Pull Up (((((help)))))

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TexMexBel
TexMexBel Posts: 54 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone, DON'T laugh :) today I was at the park with my daughter and I decided to check out their "warm up circuit" for the track. Anyhoo I came across the bar where you do chin ups or pull ups (are they the same?) Well it was to my embarrassment that I discovered I could BARELY hang from the dang bar let alone pull myself up... I'm good with my cardio but have NEVER did any type of weight or strength training before. Soooooo my question is, what are the exercises I can do to build my strength so that I can do a gosh darn pull up and lift my own weight up??? thank you to any and ALL replies....

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  • keiko
    keiko Posts: 2,919 Member
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    Here is a website with some ideas for you to try. I know they are hard! I should get back to working towards a goal of being able to do them.

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/04/25/do-a-pull-up/
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    Pull ups for total beginners.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/pullups-for-total-beginners/
  • fortiesgal
    fortiesgal Posts: 8
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    I know a lot of pretty fit people and teenagers that can't even do one pull up. Push ups really help build up your upper body. I am not strong enough yet to do many on my toes, so I usually have my knees down while doing them.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    Hello everyone, DON'T laugh :) today I was at the park with my daughter and I decided to check out their "warm up circuit" for the track. Anyhoo I came across the bar where you do chin ups or pull ups (are they the same?) Well it was to my embarrassment that I discovered I could BARELY hang from the dang bar let alone pull myself up... I'm good with my cardio but have NEVER did any type of weight or strength training before. Soooooo my question is, what are the exercises I can do to build my strength so that I can do a gosh darn pull up and lift my own weight up??? thank you to any and ALL replies....

    The gym I go to has an assisted pullup/ dip machine....I love it! If you're new to strength training I'd suggest getting the book 'new rules of lifting for women' or checking out the Stronglifts 5x5 program. LIfting weights/ strength training and body weight exercises do amazing things to the shape of your body!! I highly recommend cutting down on the cardio and getting into a strength training program. You'll love the results!
  • AuntieMC
    AuntieMC Posts: 346 Member
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    I have a book called "Convict Conditioning", and if you can get past the title and the fact that it was written by an actual long-term convict, it has some really good exercises for strength building. I have never in my life been able to do a pull up, I used to just hang from the bar every year in PE, and no one ever told me what I could do to increase my strength. THIS book started me off with "door-frame pull-ups", where I stand close to the door frame, hold on at shoulder height, lean back, and pull myself back up to it slowly. He has a whole series of increasingly difficult exercises to build those muscles until you finally get to one-armed pull-ups! He has similar building-up exercizes for push ups, squats, and other stuff.

    P.S. I just went to the links about "beginners pull ups", and they start off with harder stuff than this book starts off with!
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
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    :) I love the links being posted. Good luck OP!
  • Dan4495
    Dan4495 Posts: 130 Member
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    Have you tried push ups? You can try them with your feet up on a chair or on you knees if needed to reduce the load on your upper body and then as you build strength you can lower your feet, etc. and before you know it you'll be doing one arm push ups. Oh, and pull-ups are with palms out and chin-ups are with palms facing you.

    Have fun with it.

    Dan
  • Jonesingmucho
    Jonesingmucho Posts: 4,902 Member
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    The trainer I work with said the best way to get better at pull-ups is to do more of them which cracked me up since I couldn't do any in the beginning.

    She got me started by having me do pull-ups with resistance bands. It is the coolest thing ever. Loop the band over the bar and pull it back through the other side to lock it in, then step on the band. As you do the pull-up, the resistance band helps you lift. It doesn't do all the work. Keep increasing your number of pull-ups. Before long you can change to a different resistance band that does even less work for you. You have to build up your number again. Eventually you don't even need the resistance bands!

    Good luck girlfriend! You got this and will LOVE being able to do pull ups! It is empowering!
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
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    Have you tried push ups? You can try them with your feet up on a chair or on you knees if needed to reduce the load on your upper body and then as you build strength you can lower your feet, etc. and before you know it you'll be doing one arm push ups. Oh, and pull-ups are with palms out and chin-ups are with palms facing you.

    Have fun with it.

    Dan

    feet up on a chair is a higher difficulty than feet on floor. doing push up on knees will reduce the amount needed to pushup
  • Factory_Reset
    Factory_Reset Posts: 1,651 Member
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    When I did P90X a few years ago I had to put my foot on a chair to assist until I could do them w/o. You're not alone in having issues :)
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/646798-the-cornerstone-of-upper-body-strength-the-pullup


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/815050-the-pullup-encyclopedia-revised

    Read these, gives you all you need to know.
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
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    They are not easy. The closer you get to your target weight the more likely you will be able to do some. (palms toward you will be easier). My goal is to do 20 in a row.
  • shrinkinginQualicum
    shrinkinginQualicum Posts: 131 Member
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    Bump! I want to check out these links. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
  • Dan4495
    Dan4495 Posts: 130 Member
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    Thanks for correcting me. You are correct. I should have suggested the opposite; that is incline push-ups not decline.
  • alyssamiller77
    alyssamiller77 Posts: 891 Member
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    If you have access to smith machines or squat benches, an inverted push-up is a good way to build yourself up to a full pull-up. Check out the video here, as you'll see you can do it under-hand or over-hand grip.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oESpBcMZnwE
  • TexMexBel
    TexMexBel Posts: 54 Member
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    I knew I would get my question answered :) Great websites thanks everyone...
  • dlrcpa
    dlrcpa Posts: 114 Member
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    Don't feel bad! There is an exercise circuit where I walk the dog that has several overhead bar stations. (monkey bars, chin-up bars, etc.) For the monkey bars, I would just hang on several of them in succession. Try to hang and swing a bit then let yourself down. It is not just biceps/shoulder that need to be strong, it is also your forearms and hands need to get accustomed. Then try jumping up and holding yourself higher for as long as you can before you let yourself down.

    There is somthing called a "kip" pull-up where you swing your legs or raise your knees to your chest to give you the momentum to help your arms lift your entire body upward.

    I work on this several times a week when I am out with the dog. I haven't succeeded yet but I'm significantly stronger than I was earlier this year.

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