack pulls (very heavy loads), inverted rows and indoor rowing (pulling endurance and power). I am sure that all of these have gone into the mix, although it is impossible to judge to what extent an individual exercise has contributed. The bottom line is, I have been doing far more pulling exercises than pushing exercises.

Training methods

When I actually train chin-ups or pull-ups, I don’t often train to failure. Instead I concentrate on volume of reps. For example, going for 8 reps in the first set, then 6 in the second, then 4, then 2. So I’ve done 20 reps in that session. Another method is to go for an achievable number in the first set, and then try to do the same for the second and third sets. So I may start with 8 in the first set, which is hard but achieveable, and try to do it again. I probably won’t manage it, but I’ll get perhaps a 6 and a 5.

Keeping an eye on your rest periods between sets is also a good idea. If the ultimate aim is for a high rep set, such as 20 chin-ups, you want to keep your rest periods short - although not so short that you can’t recover because you do need to get that volume in.

I also don’t train chin-ups or pull-ups every day. I’ll do them perhaps 3 or 4 times a week, usually at the end of a training session. My max attempt above was done after a heavy squat session. This has pros and cons; yes, you are definitely fatigued from the heavy lifting session. On the other hand, you are well warmed up and primed to lift efficiently. Bodyweight chins feel comparatively light after powerlifting, so you can trick your mind into thinking they are easy!

I have recently started doing weighted chins, although it is too early to know what effect this will have on my chinning ability. If it helps me on my way to 20 in a row, I will let you know!

Form

Form and technique are not big issues with chin-ups and pull-ups, as they are a pretty simple exercise. However, if you are struggling then looking at technique issues might just give you the edge you need. I recommend the following:

• Experiment with hand width to find your strongest pulling position. Shoulder-width apart is the default, but try narrower and wider to see if it makes a difference.
• Try to pull with your back as well as your arms. Make the connection with your mind, try to visualise your lats pulling you up.
• Train both chin-ups and pull-ups (overhand and underhand grips) in order to improve. Also, try doing them on awkward objects like a beam, rings or the branch of a tree.
• Don’t compromise on form. If you are aiming for deadhang chin-ups or pull-ups, make sure you straighten your arms after every rep. If you start cheating on reps, it is more difficult to come back from that and find good form again.

I have covered other methods of training pull-ups in How to do pull-ups. You don’t have to use every method under the sun, in fact this may be counter-productive. Pick a method that seems to fit with the way you train and your own strengths and weaknesses. Progress is rarely linear and we all have those frustrating plateaus, but there’s no substitute for just plugging away and working hard.

Do you have any useful tips for chins and pull-ups?