Pull-ups for climbers: sets, reps and how often

Short answer

Twice a week is plenty. Do 4 sets of 5 to 8 pull-ups with 2 minutes rest, from straight arms to your chin over the bar, and stop a set when the reps get sloppy. Can't do 5 yet? Do slow negatives: 4 sets of 3 to 5 lowers, 5 seconds each. Once 8 clean reps feel easy, add weight: 5 sets of 3 at about 85% of your two-rep max, with 3 minutes rest. Do the heavy ones on a day off the wall, so they don't eat into your finger training.

Do pull-ups help your climbing?

Yes and no. Locking off on a steep boulder or pulling through to a far hold is pulling strength, and a weak pull shows up there first. On most problems, though, your fingers go before your arms do. So pull-ups get two days a week, and finger work still comes first.

What to train, by how many you can do

Clean pull-ups now	Train
0 to 4	Slow negatives and scapular pull-ups
5 to 8	Pull-ups, 4 sets
8 or more, easily	Weighted pull-ups, or offset pull-ups for one arm

Clean means straight arms at the bottom, chin over the bar and no kicking. When you start adding weight, the weighted pull-up calculator works out the load from your two-rep max.

Pull-ups that carry over to the wall

Start every rep from straight arms. On the wall you start most moves hanging off a hold, so a rep that starts with bent arms skips the hard bit.

Hold the top sometimes. A lock-off is a pull-up that stops, and the Frenchies sequence holds it at the top, at 90 degrees and at 120. It's high risk, so only after a full warm-up.

For dynamic moves, pull fast. Explosive pull-ups aim your chest at the bar. Rest long enough that every rep stays fast, and never do them on a campus day.

And pull unevenly now and then. Typewriter and offset pull-ups load one arm more than the other, which is what a hard move does anyway.

Where it goes wrong

Pulling every session. Your elbows are usually the first to complain. Two days a week is enough.
Half reps. Stopping short at the bottom gets you more reps and less of the range you actually climb in.
Heavy pulling before hard climbing. Tired arms change how you take a hold, so do the heavy sets on a day off the wall.
Only pulling. Climbing is pulling already. A few sets of pushing, like pike push-ups, keep your shoulders balanced.

Who shouldn't push it

If your elbow or shoulder hurts when you pull, see a physio before you train through it. New to climbing? Bodyweight pull-ups are plenty. Leave the added weight until you've climbed for a year or two.

The exercises

Slow negative pull-ups

4 sets of 3-5 slow lowers from the top of a pull-up (5 s each), 2 min rest.

10 min · Low risk · 4 rounds, 2:00 rest

Pull-ups

4 sets of 5-8 pull-ups, 2 min rest. Straight arms at the bottom, chin over the bar.

12 min · Low risk · 4 rounds, 2:00 rest

Weighted pull-ups

2 warm-up sets, then 5 sets of 3 pull-ups at about 85% of your 2-rep max, 3 min rest.

20 min · Moderate risk · 7 rounds, 3:00 rest

Explosive pull-ups

5 sets of 3 pull-ups as fast and high as you can, 2-3 min rest.

13 min · Moderate risk · 5 rounds, 2:00 rest

Questions

How many pull-ups should a climber be able to do?

No number unlocks a grade. Once you can do 8 clean reps, adding weight does more for you than chasing 15 or 20.

Should I do pull-ups before or after climbing?

Bodyweight sets can go after climbing on the same day. Heavy or fast pulling goes on a day off the wall, and never before limit bouldering or a hangboard session, when you want fresh arms and fingers.

Can I do pull-ups on a hangboard?

On its jugs, yes. On the small edges you're loading your fingers and your arms at once, and you can't tell which one gave out. Keep finger work and pulling apart.

How do I work out how much weight to add?

Find your two-rep max, the heaviest total of bodyweight plus added weight you can do 2 clean pull-ups with, and use about 85% of it. The weighted pull-up calculator does the sum for you.

How to train pull-ups for climbing, and how many you need