How to Do More Pull Ups (Instant Increase!)

My new pre-workout:

Have a boiling hot bath – not literally boiling but very hot
Do some press ups in the bath if possible (at your own risk)
Get out of the bath
Dry yourself & chuck some clothes on
Do 2 rounds of wim hof breathing
Do your chin ups!

I’ve found that I can do lots more reps using the combination of Wim Hof Breathing and a Hot Bath.

DO NOT DO THE BREATHING TECHNIQUES in the bath. People have died from passing out in water whilst doing this. Very bad idea!

Make sure that you don’t feel dizzy or lightheaded before getting in the bath or doing the chins.

The Wim Hof Breathing technique involves the following:

Wim Hof Breathing Technique

1 Round of Breathing =
30 Deep breaths in, with 30 ‘small’ breaths out.

Breathe in using the stomach muscles and then the chest muscles, taking in as much air as possible, then breath out ‘normally’ to reset your stomach to breathe in again.

After the 30 breaths, hold the final breath in for as long as possible. Holding the breath for as long as possible will cause a release of adrenaline which will literally make you stronger.

Finally, when you can’t hold your breath any longer, breathe out, then one last time, take a big deep breath in and hold for 15 seconds.

Do this then afterwards, get in the bath and make sure your muscles are hot and you start to sweat somewhat.

This works for me, but I can’t find much evidence to say that hot water immersion actually improves strength or power.

There are some studies showing that muscle temperature may improve power output, but the majority of modern studies seem to show no effect.

Influence of muscle temperature on maximal muscle strength and power output in human skeletal muscles

Abstract

The influence of muscle temperature (T_m) on maximal muscle strength, power output, jumping, and sprinting performance was evaluated in four male subjects. In one of the subjects the electromyogram (EMG) was recorded from M. vastus lateralis, M. biceps femoris, and M. semitendinosus. T_m ranged from 30.0°C to 39°. Maximal dynamic strength, power output, jumping, and sprinting performance were positively related to T_m. The changes were in the same order of magnitude for all these parameters (4–6%× C^‐1) Maximal isometric strength decreased by 2%× C^‐1 with decreasing T_m. The force‐velocity relationship was shifted to the left at subnormal T_m. Thus in short term exercises, such as jumping and sprinting, performance is reduced at low T_m and enhanced at T_mabove normal, primarily as a result of a variation in maximal dynamic strength.