Effects of Velocity Loss During Body Mass Prone-Grip Pull-up Training on Strength and Endurance Performance

Sánchez-Moreno, M, Cornejo-Daza, PJ, González-Badillo, JJ, and Pareja-Blanco, F. Effects of velocity loss during body mass prone-grip pull-up training on strength and endurance performance. J Strength Cond Res 34(4): 911-917, 2020-This study aimed to analyze the effects of 2 pull-up (PU) training programs that differed in the magnitude of repetition velocity loss allowed in each set (25% velocity loss "VL25" vs. 50% velocity loss "VL50") on PU performance. Twenty-nine strength-trained men (age = 26.1 ± 6.3 years, body mass [BM] = 74.2 ± 6.4 kg, and 15.9 ± 4.9 PU repetitions to failure) were randomly assigned to 2 groups: VL25 (n = 15) or VL50 (n = 14) and followed an 8-week (16 sessions) velocity-based BM prone-grip PU training program. Mean propulsive velocity (MPV) was monitored in all repetitions. Assessments performed at pre-training and post-training included estimated 1 repetition maximum; average MPV attained with all common external loads used during pre-training and post-training testing (AVinc); peak MPV lifting one's own BM (MPVbest); maximum number of repetitions to failure lifting one's own BM (MNR); and average MPV corresponding to the same number of repetitions lifting one's own BM performed during pre-training testing (AVMNR). VL25 attained significantly greater gains than VL50 in all analyzed variables except in MNR (P < 0.05). In addition, VL25 improved significantly (P < 0.001) in all the evaluated variables while VL50 remained unchanged. In conclusion, our results suggest that once a 25% velocity loss is achieved during PU training, further repetitions did not elicit additional gains and can even blunt the improvement in strength and endurance performance.