This trick will help you do more pull-ups than ever

December 10, 2017 1:19 PM

A Barry's Bootcamp trainer explains why you should add a mechanical dropset to your back routine.

As guys who love to work out, you probably like to squeeze a little extra in wherever you can.

Whether it’s a new move that’ll help carve your abs or ditching rest time to pump out a superset, you’re probably all about getting the most out of your workout.

Here's a new trick you can have up your sleeve. Pull-ups are one of the most challenging bodyweight exercises out there—and Barry’s Bootcamp Trainer Ben Launder Dykes just helped us find a way to get more in.

He calls it, in short, a “mechanical dropset.”

“A mechanical droplet is where we change your body to put you in a stronger position rather than reducing the total weight,” he says, meaning it’s a set where your position is going to steadily give you a slight advantage, making the move a little easier, and letting you pump out more.

In the case of the fabled pull-up, you’re going to start in the toughest position: overhand, with your arms spread wide, really focusing on the lats.

“Once you get close to failure, you drop down,” says Launder Dykes, “and you go to the stronger position, underhand.” Most of you guys probably know that as a chin-up.

Get to two or three reps to failure, and head to your last position, a neutral grip—the strongest position you can have when doing pull-ups.

Making the move slightly easier for you lets you crank out even more. Launder Dykes explains: “As you drop down and change those hand positions you might only get two to three reps—but if you do that twice, that’s six extra reps, which is basically like a whole other set.”

Launder Dykes recommends adding this trick to the end of your workout, as it'll allow you to get a little extra work in.

Pack on massive muscle and get shredded with the Maximus Body method—intense workouts that will get you working harder than you have ever worked before.