some techniques i found.
Rule number one: in accordance with Pavel's logic, forget about training to failure. You can train close, within a rep or two, and occasionally (perhaps once or twice a month) push a set all out (read: A SET), but if you train to failure often, forget about achieving true pullup power, and start worrying about your frayed and shattered nerves.
Rule number two: Vary your grip . I know that Pavel believes in overhand pullups first and foremost, and I do too. However, if you are not a member of SWAT personnel, and do not have to climb walls and ledges on a regular basis, go ahead and vary your grip. Doing so will ward off boredom, and train your neural pathways to a wider degree. Grips worth using are: 1) Overhand or underhand, with or without thumbs. 2) Neutral grip--the best way to do these would be to drape a thick towel over the bar for maximum grip work.
Worthless techniques 1) Wide grip pullups and 2) Pullups behind the neck. For some reason, boobybuilders think that a very wide grip makes for very wide lats! Ha! This is bogus for a few reasons, the first being the greatly reduced range of motion, the second being the greatly reduced leverage, and the third being the extreme stress on your rotator cuffs. Optimal leverage is extremely important in strength training.
Question: would you try to pull a heavy deadlift on your toes with a rounded back? I didn't think so. As for pullups behind the neck, the same reasons apply. Do yourself and your shoulders a favor--keep your grip slightly wider than shoulder width or less, and pull to your chest, not to the back of your neck. And no grip aids please! (chalk is o.k.)
Rule number three: You can vary the number of reps you use, just don't do it excessively. Pick a training goal. If it is maximum muscular endurance, stick primarily to high reps. If it is maximum pullup power, stick with five reps or less ( I prefer lower reps and use high rep DBell or KBell quick lifts for muscular endurance. Just a matter of preference).
Every so often, do the exact opposite of your current routine. If you are training low reps go high one workout, and if you are doing high reps try for some heavy sets of 3-5. That being said, there seems to be a fair degree of carryover either way, so don't sweat it if you are in a situation where you can only train high reps.
There really aren't any "tricks" to training pullups. In my training, there are only two things I do that I suppose one could consider "tricks". The first, and I have been doing this for as long as I can remember, is to alternate sets of overhead presses with my pullups. Not superset, but alternate. Do a set of presses ( whether they be handstand pushups, barbell or dumbbell presses, or kettlebell presses). Rest about a minute, then do a set of pullups. Rest another minute and go back to presses, and so on and so forth. This method not only saves time, but also allows the antagonist muscle groups to relax as the other muscle groups are working.
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what's your periodization scheme?
