photo by: Mojpe
Many people think that I am a skinny loser who never trains and spends most of his time torturing voodoo dolls representing unnatural bodybuilders and juicing fitness models.
Sorry, but that’s not entirely true. I may be skinny, but I still lift. Also, I don’t own any dolls…yet.
My most recent accomplishment is a 41kg/90lbs weighted chin-up.
I did it in January at the fragile bodyweight of 70kg/154lbs bodyweight.
I guess Mark Rippetoe and his followers will get mad when they see those numbers.
Adult male under 200lbs?
Are you in a comatose or a progressive transvestite, writes Mr. Permabulker while introducing yet another bomb of estrogen to his body in the form of milk.
—
Here’s the plan I followed to get there.
In March 2015, I started doing weighted pull-ups and dips as my exclusive upper body exercises.
At the time, I was capable of performing about 12 consecutive bodyweight pull-ups on a homemade suspension system. I always do my pull-ups on rings or a homemade suspension system because there’s less stress on the elbows and wrists.
The plan was simple:
-
work up to a heavy triple
-
add weight each week
-
construct 8-9 weeks long cycles
-
reduce the weight when pulling yourself upwards becomes an impossibility
-
build back up again to a new personal best
Below is my first weighted pull-up/chin-up workout. I took it straight out of my lifting log:
5 #5 means that I did 5 regular bodyweight only pull-ups
5+5 #5+5 means that I did 5 pull-ups with 5 extra kilograms which equal 11lbs
5+10
5+15
3+17.5 / (38lbs)
Each week, I was adding between 1kg/2.2lbs to 1.5 kg/3.3 lbs to the final set.
This method worked until I failed to do three reps with 27kg/59lbs. I only got two reps.
I restarted the cycle with a top set of 20kg/44lbs for 5 reps.
The first workout of the new cycle looked like that:
5
5+6.5kg/14.3lbs
5+11.5kg/25lbs
5+16.5kg
5+20kg/44lbs
1+20kg/44lbs
In 8-9 weeks, I stalled again at 30kg/66lbs for two reps. Nevertheless, this was a 3kg/6.6 lbs improvement.
Naturally, I started a new cycle with a top set of 22.5kg/50lbs.
The new cycle got me to 33kg/72.6lbs for two reps.
Below is the last workout of that cycle:
5
5+5
10+3
2+15
1+21
2+33 – the most epic grinders I have ever done
1+33
Can you guess what happened next?
I started another cycle and used 22.5kg/50lbs for my top set. I didn’t add weight this time because the previous cycle had been too hard. Besides, I wanted the first week to be easier than usual.
The new old cycle got me to 35.5kg/78lbs for two reps in two months.
Next? I began a new cycle with 25kg/55lbs.
This cycle got me to 37.5kg for one rep. I was planning to do two or three reps but failed – a bad move. I don’t recommend going to failure. It’s pointless.
I restarted the cycle with 25kg/55lbs as a top set.
In about 8-9 weeks, I got to a 41kg/90lbs chin-up for 1 repetition done with surprisingly good technique. I think I had two in me, but you don’t really know unless you try. I didn’t.
image by: kaboompics
Summary of the principles
High intensity
I am pretty sure that many people would stop reading the post when they see the low number of sets. I understand that the volume I did was extremely low by anyone’s standards, but there is a reason for that. Actually two reasons.
Number 1 – Alternating high intensity and high volume
Let me explain…
During the first phase of your training plan, you do very few sets but make sure they are heavy.
You do that until the plan stops working or your system tells you to stop… whichever comes first.
When that happens, you switch to a high volume plan in order to give your body and mind a rest in the form of a new stimulus.
I am currently in the second phase of my plan and perform high-volume weighted pull-ups. I do numerous sets with a weight that allows me to perform 5-7 reps in a row with good form. Currently, the weight I use is 21.5 kg/47lbs.
When it comes to pull-ups I prefer to do ladders: 1 rep, 2 reps, 3 reps, 4 reps…1 rep…
This method allows you to reach an incredible volume/tonnage.
My goal is to reach a ladder workout that looks like that 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7…
When that happens I will add more weight or test my 2-3 rep max.
Number 2 – High-intensity training saves you time, focuses on the fast twitch fibers and allows you to write books.
Frequency
I do weighted pull-ups only once a week because they put too much stress on the biceps tendons. Some people may add a light day, but unless I am trying to improve my technique, I don’t care about light days. The real progress comes from the heavier sets anyway.
Long Rest Between Sets
Similar routines cannot work with 1 or 2 minutes of rest between sets. You just cannot recover. I sometimes need at least 5 or even 7 minutes. You can use the time to play on your iFone.
Cycling – Be a winning Gambler
Cycling is nothing but a planned failure. Nothing continues forever without change.
Winning streaks always come to an end and so do losing streaks.
The goal of cycling is to plan your failures yourself.
Instead of expecting to always win, you plan the day you’ll lose. That’s what winners do.
In short, you are a poker player who knows when it’s time to stop playing, cash in and begin again after some rest.
In the lifting world, this means that you have to be conservative with your expectations and deload (reduce the weight and begin over again) when it’s necessary.
A winner’s cycle looks like this:
Part 1
Workout 1: 100 easy
Workout 2: 120 easy
Workout 3: 130 easy
Workout 4: 140 easy
Workout 5: 150 Gravity is now talking to me.
Workout 6: 160 Gravity is screaming at me.
Workout 7: 170 Pretty hard. I better stop before I become gravity’s little bitch.
Part 2
Workout 1: 120 easy
…
Workout 7: 180 – PR
A loser’s cycle looks like this:
Workout 1: 100 super easy
Workout 2: 120 super easy
Workout 3: 130 easy
Workout 4: 140 easy
Workout 5: 150 medium
Workout 6: 160 medium
Workout 7: 170 The weight feels heavy as hell, but I am going to continue anyway. Bitches you better be ready for me. Records are coming.Workout 8: 180 – My left knee cave in a little bit, and my elbow hurts more than before but fuck it!!!!!!!!!
#how-bad-do-you-want-it
Workout 9: 190 – Both knees are caving , but I got up anyway.
#pain-is-a-weakness-leaving-the-body
Workout 10: 200 – felt insanely heavy; saw the white tunnel; knees, lower back and elbows hurt like hell but fuck it!!!!!! I am going to wrap those suckers and go for 210 on Friday.
#yeahbaby
#light-weights-are-for-losers
#wrapping-is-for-winnersWorkout 11: 210 – Almost did it. Knee hurts like a bitch. Can’t walk. Elbows feel abused. Will try one more time.
#nevergiveup
#never-put-a-condom-onWorkout 12: 210 – Got up, but the pain is getting insane. My hip started shaking like an uncontrollable belly dancer. Going for 220.
#you-make-your-own-genetics
#win-or-dieWorkout 13: 220 – Fail. I barely got to the gym. That’s how intense the pain was. I won’t give up anyway.
#ibuprofen-is-for-winners
Workout 14: 220 – Fail. Fuck it. This Earth is not fair.
#cannot-kill-my-desire-to-concur-you-bitches
Workout 15: The doctor says I will have to take two months off due to massive inflammation in my joints.
#all-doctors-are-undercover-fags
I will rest for three days and try again.
….
¯_(ツ)_/¯
….
Small Jumps
Obviously, the weighted pull-up progresses slowly because it involves many small muscles. It’s neither a squat nor a deadlift. I started with 17.5kg/38lbs and needed about 10 months to reach 41kg/90 lbs. The biggest jumps I did were 1.5 kg/3.3lb which may seem like a feather but is about 9% of my starting weight.
Nothing special
There’s nothing special about this plan other than the fact that it worked.
It wasn’t fast, but can I really complain?
The pull-up workout was done once a week and took about an hour. When you think about it, it’s a pretty good return on investment.
Q&A
Do you think I can reach my back potential solely with chin-ups?
You can definitely reach the natural potential of your lats with chin-ups, but you cannot reach the natural potential of your whole back. The chin-up doesn’t work the spinal erectors actively. This makes it an incomplete back movement.
Same approach in your book, right ? I definitely should try to do the same, although adding weight each workout still works pretty find for me.
But I know sooner or later, it won’t.
Yes. The first part of the plan is simple cycling. I will report how well the second part of the plan (high volume) works. My goal is to reach 50 kg/ 110 lbs.
How’d it go?
Nice man. I love doubles and triples for weighted pullups. Not so great at reps though. My PB is 42.5kg for a triple at 65kg bodyweight. But I’d be lucky to get 15 bodyweight in a row. I’m hoping to hit 50kg too 🙂 Race ya!
I was the same way the last 10 months. Some say that it has something to do with higher fast twitch fiber distribution in the upper body, but I have a simpler explanation – you get good at what you do. If you were focusing on reps, you will be good at them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo7PD_9m9NQ
Hi guys, here is a link to my personal best weighted pull-up set.
I allways do 5 reps on weach set and workout session, never tryed 2 or 3 but i am considering to. Here is a stamina protocol I made, it is made of 8 sets, and rest intervals between sets are exactly 90sec. I start the 1st set with 40kg x 5, and its my maximum now, then I go with 35×5/30×5/27,5x5x2/20×5/17,5x5x2.
Very good form.
progressive overload. always the best. better than some shits people post in bodybuilding forum
Post your physique before you die please.
Would be a great way to end off this Natty or Not series in the distant future.
I will take this request into serious consideration.
please post an article about those monsters https://www.youtube.com/user/BodybuildingRev
https://www.youtube.com/user/BodybuildingRev
Great article as usual!
Hope you will open many more eyes regarding how the muscle game, the industry and the world works.
I still fight hard not being a whore to training anymore…less is more they say and it seems to be true.
Great book by the way, currently enjoying the second time reading it.
Have a good one!
Thank you for the support. This and another comment from yesterday have to be the best compliments I have received in the past 8 years.
Is it possible for a natural bodybuilder to get 16.5 inch arms (42cm). Mine are 40 cm and im 6 ft with 17 inch wrists. My arms havent grown since 2014 when i got them to 40, ive been lifting for more than ten years so i was wondering if ive reached my genetic potential or if it is possible for me to get to 16.5 inches cold.
Bro, you already have pretty big arms at 40 cm. Just live your life. Those 2cm matter only in your head.
Yeah 16.5 inches is definitely possible. My brother has never lifted in his life and has 16.5 inches (exactly, srlsy). A good amount of it is fat, but still. Mine are a bit over 15 inches and i consider them small, working on it though. I am a relatively small guy at 5’8″, so i have naturally smaller arms than bigger guys like my bro (he is more like 6ft).
Quick question.
After your first workout you say that you added 1-1.5kg to the final set. Does this mean that until you stalled you added weight only at your final set and your workout didn’t change?
For example :
w1
5
5+5
5+10
5+15
3+17.5
w2
5
5+5
5+10
5+15
3+20
w3
5
5+5
5+10
5+15
3+22.5
and so on…
Also, where can I find more resources on this progression model to help me understand it better?
Thanks in advance.
Yes, for the most part, I only added weight to the final set.
You can read more about cycling here: https://nattyornot.com/adding-weight-to-the-bar-training-cycles-explained-in-detail/
You can also google Western/Linear Periodization, which is basically what this method is.
i waited for the right chance to comment , i started doing weighted chinups and weight dips right after i saw your article about them ( mid 2015 ) since than i have achieved a two bodyweight weighted chinup at the body weight of 55kg ( im 165 cm ) and a weighted dip with the same weight , i can say with full confidence that that specific article helped get into this world of training , you also got me to start training lower body seriously
Thanks for the support. Those are some serious numbers. I guess you are talking about the old articles.
Congratulation man i stuck on 23,75kg x 3. But i did warm up about 5pull ups
then 5pull ups with 10kg added
then 3 sets of 3reps with 23,75kg
What do u think why i stuck i tried to renew my session when i couldnt hit 3×3 but i feel like i dont get stronger i think i will give a try your program and will see. I have shoulder pain some maybe its the reason two
You can deload and try to beat your record with a new cycle.
So in your fist workout:
5
5+5
5+10
5+15
3+17.5 / (38 lbs)
the first 4 sets are the “warm up” sets?
Yes. I would consider them light preparatory work.
What’s your opinion about this workout?
2 or 3 sets for warm up or light preparatory work
1 set with the max.
1 set with 10% less weight than max.
1 set with 15% less weight than max.
By the way, if you don’t take the estrogen bomb with milk, where do you get your calcium requirements?
I don’t see a problem with it. You are adding back-off sets. I think that’s a pretty good workout.
Have you considered adding other payment methods for your book? I dont want to make pay pal account…
I wanted to add bitcoin, but I don’t know much about it. I may add it later.
Anyway, you can pay with a debit card without a paypal account.
You can find more information here: http://panelsyndicate.com/help/paypal
P.S. If you have problems, don’t hesitate to contact me.
@sLaYeR:
I guess you speculate about an RPT style setup, right?
I plan doing this too, the top set in the 2-6 range first and then a backup set with 6-12 reps (depending on the exercise) as a back off. I think this should work, simple and no need to stay away too much from either intensity or volume too much.
What’s your thought mister Thruth Seeker 😉
Yes, an RPT style, but with the back up sets with 1 or 2 reps before failure.
What’s your chin up rep count with just bodyweight? I’m intrigued to know if it’s improved, or if you even cared to try.
I never tested it. I guess it would be between 15-18.
an interesting approach to progressive overload. what do you think about it : starting with X weight for 3×4 build up to 3×7-8 then add weight and start again with 3×4 ?
I personally see no problem with this plan.
Hey Truth Seeker,
Is this guy, who goes by the name “19Kamau79”, training and attempting 100 kg Chin up natty or not?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PPzrtzFIc0
Could be natty. It’s not impossible. But many natties will not get to his level regardless. Sick strength.
Sickening strength brah, I love you long tine plis gimme ze thing i’ve been asking for
#howbadoiwantit?
Hi Truth Seeker,
I’ve been doing weighted chin ups on and off for about 2 years now. Started doing them consistently in summer 2015 too, and got up to about 4 reps with 33kg at the body weight 72 kg and height 1.88m.
However I had to stop, due to consistently developing a sense of tightness / restriction and some pain in between the shoulder blades and also on “top” of the shoulder joint (probably acromion and rotator cuff area). Even now, 3 months later, I develop discomfort when I attempt to do pull ups with small extra weight… I am just wondering if you had any of these problems? Any ideas as to what is causing this “tightness”?
I’ve never had this problem. You have to figure out whether this tightness is an injury like phenomenon or simply a side effect of working hard.
Hey Truth Seeker.
Congrats on a GREAAAT book! I have read half of it in one piece and will finish it off in the next few days, but I can already I LOVE IT! 🙂
One question, how did you body change while doing only chins and dips? I found one site where this guy does only this and swears his body is better looking then when he also did bench, row, lateral raises etc.. But hesitate to do only those two and I still do other chest, back, biceps and triceps exercises, although 95 % of the time only compound ones (one arm row, bench press, close grip BP etc..)
So should one focus only on those two exercises or better to include some other too?
thanks for reply and hope you wrote some more books in the future! 🙂
Thanks for the support.
To be honest, I don’t think I gained any muscle doing this routine.
I don’t see a problem with adding other exercises. It’s not like you are going to “kill the magic” by adding other movements. Choose them according to your needs and preferences.
Thank you for buying the book.
Do you do any additional work for your posture? My guess is that just doing dips+pull-ups would get your shoulders rounded, considering the dips (that only work the front muscles, that round the shoulders) and that the lats are the main movers in the second exercise and their attachment point to the shoulder adds on to the rounding. However I may be wrong. Anyone elses opinion here too?
No, I don’t. I am not afraid of any muscle imbalances. Also, I do believe the real posture problems come from weak upper spinal erectors rather than the lack of rear delt raises and horizontal rowing. Moreover, posture is a habit.
Glad you are back!!
Your posts about not being the golden boy of the gym/fitness (or in general in life) kept me going trough the rough times with the iron.
Thanks dude!!!
You’re 183 cm tall and weigh 70 kg, right?
What would you say is your body fat % at that weight?
@sLaYeR:
This is exactly my plan, RPT setup but all sets shy of failure.
Good luck 🙂
Hi again
in this article : https://nattyornot.com/frequency-training-natural-bodybuilders-gym-rats/ .
you said this : If you are a natural bodybuilder, training a body part once a week is not effective. The evidence for that is that if you train a muscle once every seven days, you are super sore after every workout. This means only one thing – the rest between your workouts has been too long and there was enough time for ‘deadaptation’ to occur.
so now which Frequency is better for major lifts ?
That would me my question too.
If I wanted to be optimal and get faster results, I would probably train more often. But I am somewhat happy with the results I get from once a week training, and thus don’t overcomplicate stuff. However, I know that if I add more work in an intelligent way, I would progress faster.
What I would like to know is how did you body improve doing only chins and dips? Some people swear by it and only do this and others say for hypertrophy you need to include bench, row and some isolation etc. Since you tested it on yourself what can you say about that? Is it enough to do only those two for upper body hypertrophy or not?
thanks!
I would choose at least 2 movements for each muscle group and alternate them 2 times a week
check this dude’s weighted chins out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZIJV0SVjK4
claims natty, sickening strength whatsoever
Not Natty
Wish you some sales, although it is disappointing to write for the reader that equals the quality of the comments of your blog(and in general almost all of the internet), the little cash it produces might decide for you that ego, intellectual prowess, skill, thinking and doing is not an object seen in a mirror. Who needs a mirror, it is part of self-discipline to measure oneself not to most, but to the anomalistic, freakey exceptions one chooses.
The collective can only be seduced by the most common denominator, in bb – alias body-building, fitness, that is the juicer-spritzer-bloater, an extreme form of consumerism, passive absorbtion.
Thank you for the support and the nice comment.
Patience is a virtue.
Thanks TruthSeeker.
ps.
With your permission, can I copy some of your articles and paste it in at other website?
Wow you’re so strong! I bet you have wide lats!!
Awsome!!!
Very inspiring!!!
I think the main thing with this natty stuff is keeping it simple, working hard, abbriviated, and managing calorie intake to keep the weight down. Plus managing expectations such not to get all caught up in the hoopla of the fitness industry.
I don’t fuck with supplements, excessive cumulative training or diet habits, or unsafe exercises, any more.
I’m not so sure if cycling is really worth, I’m able to do 3 sets of pull ups, of 5 reps each, with a burden of 40 kilos. I’m 2’00 tall and weight 100 kg with visible abs (natural), I have emailed with you sometimes. From my point of view the most important thing is just keep going, a LOT of time, there are no shorcuts. But if you don’t stress your body till its limits, you are not improving at all, because of that, deloading can be counterproductive in some ocassions, you need to keep the signal of “oh shit, I really need more strenght and muscle!” activated very often, I woul even add to train pull ups and dips 3 times a day, that is how I got the best results, from my point of view of 6 years training and trying absolutly everything. Congrats for your book, I really enjoyed it because we see eye to eye in many things.
Thank you for sharing what works for you. I know that this method is not the only way, but I like it.
I am happy that you enjoyed the book. Thank you for buying it.
Did you get to this lift naturally? Very impressive either way just curious.
Natty or not Author – Natty or not?
Yes, 100% naturally. I am skinny also. It’s not that much.
Can’t use PayPal.
Not on Amazon?
No other way to buy the book.
I’m just curious, did you reach it before and now you just built up to it again? I’ve gone up to 35 kg for 1 rep a few years ago when I started training (was doing low reps) and now I’m doing 30 kg for 12 reps but I can’t pull over 55 kg for 1 rep. Probably if I trained with low reps for a while I could pull more? I’m only training with high reps because it takes less to recover and having strength endurance helps a lot with my job.
I weigh around 160 lbs, and I am also doing weighted pull ups with 90 pounds now. I started with 45 pounds in January of 2016. I did that with around 8 reps. I finally reached 90 pounds early July! I get 6-8 reps with it. I do weighed pull ups twice a week. I do my first set with 90 pounds and, in the following sets, decrease the weight by 5 pounds until I get to 45 pounds.
Have you tried doing this for a weighted PUSHup?
I could devise my own, but curious to see how you’d program it.
I don’t do weighted push-ups, but the programming would be similar.
Hi there, I got up to 40kg for 2 reps in 6 months. Started being able to do 5-10kg.
I did reverse pyramid style.
After body weight warmup (5-10 reps),
1) Start with max weightt you can do for 5 reps.
2) then reduce weight and do 8,
3) then reduce and do 10-12.
4) thats all, but u can continue doing a few more body weight sets for volume, or just lat pulldowns.
Done.
Also, i weigh 60kg, 165cm
Hello,
Thanks for your blog, very interesting stuff.
Just a quick question, did you notice a change in your body’s apperance or did you just just get stronger without any noticeable change physically?
I would guess your body got a little bit thicker at least since it has to adpat to heavier loads.
Thanks for your answer
I guess not then.
Sorry for the incredibly late reply.
I didn’t notice amazing changes. I’ve always had decent lats for my body because they insert really low.
After writing this article, I did ladders with 15-25kg. Some days I was doing over 50 reps in a workout.
At the end of the day, I didn’t get bigger. I just built some strength and more endurance.
Eventually, I hit a 44kg PR and started working on one arm pull-ups exclusively, but eventually quit and returned to weighted pull-ups. They seem to be better for my joints.