[Recon Ron] Pullup/Chinup Workout Program

I’ve started the following chinup program:

Week123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
Set 16788910101112121314141516161718181920202122222324242526
Set 2566777888999101010111111121212131313141414151515
Set 355556667778889991010101111111212121313131414
Set 44455566677788899910101011111112121213131314
Set 5344555666777888999101010111111121212131313
Total232628303234363840424446485052545658606264666870727476788082


You do the five sets each day, except for Sunday. Repetitions start at 6/5/5/4/3 each day of Week 1 and increase each week afterward.

Source and improvements:

This is the “Recon Ron” chin-up program, apparently from the Marine Corp, and I hope to find some ways to tweak it over the course of the 26 weeks.

Tentative improvements:

  • add a “max” day, because I would like to gauge max chinups as the program progresses.

History: 22 to 15 was previous max

Twenty-two is the highest numver of chinups I’ver ever been able to do, they were “dead hang” chinups but there was some leg movement which wouldn’t qualify as a proper chinup under this program. I would estimate that at the time I could have done 15 proper chinups so I hope to surpass that number fairly soon.

Specific goal: 30 consecutive chinups

To be able to do 30 consecutive chinups.

Progress log:
2009.07.15 6/5/5/4/3 (Fairly good form, also full body workout day. Neck was sore.)
2009.07.16 6/5/5/4/3 (Fairly quick succession, struggled with form on the last four sets. Upper body sore.)
2009.07.17 4/3/3/2/1 (Very good form. Upper body sore.)
2009.07.18 day off
2009.07.19 6/5/5/4/3 (Excellent form. Minimal soreness, feeling stronger.)

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