Besides pullup routine, what else should I do?

[tgoVIPER]

I've read and heard that you don't want to overtrain when you're training for pullups, so I've been doing my pullup workout twice a week.

What should I do on my off (non-pullups) days? I don't want to excercise the same muscles and I'm not entirely sure which muscles do what.

Pullup days consist of:
Pullups
lat pulldown
dumbell row
bicep curls

So can anyone suggest a good workout for my off days.
Or even suggest better pullup workouts?
I feel lax when I only hit the gym twice a week (besides running)

Thanks in advance!

 

[kevin]

two thoughts: first, if you're really focusing on improving your arms (biceps or triceps) dont train them on the same day as another body part that uses that muscle as an ancillary. ie, dont train tris with chest or bis with back. second, overtraining does happen, but that's a very person-to-person type of thing. every fitness/muscle magazine on earth says to train arms only once per week, blah blah, otherwise you're overtraining. weightlifting is not a one size fits all thing....for me, i got by far the best results by training things more frequently with less volume. beching twice a week, doing arms every 2-3 days. but doing less in each session. you have to play around with it. a sign of overtraining is not getting a pump when you lift. a sure fire way to know is whether you're getting stronger or not. just some thoughts.

 

[jessicaann613]

Killer Workout... Ok I did this the other day. Weighted pullups will get you stronger than anything. I did 4 sets with a 25lb plate. On the last set we just hung for 30 seconds, followed by a pullup and a negative on the way down. Repeated twice. This is great for your hammer strength and grip for those last pullups. More importantly change your workout. Try to vary the workouts with your pullup routine. e.g. wide grip, close grip, pyramids, wieghted, hanging.

 

[Shadow9660]

If you can only get to the gym a few times a week...just make sure you're there a few hours (like me, due to work schedule etc)... spend at least 45 min to an hour on cardio (running etc), 45 min + for abs (giving you better crunches), and end with 30 to 45 minutes of weight training...I'd recommend low weight/ high reps, so that you tone, but dont put on a lot of mass that you have to carry running for the Marine Corps. I do armstrong program for whatever day I'm at the gym using their pull up bar. Also a good habit to get into for regular weight training is Chest/Tri one day, BACK/BI the next day, so that you dont overstrain all your muscles. Do the bicep curls, lat pulldowns, and wrist curls on your back/bi days, along with the armstrong program, and you'll be set. For the chest/tri days, do lower weight/high rep bench pressing (maybe 4 or 5 sets of 10...so see what weight you can do), and dips, along with cable pull tricep, or reverse curls tricep, mix it up. Personally i do an hour of abs (crunches, sit ups, broomstick handles, vkr machine, and some of the ab weight machines) EVERY time I'm at the gym, but that's just me. Anyway, just get in a routine and stick to it....trust me...the pull ups are like a six pack...you'll see results when you put in the time and effort.... just my .02 .......Chris