pull ups

MAYNARDSMOM

MAYNARDSMOM

Cathlete
I was out in the yard w/the kiddies this morning & we have a tree branch that is wonderful for pull-ups. Right height & size. So I get a stool & give it a whirl since I THINK I have good upper body strength, apparently not so much. My lower half was really swaying about. Obviously not good form there. What am I doing wrong? I was able to do 3 very pathetic ones & stopped. Also had me breathing a bit heavy.

Took me down a peg or two. Not as tough as I thought. :(
 
MAYNARDSMOM said:
I was out in the yard w/the kiddies this morning & we have a tree branch that is wonderful for pull-ups. Right height & size. So I get a stool & give it a whirl since I THINK I have good upper body strength, apparently not so much. My lower half was really swaying about. Obviously not good form there. What am I doing wrong? I was able to do 3 very pathetic ones & stopped. Also had me breathing a bit heavy.

Took me down a peg or two. Not as tough as I thought. :(
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Don't feel bad at all! I spent YEARS trying to figure out how to do anything but just dangle. I thought I did well in the lifting department but really did not focus anywhere near like I should have.

Once I became very serious about lifting in March 2005 (w/ my intro to Cathe), things started to change. My main focus (though I certainly switched up rotations) was HEAVY splits & core strength. With the core, be sure to mix up weighted & non-weighted. Also with the lifting in general keep changing up the specific exercises, etc, to keep things fresh. Over time, it was astonished how I was able to start pulling myself up.

Now, if I were you, I would start with chin-ups because IMO they are easier (def not easy) to master than pull-ups. Work on quality first - not quantity.

For chins, I take a comfortable shoulder width underhanded grip and really work on pulling all the way up and slowly lowering down, almost to full extension. Start with 1 and go from there. Try to execute the move with full range of motion. As you get more adept at this, you can add in different types of reps - slower negatives, pyramiding, etc. Even adding weights, which I like to do now for the added challenge.

You will get there, just keep on plugging!
 
Is the branch thin enough you can wrap your hand well-enough around?
That could make it harder if the branch is too thick. Plus.. if you've never done a pullup (or at least in a while) then no matter how much upper body strength you think you have-- you just may be surprised ;)
Id definitly start with the underhand grip. Even if its just one. Ask someone to "assist" you or use one of the resistance bands (least one) they're great.
Also, try negatives.
Use the stool, if you can even jump for a little momentum and pull yourself up the rest of the way its a start, then lower slowly and use the negative to build some strength until you can do full ones.
I did heavy back work for about 10 months with less the results I was looking for.. I haven't truely gotten the results and strength I wanted in the back until I started doing pullups!
 
Hope it's OK if I piggyback onto this discussion . . . .

I just got a pull-up bar, and am trying (emphasis on trying! ;)) to start doing pull-ups. When first starting out, is it a good idea to work on pull-ups a few times a week? Is it good to do so on the same days as strength-training?

TIA for any help!:)
 
LeanneM said:
Hope it's OK if I piggyback onto this discussion . . . .

I just got a pull-up bar, and am trying (emphasis on trying! ;)) to start doing pull-ups. When first starting out, is it a good idea to work on pull-ups a few times a week? Is it good to do so on the same days as strength-training?

TIA for any help!:)
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Pullups are HARD - but you can work your way up to them.

Leanne - may I ask what type of pullup bar you have?
 
Okay I must have potty training on the brain cause when I saw the title of this thread I thought it was referring to PULL UPS for kids!:D

My son is trained during the day and at nap time but I put him down tonight in "big boy underwear" for the first time. :eek: I had been using pull ups until now....I'm askeered! LOL
 
LeanneM said:
Hope it's OK if I piggyback onto this discussion . . . .

I just got a pull-up bar, and am trying (emphasis on trying! ;)) to start doing pull-ups. When first starting out, is it a good idea to work on pull-ups a few times a week? Is it good to do so on the same days as strength-training?

TIA for any help!:)
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Yes definitly do them on strength training days.. preferrably back (obviously, since pulluyps are a back exercise :)

Underhand grip is much easier to start with and work your biceps plenty as well.
 
Thanks so much, pebblesus, for replying! Do you think it would be overkill to try to do them more than one day a week? :)
 
Leanne, I do them 2-3 x per week. I would pace yourself and see how your body responds. If your goal is to get better at them, be sure to put them early in your workout before you are too fatigued to do them!
 
Fit_mommy said:
Okay I must have potty training on the brain cause when I saw the title of this thread I thought it was referring to PULL UPS for kids!:D

That is to funny!! Running a daycare I know what you mean about potty training brain!! :eek:

Time to get out more.....hee hee
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fit_fairy said:
Leanne, I do them 2-3 x per week. I would pace yourself and see how your body responds. If your goal is to get better at them, be sure to put them early in your workout before you are too fatigued to do them!
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Thanks so much, Catherine, for the great advice! I think that I'm also going to order some of those bands for assistance since I can't even do one right now! :(
 
Pullups...

Are tough! I could not do them at ALL when I started P90X last year. It was my goal to do them! Now I can do them and LOVE it! I found that working the negatives worked very well for me. I would use a chair to help myself over the bar and then lower slowly back down (slow 4 count). You will feel EVERY muscle as you go slowly! Then I would do as many assisted as I could until I couldn't do any more!

I think 2-3 times a week would be good. Make sure to give yourself adequate rest time. There are also different hand positions that you can use- wide width are the hardest for me. Chinups (hands facing in) are easier, they use your biceps more.

Good luck!

Jess
 
Pull ups and chin up are great exercises for you. they incorporate so many muscles and take a lot of strength. They are not easy.

I bought an assisted pull up tower and love it! It's my favorite thing I own!
 
HI,


I started doing pull ups by first trying to do just one. At first I could only pull myself about half way up. Each time that I did them I would try to pull myself up a little further. When I could finally do one full pull up, I would try to add one more rep each training session. I did pull ups on my cardio days (3X weekly) so that I can give them my full attention. I also lifted heavier for my back and shoulders on back and shoulder day. It took me about four months using this technique to finally do ten pull ups. I still usually do pull ups on my cardio days. Since they are such a good all around upper body workout, it is like having a mini second upper body workout day.

Regina
 
3 is good!

MAYNARDSMOM said:
I was out in the yard w/the kiddies this morning & we have a tree branch that is wonderful for pull-ups. Right height & size. So I get a stool & give it a whirl since I THINK I have good upper body strength, apparently not so much. My lower half was really swaying about. Obviously not good form there. What am I doing wrong? I was able to do 3 very pathetic ones & stopped. Also had me breathing a bit heavy.

Took me down a peg or two. Not as tough as I thought. :(
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Be proud of being able to do "3 very pathetic ones" - pull-ups are TOUGH!!! Using a tree branch, no less! I'll bet you could knock off several chins using a regular bar. They are very much worth the effort to learn how to do.
 
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