Pull-ups and dips: the superhero body in 18 weeks

Author: Eric Brown

Pull-ups and dips are underrated but very important exercises with body weight. The proposed 18-week protocol sets aside a special training day for them.

Program description

What would you say if I promised that this pair of exercises would revolutionize your upper body? What if I said that these two movements have been the foundation of training since time immemorial and have brought great results?

You might think that this looks like another publicity stunt. But I assure you, this is all true. and is the key to building perfect upper body muscles.

Focus on pull-ups and push-ups

In the constantly rushing fitness community, no one wants to rely on hard work to achieve their goals. Many guys want to have bulging and prominent muscles in their back, chest and arms. The problem is that these guys are looking for shortcuts to achieve this goal.

Poor workout planning, too much training volume, and avoidance of progressive overload are the top three reasons for failure. A standard program consists of, incline bench press, machine press, etc. All exercises are performed on the same day with an abnormal load volume, and this strategy is not suitable for the full development of the upper body.

When your workouts are too much and you have a recipe for total failure in your hands. I know that a lot of guys who do these exercises every week end up in a broken trough – they have wide chests, but not even a hint of relief.

I enjoy studying other sports disciplines. In every sport there is a part of the body that is ahead of all the others due to the specifics of the training process. Sprinters have the best glutes and hamstrings on the planet. Skaters and sprinter cyclists boast quads that many bodybuilders can only dream of. And male gymnasts are like superheroes with fantastic upper body muscles! As far as I know, these guys do deadlifts and presses with a ton of variations on the topic of pull-ups and dips.

In my opinion, pull-ups and dips are the best upper body exercises. Pull-ups and push-ups have always been the mainstay of my workouts, but as a rule, they were only some part of the training session. Last year, the thought came to my mind, what if I devote a separate day to only pull-ups and push-ups? The very thought of it was inspiring to me, like Ray Lewis (the legendary Baltimore Ravens defender) is driving the crowd in front of another NFL hack.

The results were overwhelming. I set aside a separate day for pull-ups and push-ups, and even before I knew it, I had built a strong and muscular upper body.

The high volume pull-ups and dips made my muscles grow. Massive chest, much wider back and powerful arms – these were the results of the change in the training program. Doing these exercises on a separate day at optimal frequency and in combination with my training protocol, plus progressive overload, and my upper body began to grow by leaps and bounds.

I also noticed that along with the improvement in the results in the pull-ups and push-ups, so did my strength indicators in other pressing and pulling movements. But enough about me, because now it’s your turn to build muscle.

Below I will describe the basic protocol of pullups and push-ups for 18 weeks. He will help you stay on course. And please remember one more very important point. Today, you are often promised incredible results in the shortest possible time. Abs in 4 weeks, massive breasts in 60 days, and all that ad crap. I do not promise anything, and I do not support such a policy.

Real results take time multiplied by effort. The only thing I can promise will be hard. If you can follow this chin-up and push-up protocol, you will be stronger and more muscular in your shoulders, back, and chest after 18 weeks. I don’t know how dramatic the change will be, because everyone responds to training stimuli in their own way, and everyone’s diet is different too. But you will definitely take a step forward, you can be sure of it.

In outline

You will do pull-ups and push-ups on designated days throughout the 18 weeks. These days will be entirely devoted to pull-ups and push-ups. The graph is based on the basic Leg-Press-Pull scheme. The weekly plan will look like this:

• Monday: pull-ups and dips on the uneven bars
  
  
• Tuesday: legs
  
  
• Saturday: recreation
  
  
• Thursday: presses
  
  
• Friday: traction
  
  
• Saturday: sprint or rest
  
  
• Sunday: recreation

Training schemes

The first thing you need to do is purchase a push-up kit. Remember, progressive overload is the most important part of successful training. We’re not going to do all of the complex movements that gymnasts hone day in and day out, so your job is to add weight or work faster. As soon as you finish the workout, completing all the repetitions, increase the load. The 5×10 bodyweight push-ups will help lay the foundation you need to build off from so as not to turn into a mediocre powerlifter.

For the first three weeks of your pull-ups and dips, you will be using a basic 5×5 pattern. Remember, 5×5 offers you two options. You can increase the weight slightly in each set, or you can use the same weight in each round, even if you start with body weight.

The second three-week block assumes an increase in volume using the basic 5×10 scheme. Again, you can increase the weight slightly in each set or work with the same load, even if it is body weight. You also have to combine movements into supersets, but with a little more rest than in traditional supersets.

In a 5×5 pattern, you start with pull-ups, rest 1 minute, do push-ups, and then take a 2 minute break before starting the next round. In a 5×10 pattern, you rest 45 seconds before push-ups, and another 90 seconds before starting a new round.

The third phase of the protocol involves performing pull-ups and push-ups in the OP-21 style (rest-pause) according to the 7×3 or 6×5 scheme. Please read for a better understanding of the basic principles of this protocol.

• Weeks 1-3: 5×5 – pull-ups and push-ups, rest 1 minute between exercises and 2 minutes between sets.
  
  
• Weeks 4-6: 5×10 – pull-ups and push-ups, rest 30-45 seconds between exercises and 60-90 seconds between sets.
  
  
• Weeks 7-9: OP-21 – pull-ups and push-ups using 7×3 and 6×5 patterns in one day. Pull up in a 7×3 pattern, rest for 2-3 minutes, and then do push-ups on the uneven bars in the same 7×3 pattern. After push-ups, rest for 2-3 minutes before pull-ups in a 6×5 pattern. Rest for 2-3 minutes and do push-ups according to the 6×5 scheme. Please see for an understanding of the principles of 7×3 and 6×5 sets.
  
  
• Weeks 10-12: duplicate weeks 1-3, but with more stress.
  
  
• Weeks 13-15: duplicate weeks 4-6, but with more stress.
  
  
• Weeks 16-18: duplicate weeks 7-9, but with more stress.

Conclusion

Simplicity is the key to success. When things get too complicated, it is common for a person to lose concentration and give up what they started. With the simplicity of these schemes, you will begin to improve your upper body.

Pull-ups and push-ups are ideal for developing the muscles of the chest, back and shoulder girdle. All you need to do is record your weight / reps and move forward.

Eat in accordance with your goals if you want to burn fat or gain muscle mass. If you train hard enough, you too can create a superhero body. But do not forget that such a body needs strong wheels.

People fear and respect heroes like Batman. And they laugh at characters like Johnny Bravo. His feet are only useful for cleaning kitchen pipes. Keep it simple and keep moving forward!

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