I did something interesting during my “weight training” workout yesterday…
And I’m using the term “weight training” loosely because I never actually touched a weight per say.
My entire workout consisted entirely of just 2 body weight exercises:
– 100 total pull ups
– 100 total dips
Now while I’m a big fan of including body weight exercises (such as these) as part of my regular workout routine, doing an entire Body Weight ONLY Workout is something that I rarely ever do. But it turned out to be a brutally hard training session. It was a real struggle to grind out those last few sets of pull ups and dips as I was getting close to that 100 total rep mark!
Can Body Weight Exercises Build Muscle?
A lot of people mistakenly think that body weight exercises can’t build muscle and that they are only good for “toning & shaping”… Well I’m here to tell you that’s a load of BS!
Pull Ups and Dips are 2 of the best upper body muscle building moves you can do. And I challenge you to give this simple 100 rep pull up / 100 rep dip workout a try for yourself…
It’s A LOT harder than it seems!
In fact, most of the people who read this blog post will not even be able to complete 100 total reps of these 2 exercises the first time they try it.
Now just to clarify things, I’m NOT suggesting that you try and perform 100 total reps in a single set, there are very few people on this planet who could accomplish such an incredible feat of strength. But rather the 100 reps is the total of all your sets combined over the course of your entire workout.
How To Do The 100 Rep Workout…
I would suggest trying this 100 rep workout once a week for the next 6 weeks to help bring up your upper body development. And even after that you could still add it into your routine every now and then to change things up from your regular weight training program.
This is how I went about doing the workout…
I started with a set of pull ups, then did a set of dips, and then took a minute or two rest before doing it again.
I kept a tally of how many sets & reps I performed, and kept going until I hit 100 total reps of pull ups and 100 total reps of dips.
At the start of the workout it felt kind of easy, but I purposely stopped myself at 10 reps per set. This is short of muscular failure for me, and the reason for this is to help pace myself so that I would be able to complete the 100 total reps.
As I progressed through the workout I had to lower the reps per set as muscle fatigue started to set in. But I still managed to complete a minimum of 5 good full range of motion reps on each set right up until the end.
I would suggest that you use a 5 rep minimum as a bench mark of when to call it quits for this workout. If you get to the point where you can no longer perform at least 5 good reps of pull ups or dips, then STOP! At that point your muscles are too tired to go on, your form will be crappy, and you’ll risk injury if you try to do anymore.
Tracking Your Progress…
Each time you do this workout write down the number of total reps and sets that you perform and strive to do better the next time you do this workout. So for the first few times through your goal maybe to actually work up to completing the 100 total reps of each exercise. After you can do 100 total reps, your goal should be to complete the 100 total reps in fewer sets and / or with less rest time in between sets.
I would consider being able to bang out 10 sets of 10 reps of pull ups & dips (with good full range of motion form) and only resting 1 minute in between sets pretty damn impressive!
If you can work up to the level of strength and conditioning you’ll be in awesome shape, and you won’t be complaining about having a thin chest, narrow back, or skinny arms… 😉
Vary Your Grips To Work More Muscle…
| As you do each set, I would suggest that you vary the grips that you use for your pull ups and dips. |
A lot of gyms these days have pull up stations with angled handles that provide a variety of grip placements, such as the one shown here…
With each set simply choose a different grip. So for your first set you may use an overhand grip, the next set you may use an underhand grip, the next set a parallel grip, wide grip, narrow grip, etc…
Each time you do a set just switch up and rotate through the different grip positions. This will work your muscles from a variety of angles and it will also help you to perform more total pull ups over the course of your workout.
| You can do the same thing with dips. The gym that I train at has a dip station with adjustable handles that allow you to vary the grip from wide, medium, and narrow. If you have a similar type of dip station at your gym you can vary your grip width with each set. |
Some gyms may have the V-Bar Dip Station, as shown here…
This will allow you to vary the width of your grip simply by gripping the handles closer or further out. And you can also face inwards or face outwards to change the hand position as well.
What If You Can’t Even Do Pull Ups / Chin Ups???
If you are like most people, you are going to find that doing Pull Ups / Chin Ups is A LOT more difficult than doing dips. In fact, for a lot of folks simply doing a single pull up is a struggle. So obviously this routine here of doing 100 total pull ups is only applicable to more advanced trainees.
But if you suck at doing pull ups, then I’ve got the solution for YOU…
 |
Progressive Pull Up Program! “How To Master The Pull Up & Build A Massive Muscular Back!” |
It’s no secret that the key to building a huge V-shaped back is mastering pull ups and chin ups. Show me a guy who is really good at pull ups and you’ll show me a guy who has a HUGE muscular back!
If you struggle with performing pull ups and chin ups then you need this program NOW! Because I’ll take you through a complete graduated pull up video training system.
All basis are covered here. Right from the out of shape beginner who can’t even do a single pull up with bodyweight, right on up to the advanced muscle-head who can bang out multiple sets of weighted pull ups!
57 Comments
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George Phillips
lee
at age 61 do 5×5 for each set, as an example I do my bench work out same, then pull-ups then from there I complete my routine. I am going to give this a try to break up the routine.
What the hell, my weight is 182 and bench 235. THere is always room for improvement and I love the gym. To old to get girls but, love the iron!
George
colonell
i usually do 40 – 50 ..i tell its alot of fumes
mike
Lee
Recently built a pull up and dip station in my yard….the pull up bar is straight as opposed to an angled bar such as the kind in the gym … having a tough time getting chin over bar with the straight bar…been using a chair to start at top/finish position and just going down a bit a come back up to mimic last portion of excercise….any other ideas to help
Thanks Mike
Alex
Hey Lee, just wanted to say that this actually works,an I have done it several times when i was working on losing weight and getting my condition(stamina) levels up. This sure is hard work and if you aren’t conditioned enough,well all I can say is that you don’t jump right in on the 100 reps for the first workout,it may seem like it isn’t that hard because you will be doing it in sets,but when you finnish you will feel it.Anyways it is awesome to do something like this,and try it for yourself,you will feel and see the results.I also did alot of push ups along with pull ups and dips..and when i started lifting,my bench was way more explosive.
leehayward
In the Progressive Pull Up Program I go over a complete graduated workout progression that starts off at the basic level of not even being able to do a single pull up with body weight.
And the program then takes you step-by-step with special exercise variations that will help you build up your strength to doing full body weight pull ups and then eventually even weighted pull ups.
brian
That sounds like a killer workout bro…i always include chin ups in my back routine and absolutely love them. I do deads and chins almost exclusively now for back and have noticed a lot of improvement in my back. Anyway this was a great article as it gave me a new goal to shoot for. Thanks Lee
Mark
Lee,
When is the best day to do this? I try and hit the gym 4-5 times per week doing about 30 minutes of cardio before I lift and the 100 crunches ab routine you posted a few weeks ago at the end of my workout (although in a few weeks I am planning on trying the 3 day split routine you recently posted with adding cardio on my rest days).
My typical week is:
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back and Shoulders
Day 3: Biceps, Triceps and Forearms
Day 4: Legs
Day 5: Cardio + Abs only
If I do this on my cardio only day, will this give me enough recovery time?
Thanks for sharing these workouts and tips!
-Mark
Rae
I would like to check out your progressive pull up program, Lee, but in the interim, what has been working for me because I’m overweight and not as strong as I used to be, is the body weight rows. I used my treadmill and lay beneath it and pull myself up that way, and that seems to be effective…for now.
madeline
hi lee,i have a question,since i had 4 major back surgery n knowing i ve been thru the windmill but i try the very best that i can n i also have chronic asthma (so hard to manage my breathing ) to boot,i cant do many pull ups on my own and dips forget it..but i use the machine that assist you on pull ups n dips ,is that okay ? would i get any real benefits? i came a long long way of huge set backs n so far for 2 1/2 yrs im at my best without issues (thank God ),im very cautious of all of my workouts and i dont and will not push anymore then i have to,i just add more sets and reps,many ppl do not understand that the back isnt to mess with and ppl take it for granted..but i have to say im a HUGE fan of your and ihave tried every workout you post and if im not able to ill compensate it in another way. I want to thank you because i have seen huge changes all i need to do is to revamp my diet and see more changes,i think im more scared to do that cuz i dont want to be deathly thin..God bless you Lee..i look forward to all your emails with your crazy intense workouts sleep well 🙂
Steve
Lee I want to give this a try. You say do it once a week for 6 weeks. Then what about the rest of the week how would you incorporate your other exercises for the week like chest; back bi’s and tri’s. Thanks for all of the info
Steve
Jasper
Lee – big fan of your regular updates/ideas/training solutions!
Tried this last night for the first time and and it is safe to say my back is aching today (good aching tho – the kind you get when you know you’ve had a good session!)
I have only recently started incorporating pull ups into my workout – was pretty heavy set a while back and never used to do them, now i focus on them a fair bit, and have only been hitting them hard since about feb – started being able to do just 2, now can comfortably manage a could set of 12 wide arm – my issue was i fatigued way to quickly though – i fatigued out and could no longer do sets of 5 when i hit 55 reps –
any idea on how to get better at this or just keep ploughing at it?
Dips i have no problem with, after failing on the pull ups i also did 100’s for push ups and sit ups – think its good to combine these or do them different days etc – as i said im feeling it today ha!
Dany
Great workout! Builds muscles, Power, Grip, Mental Toughness
BEWARE – If you are a heavier guy, beware of wrist and “inside” elbow tendonitis. You hurt yourself, you’re screwed for weeks if not months.
Do not start with 100 reps right away. Start with 25-50 reps and slowly build up. (Add 5 reps a week or so)
100 reps is the ultimate goal, not the starting point.
Jasper
Dany,
cheers dany, yeh i hear you – an end has a start! just a bit frustrating really but guess i cant grumble – sounds like a plan, might just try to add the one set a week of 5 reps and see where i go!
Mark
Also, if you can’t rip out 5-10 pull-ups what about doing a few reps unassisted and then doing the rest on a weight assisted machine?
Dany
Mark,
I would stick to unassisted Pull-ups.
Even if it means to do 20 sets of 1, or 12 sets of 2. Nothing replaces “real” Pull-ups. Within a few weeks or months you’ll increase your reps for sure.
look at it as a 6 months project and not 6 weeks.
Dany
Jasper,
People underestimate the power of Pull-ups and Dips. Workout smart, rest and you will improve. Sometimes losing 5-10 lbs will help you amazingly, sometime taking 1 week off or more from Pull-ups and Dips (Or any training whatsoever) will recharge your body and give it a boost. Make sure you don’t rush and hurt yourself. You still have 18 weeks in 2011 to improve!
leehayward
You could do it like this:
Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back and Shoulders
Day 3: Biceps, Triceps and Forearms
Day 4: Legs
Day 5: Cardio + Abs only
Day 6: 100 rep pull up / dip workout
Day 7: Rest
Repeat cycle.
leehayward
Bodyweight rows are an awesome exercise and I actually include those as one of the progressive exercises used in the progressive pull up program that you’ll do towards working up to doing pull ups.
leehayward
You can use the assisted pull up / dip machines. But you need to use them in a progressive fashion where you constantly try and reduce the assisted weight week by week.
leehayward
Just look at the reply I gave Mark above, that’s a sample of how you can fit this into a weekly workout schedule.
leehayward
The secret to pull ups is doing multiple sets of lower reps and shoot for increasing the total number of reps you do per workout. So rather then thinking about increasing the max number of reps you do per set, increase the total number of sets.
You could strive to work up to doing 20 sets of 5 reps to make up your 100 total pull ups. Then once you are at that point strive to do more reps per set.
Mark
leehayward,
Thanks, Lee. So you’re telling me I should do six days instead of four or five 😉
leehayward
Mark,
I personally don’t get hung up on the days per week, I just go in the order of the workouts. For example, if I feel I need an extra day off, I’ll take a day off, then pick things up where I left off for my next workout.
Chin Up Bars For Home
thank you for posting in this site I will bookmark this site and tell my friend about this nice site to blog…
david
yesterday did 2×15 5×12 1×10 but i did a set of dips then a set of pullups and rested a1 minute between them and rested 2 minutes after each superset. this was a real killer but i looked like a beast after. i followed it with 10×10 supersets of lying leg raises with supermans and 20 minutes of jump rope to wrap up a full body workout. i box and i recommend this pull up/ dip routine for all combat sport athletes. please expect to be sore the next day. especially your forearms. thanks lee
david
Jason
Hi Lee
I have been training DC for the past few months and am recovering from a hamstring tear. I am starting rehab this Wednesday and was thinking that until I have completed the rehab and can start training legs again that it could be a good idea to do this pull up/dip routine on the days I’m not rehabbing my leg. So I could do this Mon/Fri with my leg rehab exercises on Wed. What are your thoughts?
Thank you
Jason
tj
I have been working on my chinups for a couple of months. My current program calls for 5 sets of 5 reps, and that has started to be a little too easy, so I have begun using a weighted vest to make them a little more challenging… the same for my incline pushups too. I even have a small pack that I can wear and put in 25 or 30 pounds of weights for a really challenging set of pushups. I will be 58 on May 4th, so I am no spring chicken, but my chinups have gotten better. My pullups lag behind a little bit, but they are improving also. This does help build real strength in your arms and back!
Seadiver
Hi Lee
After 3 years training (3 times a week) first i hated pull ups and now its a real hit ! at the beginning i did only a few pull ups then i did pul downs on the lat machine until failiure
Several months ago i did the pull up until i get 100 reps in total but it takes a lot of energy most i did it in reps of 12 (the first set i managed to do 15 reps) mostly in combination with other back exersises
I will give it a try to do the 100 dips at the same training as the pull ups
But at the age of 50 i guess i need more resting time between the sets.
Greetings from Belgium
Fred
rabah
hey Lee,
i try to do this every morning befkore breakfast. I run for about 15 mins first where I run 2mins 15/h one min 17km/h one min walking 5km/ h. hen I do 3 sets of pull ups/ dips. but I try to lift my legs and stretch them in front of me when I’m doing dips. is it better to run first or after. thanks
Leon
do you have other pullup and dip workout Lee? i do about 10 sets of pullups, but i do them with 15kg vest and without vest its pretty easy to me right now.
I tryed many times this program and it became easy to me: i even tryed 200 pullups:completly overtraining for the next few days.
Btw Lee can you do article or something about training with weighted vest or attached weight etc?
Nigel
Hi Lee, this is a great workout I’ve been doing it once every 3 or 4 weeks since you posted it last time. I’ve added a bit extra to it so now I’m doing 15 dips, 10 pull ups, 15 sit ups and 20 push ups that’s 1 round then repeat 10 times. It’s all body weight stuff but when you finish it’s hard to get the protein shake down, you feel so crook. Another variation is to halve the amount of reps and weight them with a 35lb plate.
They’ve helped me heaps so thanks for the idea, keep them coming.
Steve
Lee I’m 51 years old work 18 hours a day. I can only get to the gym 4 days a week Monday- Thursday. My question to you is How would I incorporate this routine into my routine. I go to the gym after my second job. So could you set up a routine for me I would appreciate it very much. Lee thanks for your time and help
Khari Shabazz
I can’t do one pull up and I do very few dips. How do you recommend someone as weak as I am begin?
Joe
I LOVE this upper body routine, and have actually been doing it on and off for years. I found the best results are finding out your total rep max per set for each exercise, then doing only HALF that many reps per set until you reach 100 reps, though. So if you can do a total of 10 dips and no more, i’d suggest doing only sets of 5 dips per set until you reach 100. Same with chins, though i was weak in them when i started so i began with a total of 50 chins and worked from there doing sets of 2 or 3 until i hit 50. Either way, this workout is AWESOME!! and split it with a lower body routine like Squats and Stiff-Legged Deadlifts on another day, using only your bodyweight in weight on the bar for 100 reps, and alternate them on an A-B-A-B-A-B, monday-wednesday-friday-monday-wednesday-friday schedule and there’s NO way you won’t make awesome gains. Good post, Lee =-)
Joe
Khari Shabazz,
If i were you (and yes i was where you’re at years ago) i’d just alternate doing chins and dips and doing very low reps per set for a few weeks. If you can only do a few chins and dips at a time there’s Nothing wrong in doing only 2 or 3 reps per set, and just adjust your total from 100 to 50 or even 25 if 50 total reps is too high and add 5 or so reps to your total each week. The nice thing about chins and dips using bodyweight is you build strength in them VERY fast. You’ll literally be able to do more reps per set and more total reps every week. Just some friendly help =-)
P.S. when i started i was only able to do 3 actual chinups. I started by doing 1 rep per set, resting about 20-30 seconds and did another, and so on. I did this twice per week and a few weeks later i was able to crank out a set of 10 perfect chinups 🙂
Ansgar Woo
Steve,
In replying, I might suggest the following routine:
Mon : Chest, shoulders & tricep
Tues : Back & biceps
Wed : Legs & abs
Thurs : 100 reps pull up/dips workout.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
Wabbaloo
Lee,
I did a variation of this workout today before my treadmill time. I aimed to do 90 dips and 27 pull ups (3 pull ups, 10 dips). I lost count at either 70 or 80, but no matter — great workout! Not only for the muscles involved, but I found it a great warm-up for the treadmill. Thinking about doing this on each of my cardio days (3 days/week; other 4 days for the weights). I used to do a lot more pull ups, but i’ve just gotten back into doing them, and this routine should really get them going. Thanks very much! All your stuff here is awesome.
The Wabbaloo
Mark
Progress report: I read this and was inspired to try it knowing I couldn’t do but less than 5 dips and no pull ups/chin ups. At 49 years old and 242 lbs, my last workout totals were:
41 Pull Ups (alternate chin ups and parallel grip pull ups)
43 Dips
73 Push Ups
I have to do it as follows: 3 sets of Pull Ups, 1 set of Dips, 1 set of Push Ups. A great pump that doesn’t hurt these aged joints.
Thanks Lee.
Ansgar Woo
Lee,
Gave this a try and it was great, love that pump in the whole upper body after that. I’m 49 y/o, 5′ 10″ & weight just 162 lb, at my first attempt of this, I manage a total of 100 reps pull ups & 110 reps dips. Will continue with this, maybe try adding weight to dips (I used to do regular 3 set dips with 35lb dumbell).
Jose rosado
I agree with u I do the same workouts but instead 100 like u I do 500. Push up chin up dips using my body weight is affective. Especially when I’m using 220 lbs of my bodyweihgt. I suggest resting 30 sec. To 1 minute rest between sets. Good luck to all starting new. U can c my result in Facebook @ Jose cano rosado. And its a resent pics of me. Thank you
dalton
i know your a bodybuilder but do u have anything that could help me for football thanks
leehayward
dalton,
A lot of the general training principles are universal across a wide variety of sports. Getting stronger through weight training will indirectly improve your football game.
I recommend that you download my FREE 12 Week Workout Program at:
http://www.leehayward.com/12-week-workout-program/index.htm
dalton
leehayward,
lee can u send it again it wont let me download it
dalton
leehayward,
thank u so much lee ill tell u how it worked in 12 weeks
Rob
I do 100+ pull-ups for each back workout. I do a severely modified DC workout on two week cycle. Back three times in two weeks. MFW. I change the hand position each workout. Wide-Front, Parallel, Wide-back. Change my reps every two weeks 12/8/4 then do as many pull-ups w/body weight per set until I reach 100.
Example:
Warmup: Both legs up 12 reps, One leg up 12 reps, BW 12 plus reps.
BW + Weight (5lbs) x 12
BW + Weight (20lbs) x 12
BW+ Weight (35lbs) x 12 Rest/Pause
Count the pull-ups you did w/BW and BW + weight and do as many sets as necessary until you reach 100.
Then do rows ( I like reverse BW rows or whatever.)
Then biceps.
Done.
gerry
Rae,
use inverted rows under a bar and over hand rows aswell
Janet
Great advices! I was unable to do pull ups at all. I wish I was more theoretically prepared when I started training. But what helped me from the very start, was simple warming up. 15 minutes on a treadmill made me capable of doing some more pull ups than I was expecting. Will follow your tips in my further trainings!
john austin
Been doing the 100 pull-chin ups and dips for a month now when done arms are pumped. Later on do other workout when done with that’ I am really DONE!
Great info,THANKS
Tom Padell
Lee,
I’m 54, 195 and can knock out 9-10 reps/set on the pull-up. However I have some bursitis and a minor tear in my shoulder (supraspinatus I think). Do you have a grip width, or position, that would limit the pain and furthering the injury? Also, what’s the best hand position when i’m squatting? I’ve read differing opinions from narrow to wide.
I’m not used to a “if it hurts, don’t do it” type mentality!
thanks for the great information!
Tom
Josh
Lee,
Thanks for response.
Can I do the chin/dip workout twice a week indefinitely?
Once I work to the 100 reps I would start adding weight.
Also, throw in some squats.
I train in Kajukenbo 2 days and am looking to do a simple workout to add some muscle and strength without over training me.
Something I can do anywhere.
I thought I should ask you since you have experience in the Martial Arts and can best advise.
Thanks!
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