Chin Up/Pull Up (Women+)

lifeandleaves

Hey, welcome!

This thread might be of particular interest to other women who are looking to complete a full chin up or pull up, but ALL are welcome!

I'm looking to challenge myself (and others!) to complete a chin up from a dead hang in six weeks. At present, I can do an assisted pull up, i.e. hands facing forward, but would like to start smaller with the full chin up, which is slightly easier and something I did a lot of in a previous life.

I've grabbed a plan from the internet, http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/chin-up-challenge-workout and will be following this and seeing if it helps me to achieve a chin up, starting six weeks on Monday, 11 July!

Currently I am able to do a solid dead hang, can do a full set of monkey bars back and forth on a TRX frame, and as stated above, I can do an assisted pull-up with about 50% assistance.

Who's with me?!

Have you got any tips or hints on achieving a chin up (or pull up)?

What is your starting point? What is your aim (pull up or chin up)?
Please share your successes and challenges along the way!

lifeandleaves

I started this one early...

Yesterday I popped to the gym and practised isometric pull ups, I.e. Holding myself above the bar for 5 to 20 seconds. I achieved somewhere in the 5 to 10 second region to start off with.

My biggest challenge is getting access to a bar that I can jump up onto to practise the holds and to a TRX suspension rig, as the one in my gym is only available once a day. I've worked out some timings though to work into and around the rest of my workouts.

Wish me luck. This is a daunting challenge but I look forward to pulling myself up from a dead hang!

lifeandleaves

Moving along swiftly - I am having trouble accessing the TRX suspension rig to do my seated pull ups but will make an effort to do so garet Zumba tonight.

Does anyone have any advice for getting a bit of confidence in the gym to go to the frame (where people do pull ups, and pull weights attached to cables from both sides, and generally grunt a lot...)?

I really need to go over to this to do my isometric pull up but I don't seem to have the confidence. I do wish our gym just had a plain old pull up bar where I could use a bench to get up high. It looks like I will need to swallow my anxiety and just get up there!

Lastly, I did a bit of practice this morning between circuits of simply pulling my shoulderblades down my back and toward my tailbone and attempting a slight lift in the pull up position. The technique of pulling the shoulder blades down the back has really helped me overcome the initial inertia that I generally experienced prior to starting out on this journey.

Any women out there particularly adept at pull ups and/or chin ups? What is your advice?

pattyandthemoos

I do not work out at a gym so I don't know everything you are talking about. I am up to 2 pull ups now and 2 chin ups. I started using an assistance band. In the beginning I couldn't even do one with the band. I just kept making attempts to do one without the band and then doing as many as I could with the band. I think doing back exercises in general has helped me too. If you feel weird at the gym, why not get a door mounted one at home to practice with until you feel more confident.

lifeandleaves

Hi Patty

Thanks for your response. That's helpful! I haven't tried it with a fitness band yet but I do plan to and have a band at home.

As I live in a student room with a fire door I haven't tried putting a bar up at home, but I'm moving very soon and that sounds like a sensible investment!

I've been doing circuit training for about 18 months alongside distance running and am fairly strong, just not able to pull myself up yet. It doesn't feel too far fetched to achieve right now so I'm confident it's within reach.


Thanks for the tips. I'm looking forward to working up to this!

emmab0902

I've just started using the assisted pullup machine at the gym. Even as a competitive swimmer in my teens and again now, I've never been able to get close to doing one!

emmab0902

@lifeandleaves how are you getting on?