[Built to Fade]

At the moment, I can only do 5 strict, controlled dead hang body weight pullups before my arms tire out. But I'm trying to earn each rep to maximise the efficiency of each rep.
My criteria for a strict, controlled pullup is as follows:

• 2 seconds upward phase, minimum 1 second top hold, 2 seconds downward phase & 1 second dead hang. Repeat until either meeting the goal reps or failure.
• Neck touching the bar at the top to ensure that the elbow is fully bent.
• Feet together like in this picture.
  
• Tension of the abdominals and glutes to prevent excessive kipping.
• "Tight shoulders" (a slight pull down of the shoulders) to ensure your arms don't stretch out too far away from the joint to prevent shoulder injuries.
• Having a comfortable hang grip. Choose one that involves all fingers and also the thumb. The thumbs tend to be neglected a little during pullup training.
  Here's the different types of bar hang grips:
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
    

If you're doing explosive/speed/power pull ups, kipping and momentum reliant training methods are preferred, which is the opposite of the "slow reps" criteria listed above.

I'll conclude this post with some motivation and inspiration to improve your pullups. Enjoy!

This one is next level! Weighted one-armed pull/chin ups.

I first watched this man's videos more than 5 years ago and I'm still amazed to this day!

Here's the famous Rocky uneven pullup scene (scroll to 2:18):

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"Respect the strict, controlled one-armed pullup. They're an endangered species after all." #153