IF YOU CAN do three sets of eight reps of the wide-arm chin up, you’re bad ass. Period.
This exercise is feared and revered in equal measure because, for the former, it’s pretty much a nightmare as it demands extreme shoulder, back and arm strength to even complete a few reps, let alone the full complement of 24.
A few reps can be performed in lot of exercises by most untrained people, but if you’ve never touched a weight before, you’ll struggle to complete one rep of the wide-arm chin up. And therein lies the real beauty of it. It’s only for the absolute machines, putting it bluntly.
To be able to master five sets of eight wide arm chin-ups for a complete beginner will take six weeks, training six days a week, being careful with your diet and not putting on any fat.
We’re going to break the plan into two cycles: cycle one and cycle two.
Cycle one will focus purely on getting you used to the movement, increasing the volume of reps you’ll do dramatically over a three-week period. That’s 18 training days in total – though one day a week will be a short but oh so intense day where you’ll chin up until you fail.
Grab your wife-beater and let’s go.
Just a few simple things before we tear the place down:
- A chin up is where your palms face towards you, not away from you (that’s a pull up).
- You need to be super-motivated to complete these sessions.
- Never train on an empty stomach, especially not these sessions.
- We advise taking three protein shakes a day during the program to promote recovery.
CYCLE ONE – Volume
Week one
- Monday – 10, 10, 10
- Tuesday – 10, 10, 10
- Wednesday – 10, 10
- Thursday – 10, 10, 10
- Friday – 10, 10
- Saturday – Test day, as many as possible in 5 minutes (aim for 50)
- Sunday – Day off
- Total – 180
Workouts explained: Do 10 regular chin ups with a grip as wide as you can and as often as you can. If you can’t get to the gym, get a bar installed in a doorway and do a set first thing in the morning and two sets last thing before bed.
Just do more, and more and more and take as much rest as you need, remembering that correct form is key. You are not using your back (yet) and try to go through the full range of motion.
On Saturday, time yourself doing as many as you can and take the Sunday off.
Completely.
You’ll need it.
Week two
- Monday – 10, 10, 10, 10
- Tuesday – 10, 10, 10
- Wednesday – 10, 10, 10
- Thursday – 10, 10, 10
- Friday – 10, 10, 10
- Saturday – Test day, as many as possible in 5 minutes (aim for 60)
- Sunday – Day off
- Total – 230
Workouts explained: Again the emphasis is on the number we do. It won’t be easy but you’ll start to feel you’re getting places by the end of the week, believe it or not. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday are hard days but either side of each day is slightly easier on the body as well as the mind.
Your normal training programme might need to be tweaked if it involved upper body exercises because it won’t be possible – or at least it shouldn’t – to sustain much upper body work outside of this.
Feel free to experiment with different grips. Underhand, overhand, narrow and most importantly, wide grips. Start to edge wider and wider if you can.
Week three
- Monday – 10, 10, 10, 10
- Tuesday – 10, 10, 10, 10
- Wednesday – 10, 10, 10
- Thursday – 10, 10, 10, 10
- Friday – 10, 10, 10,
- Saturday – Test day, as many as possible in 5 minutes (aim for 80)
- Sunday – Day off
- Total – 260
Workouts explained: We’ve upped the dosage on Tuesday and Thursday in what is the final week of ‘base training’. You should feel yourself get stronger now and be able to launch yourself up over the bar a bit more frequently – but no less painful.
The test day is where you’ll hopefully see yourself going beyond your previous limits. It’s always good to have weekly targets.
You’ll be amazed to hear you’ve now done 670 chin ups. But the hard work is only starting now.
CYCLE TWO – strength and size
This is a far more specific phase and will require huge motivation and dedication to execute it correctly. Your muscles are firing now and are used to the daily effort. Now, we’re going to add some weight and some variation so we get the most out of each session.
Essentially, we’ll be reducing the volume but upping the weight, using weighted belts and or vests, depending on progress. We’ll also be reducing the number of days you visit the gym to four — Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
A few things:
- You must establish your five rep max, which is the weight you can lift five times, only. If you’ve progressed well you will need to add significant weight to yourself by tagging a dumbbell to a weighted belt and tying it around your waist. So if you are 70kilos and you need a 20kilo weight attached, your 5-rep max is 90kilos. This means you can just about carry out 5 reps.
- There will be four training days and three rest days in the week, the reps differing every week.
- If you can lift more weight, add more weight. There can be no shortcuts here.
- It is important that you take as much rest as you need; proper rest and proper sets are better than short rest and poorly executed reps.
- Widen your grip as much as you can. A little at a time is the key.
Week four – 100 reps
- Monday (25 reps): 8, 6, 5, 3, 3
- Tuesday (25 reps): 5, 5, 5, 5, 6
- Thursday (25 reps): 6, 6, 6, 5, 4
- Saturday (25 reps): 6, 6, 6, 5, 4
Week five – 145 reps
- Monday (40 reps): 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4
- Tuesday (25 reps): 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2
- Thursday (40 reps): 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4
- Saturday (40 reps): 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4
Week six – 163 reps
- Monday (45 reps): 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5
- Tuesday (28 reps): 6, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2
- Thursday (45 reps): 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5
- Saturday (45 reps): 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5
Congratulations if you managed to get your way through this. A total of 668 chin ups in six weeks. Most of them were not wide-arm chins but now you’re ready for that test. Five sets of eight.
Over to you…
