Fitness Advice - Pull-ups

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2003-12-22 10:12pm

This is what I did (for chin-ups actually, but still applicable). I tried one, going as high off my feet as I could. Came back a half hour later and tried again. Repeat. After a few days, I managed one. A couple weeks later, I was doing 5 easily.

I was 13 at the time.

muse · Post by **muse** » 2003-12-22 10:32pm

Well, the first thing to do is to see if you can do one and go from there. Before I started swim training I'd never done a pull-up myself but when the coach made us do them I didn't have too much trouble. If you can do even a single pull-up, it makes training a lot easier since all you have to do then is keep doing them.

If you can't then you'll have to start on the lat pull-down machine as well as doing some negatives and assisted pull-ups. From there you work to the point where you can do a pull-up and then you just keep doing them along with using the lat pull-down machine and doing negatives.

BTW, here's some extra motivation. I'm a girl and I can do 10 pull-ups! You're a girly man until you can do more pull-ups than I can! Girly man!

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2003-12-22 10:39pm

20 maxes for hte Marines? I thought it was over 30. Shit, I'm in good shape.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2003-12-22 11:02pm

StormTrooperTR889 wrote:20 maxes for hte Marines? I thought it was over 30. Shit, I'm in good shape.

Well then, it's time to make things more difficult for you. Instead of using a chinup bar, do your pullups from a thick soccer goal that you can't get your hands around. This works your forearms more and cramps them up nicely. Next, do them hanging by your fingertips from a 1/2" wide doorframe, this one's a bastard to do. Then try doing them with one arm. Try these tricks out and let me know what you think.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2003-12-22 11:14pm

I usually knock out about 20 pull-ups at one time. Before I started weight lifting in 8th grade I could barely do one. After a few weeks of lifting my ability to do pull-ups began to rise very quickly. My advice to anyone who wants to do more pull-ups is to start a comprehensive weight training program. Not only will you get stronger, but your new massive biceps will impress all the lady friends. And as an added bonus, you might be able to beat Muse in an arm wrestling contest. Well, then again maybe not, but one can always hope.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-12-23 03:55am

But don't cheat! I used to think I could do 30 chinups in one set because the HS gym teacher let us go only partway down and then pull back up. If you go all the way down so that your arms are completely straight and then back up each time, the number of chinups goes down quite dramatically. Your body weight is also a factor, of course.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-12-23 10:47am

Generally, as has been said repeatedly, the only way to be able to do pull-ups is to enhance your upper body strength. What is really helpful in this regard, as has been said before, is a machine that lets you do lat pulldowns and has a variable weight stack. Though if you're going to use the lat pulldown part of the machine, you ought to use the rest of it as well and develop your upper body in a balanced manner.

Trust me, thirty minutes with a weight machine three or four times a week does wonders for your physique, your flexibility, and your strength.

PainRack · Post by **PainRack** » 2003-12-23 11:43am

I like to ask one thing.

How on earth does one do 30 chin ups worth easily?? Do you guys use upper and lower body motion or what?

That kind of strenght is usually reserved for serious heavy lifters here. Hell, even the guy who was a champion Dragon Boat rower in my platoon could only do 25.

PainRack · Post by **PainRack** » 2003-12-23 11:46am

Darth Wong wrote:But don't cheat! I used to think I could do 30 chinups in one set because the HS gym teacher let us go only partway down and then pull back up. If you go all the way down so that your arms are completely straight and then back up each time, the number of chinups goes down quite dramatically. Your body weight is also a factor, of course.

Let me see, my OC added approximately 7 kg by having us in SBO. I dropped to 6. Added a practice LAW of around 4kg. I dropped to IIRC 3.

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2003-12-23 01:01pm

aerius wrote:
StormTrooperTR889 wrote:20 maxes for hte Marines? I thought it was over 30. Shit, I'm in good shape.
Well then, it's time to make things more difficult for you. Instead of using a chinup bar, do your pullups from a thick soccer goal that you can't get your hands around. This works your forearms more and cramps them up nicely. Next, do them hanging by your fingertips from a 1/2" wide doorframe, this one's a bastard to do. Then try doing them with one arm. Try these tricks out and let me know what you think.

I normally do them off of an exposed I-beam in my basement. I can do 5-7 off of a 1/2 inch door frame, and none with one hand.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-12-23 02:25pm

I've always been skeptical of people who say they can do shitloads of real, full-range chinups unless they have truly bizarre builds (very skinny, very low body weight, but well-developed arms). My brother can deadlift 500 pounds for reps no problem, but he can't do 30 chinups in one set. I've been to gyms and seen guys with enormous upper-body strength who can't do 30 chinups in one set.

I have, however, seen lots of guys who heavily cheat on the upper and lower range of motion and try to go really fast in order to get an impressive-sounding number of reps.

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2003-12-23 02:31pm

5' 9" (1.7526 meters), 127 pounds (57.6062 kilos), runner with very low body fat, and can rep 120 pounds (54.43 kilos) for lat pull. My arms aren't that developed, but it's enough to drive my weight. If anyone cares

.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2003-12-23 03:14pm

Darth Wong wrote:I've always been skeptical of people who say they can do shitloads of real, full-range chinups unless they have truly bizarre builds (very skinny, very low body weight, but well-developed arms).

That's my description right there; skinny, 150lbs, and not awesome, but pretty good nonetheless arms. It's easy to do pull-ups when you don't have much to pull up.

I have, however, seen lots of guys who heavily cheat on the upper and lower range of motion and try to go really fast in order to get an impressive-sounding number of reps.

I could maybe knock out over 25 doing it that way. They're much easier when you don't have to go all the way down.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2003-12-23 05:34pm

PainRack wrote:How on earth does one do 30 chin ups worth easily?? Do you guys use upper and lower body motion or what?

Some people are just freaks. There were a few guys at my rockclimbing gym who could do sets of 5-10 chinups with one arm. These guys could hang onto a tiny rock with 3 fingers and pull themselves up off that. At my peak I could do a single one-arm chinup if I cheated a bit. Back when I was heavily into rockclimbing I was doing about 80 chinups a day and I had Popeye arms while weighing only about 142-145 pounds.

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2003-12-23 07:41pm

muse wrote:Well, the first thing to do is to see if you can do one and go from there. Before I started swim training I'd never done a pull-up myself but when the coach made us do them I didn't have too much trouble. If you can do even a single pull-up, it makes training a lot easier since all you have to do then is keep doing them.

If you can't then you'll have to start on the lat pull-down machine as well as doing some negatives and assisted pull-ups. From there you work to the point where you can do a pull-up and then you just keep doing them along with using the lat pull-down machine and doing negatives.

BTW, here's some extra motivation. I'm a girl and I can do 10 pull-ups! You're a girly man until you can do more pull-ups than I can! Girly man!

Well, we'd also have to factor in your body weight. So, how much do you weigh? *runs*

muse · Post by **muse** » 2003-12-23 08:01pm

YT300000 wrote:Well, we'd also have to factor in your body weight. So, how much do you weigh? *runs*

Run all you want but I'll still catch you and drown you in a swimming pool. Or maybe I'll dangle you off a bridge. Oh, and I weigh about 155 pounds right now.

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2003-12-23 10:40pm

muse wrote:
YT300000 wrote:Well, we'd also have to factor in your body weight. So, how much do you weigh? *runs*
Run all you want but I'll still catch you and drown you in a swimming pool. Or maybe I'll dangle you off a bridge. Oh, and I weigh about 155 pounds right now.

About as much as me. Very interesting.

PainRack · Post by **PainRack** » 2003-12-26 10:50am

aerius wrote:
PainRack wrote:How on earth does one do 30 chin ups worth easily?? Do you guys use upper and lower body motion or what?
Some people are just freaks. There were a few guys at my rockclimbing gym who could do sets of 5-10 chinups with one arm. These guys could hang onto a tiny rock with 3 fingers and pull themselves up off that. At my peak I could do a single one-arm chinup if I cheated a bit. Back when I was heavily into rockclimbing I was doing about 80 chinups a day and I had Popeye arms while weighing only about 142-145 pounds.

I'm kinda sceptical at the many people here who claim they can do 30 chin up, without using both upper and lower body motion. And I guess I was right, Wicked Pilot says he can't push past 25 without using that.

I know it isn't impossible, I once saw an old git, balding white hair, wrinkled face and all at the park did a 3 set of 15 reps chin up in one stretch and finished up with 2 set of roughly 10 reps. But I won't expect to find so many serious heavy lifters on what is essentially a science-fiction(read geek) board.

PainRack · Post by **PainRack** » 2003-12-26 10:59am

Darth Wong wrote: I have, however, seen lots of guys who heavily cheat on the upper and lower range of motion and try to go really fast in order to get an impressive-sounding number of reps.

Actually, you have to go fast(without cheating on the range of motion) if you want to pull a high number. Otherwise, fatigue creeps in and robs you of your strenght, especially if you're overweight like me.