From zero to twenty pull-ups - No experience necessary!
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Took the weekend off since I didn't have a pull up bar on the weekend away family trip for the holidays. Came back last night and gave a hearty effort from a dead hang. Still stuck on that lower transition. A jump the upper 60% is definitely attainable for me. Negatives were very solid for all 5 reps. It's going to be close to make it happen by the end of the year but I'm still going to plug away.
Increasing bent over dumbbell rows at 30lbs repetitions and sets starting tonight to see if that adds any assistance. It's the same spot I seem to be making no progress on while every other part of the motion is healthily progressing.1 -
gemiller87 wrote: »Still stuck on that lower transition.
There's a few things that might help with that.
One is keep plugging away, but you're already doing that. Keep it up! Nothing helps pull-ups better than pull-ups.
Another is to use a thumbless grip on the bar. 'Hooks for hands' is what I remember one trainer calling it. This is supposed to help with getting a feel for engaging the lats. Visualizing pulling your elbows down instead of pulling yourself up does the same thing. Once you get a feel for engaging the lats, you can reintroduce the thumbed grip as having a tight grip will generate more pulling power. Thumbless grip also helps with sore forearms/elbows. Ask me how I know.
The third thing in helping with getting your first pull-up is to start from the top (or midway) and start the pull-up by first going down before going up. This creates an elastic energy in the movement that may assist you is pulling past your sticking point. If you've ever done squats starting off the pins or bench press with a pause at the bottom, you'll appreciate elastic energy. More on elastic energy can be read in Starting Strength, which is a fantastic book for all things strength training for beginners.
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gemiller87 wrote: »Still stuck on that lower transition.
There's a few things that might help with that.
One is keep plugging away, but you're already doing that. Keep it up! Nothing helps pull-ups better than pull-ups.
Another is to use a thumbless grip on the bar. 'Hooks for hands' is what I remember one trainer calling it. This is supposed to help with getting a feel for engaging the lats. Visualizing pulling your elbows down instead of pulling yourself up does the same thing. Once you get a feel for engaging the lats, you can reintroduce the thumbed grip as having a tight grip will generate more pulling power. Thumbless grip also helps with sore forearms/elbows. Ask me how I know.
The third thing in helping with getting your first pull-up is to start from the top (or midway) and start the pull-up by first going down before going up. This creates an elastic energy in the movement that may assist you is pulling past your sticking point. If you've ever done squats starting off the pins or bench press with a pause at the bottom, you'll appreciate elastic energy. More on elastic energy can be read in Starting Strength, which is a fantastic book for all things strength training for beginners.
Another thing to try is to start adding sets of scapular shrugs. You need strong scapula to start off the pull.0 -
mom23mangos wrote: »
Another thing to try is to start adding sets of scapular shrugs. You need strong scapula to start off the pull.
Woah, did a google on that and tried it. Really a weird feeling. Made my shoulders feel kinda funky but in a good way. Definitely will try to include this more often!
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Completed W3D1, and managing to still plug away at it. If I pay attention to the suggested rest periods between sets I should be able to complete this aggressive week (W3 looks aggressive!). Up to now I've been rotating to other stations in my workout routine between the pullup sets. The only bad news is that a busier than normal schedule has meant I've sacrificed all cardio (no cardio for almost 3 weeks now). But at least being busy is better than riding the couch.2
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I did upper body today for the first time in a week and a half. I did feet elevated horizontal rows instead of pull-ups since that wouldn’t stretch my stomach. I was nicely surprised to see that my pull-up gains translated over and I was able to do 3 sets of 10.1
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Took some time off to let my elbows heal up a bit. I may have tried to get back in a little too fast by increasing the volume of pull ups per day and dips and handstands. At any rate, taking rest was good because I was able to return back and complete W3D2 (5/4/3/4/5) with rather minimal discomfort on the elbows.1
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So my update: started day zero of the challenge able to do 5 good-form pullups, or 6 including a stressed final rep. At the end of W3, the program states I should be able to complete 9 pull-ups. W3 result: 5 max pull ups including a stressed final rep. In other words, no progress and likely regression instead. If I factor in some poor sleep recently, I'd still assume I can only do 6 on a good, rested day. Ironically, this challenge had me completing significantly more reps per day than my own approach. Bottom line, this challenge program didn't work for me and I'll go back to my old approach which at least offered very slow progression.1
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Thank you for participating in this challenge discussion. I appreciate the feedback you are providing regarding this program and its great that you have another approach that is working for you.
Regarding the program, 'you should be able to do 9 pull ups' is rather vague. "You should be able to do 9 pull ups" can mean two things. It could mean "you [are guaranteed to] be able to do 9 pull ups or it could mean "you [must] be able to do 9 pull ups. Since this program has two three week phases, I have assumed the latter in which you must be able to do 9 in order to move to week 4, not that someone is guaranteed results doing this program. If you can do 6, then the next progression would be week 1 column 3, not week 4.
This challenge is about setting a goal for yourself. That goal was to follow the instructions and see how it works for you. Not to hit an arbitrary number in a set time frame. You did it and this is a success, not a failure. At any rate, if you do find better results with your old approach or any other program, such as Armstrong, please do come back and report your findings.
I am absolutely not married to this program and am always interested in what others are doing.
Good luck.2 -
Been a bit since I updated. I've been making continue progress but considering after Christmas Eve until the week after new years I won't have access to a pull up bar success by end of year seems slim as we're headed south for a family vacation. I'm sooo close though. My negatives are rock solid and my normal pull up is right there. Just a dash of help over the lower transition and I can finish it. Shouldn't be long now though! Started doing some dumbbell 30lb presses, continued bent over rows, etc. Definitely seeing improvement just not as quick as I would have liked, I still attribute some of this to the 2lb + a week deficit. Either way, still making forward motion and starting to see the success mark within reach!0
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Been a bit since anyone posted any update here. So i'm making progress but still not there from a dead hang. From the top I can lower 2/3 and then recover to the top but still struggling at that 1/3 mark from a dead hang. But I can do a couple reps of lowering and then pulling up from the top. I'm definitely honing in on success from a dead hang now!0
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Can't be bothered to follow a program but up to 3 sets of 11! 1
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If you have access to a bar and a chair or stool to get the bar to chest level, then it first is a matter of trying to make a flexed arm bar hang - Even if you can only do 1 to 2 seconds at start, trying to control to rate of your sinking is doing the negative. So long as you descend slow enough to not be falling at the acceleration of gravity, your arms and back will get worked.
Most people are able to hang longer in a chin up position (palms facing you) so although pull ups are more effective and should ultimately be switched over to, its a pretty solid plan to use chin ups at first to get your arms used to working and then switch over to pull ups once you are able to control your negatives better. And hey if you want to do the whole program using chin-ups, that's cool too.
Good Luck
🤔 I’m going to try this 😏2 -
Hi All,
I'm trying this ahead of doing P90x3, where the fit test specifies 3 pull ups ideally to start the programme. If this fails I may try Armstrong, but I think I should be fine.
My initial test was 2 pulls, so I started and completed week -2 of column 3 without any issues. Today I'm on day one of -1, which was fine and on Thursday I'll be going for a max test on the last set, with 3 minimum to start week 1 proper.1 -
Pipsqueak1965 wrote: »I want a pull-up bar! I sneakily had a go on the monkey bars at the park (when no-one was around) and managed 3! I was quite surprised actually. I don't know if I can even reach the ones in the gym as I am such a short-*kitten*.
I grab a bench and put it under the bar. It is the perfect height so I can reach the bar in the gym!0 -
I’ve been somewhat running these progressions to help increase reps on my L-sit pull-ups.1
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Week minus 2 day 3; I did 3 pulls in the max test but rep 3 was a struggle. Do I crack on Sunday with week 1 or drop back a day?
I added a set of negatives in after and am thinking about another set of neggies later today. Thoughts?0 -
Hi All, I watch this video and tried all the tips, instantly did 3 pulls!!!
https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a32669001/10-common-pullup-mistakes-form-technique-athlean-x-youtube/0 -
Still working on these through lockdown! Unfortunately, the lighting isnt great in my shed! 😅
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