Elite Physique
Dan Kennedy
Educated at the University of Western Ontario, Dan employs his degree in Kinesiology as the foundation of his personal training business Elite Physique. He’s also a National level bodybuilder and judge. Dan’s earned a reputation for his knowledge and his tell-it-like-it-is approach to performance enhancement!
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Chin Up Training
Q: I just enlisted with the Canadian Forces and I leave for Bootcamp in 10 weeks. I'm a good runner and I can crank out the required number of pushups without breaking a sweat. My problem is chin ups. I suck at doing them. I need to get at least 10 but I can only manage a pitiful 7 reps. A typical workout would be 3 sets of 7, 5 and 3 reps. How should I train to get my numbers up?
A: Congradulations on your decision to join the Canadian Military. I served for 10 years and I can honestly say I don't regret a single day. Getting ready for Bootcamp shouldn't be too much of a problem as you seem to have most of the bases covered. Obviously your main focus should be on chin ups and best way to get your numbers up is to increase your training volume. The easiest way to do this is to follow Patrick Dale's Ladder Training. Essentally, you need to structure your sets so that you increase the reps until you hit the max number you were previously able to accomplish. This ladder-type of approach will be repeated for each of your three sets. In your case the first set was 7 reps so you will now perform your first ladder/set in this manner:
- 1 rung/rep
- Rest for a few seconds
- 2 rungs/reps
- Rest for a few seconds
- 3 rungs/reps
- Continue until you complete 7 rungs/reps (if you can)
The "rest a few seconds" will be intuitive but should only last long enough to recover to complete the next "rung" of reps successfully.
Perform the subsequent ladders/sets in the same manner (1-2-3-4-5 and 1-2-3). The rest interval between these ladders/sets should be between 2-3 minutes.
A quick calculation will reveal that the volume has increased tremendously. Previously you were completing only 15 reps. Now you will have increased your volume to 50 reps.
You may initially find that the 3 ladders/sets or even that the rung/rep goal is too much. That's ok. At least get the first ladder/set done (as many as 28 rungs/reps) with the goal of beating your previous volume. Build from there. Always push yourself to add extra rungs to the ladder and you'll find that you'll easily master the chin up in time for Bootcamp. Good luck soldier!
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