Ladies who can do unassisted pullups

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cleotherio
cleotherio Posts: 712 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
The NY Times says we don't exist:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/why-women-cant-do-pull-ups/

Harumph. I've always been able to do a few, except when I'm carrying a little too much weight. In college when I was a competetive althlete, super lean and strong, I could do four. I started P90x a few months ago and pullups are a big part of it. I was probably at my heaviest (153 lbs) outside of pregnancy, and I couldn't do any. I did all of them with one leg resting on a chair. Now that I'm nearly three months in and 8 lbs lighter, I can do three unassisted overhand pullups and four reverse-grip chin ups. My goal is to lose a little more weight, get a little stronger and do 6 unassisted overhand.

Age - 41
Height - 5'5"
Weight 145
Body fat- estimate base on measurements 25%

I'm also short waisted with wide shoulders and big lats. My build probably has lot to do with my lifelong ability to do them. But I know I'm not alone here...
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Replies

  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    You have my body! And I can do pullups. But, as I found out yesterday, not while wearing a 10lb. weight vest, so that's my new goal. When I'm in the gym, I do assisted sets, but I have a pullup bar at home that I just do one or two on whenever I walk into/out of the kitchen, so I know I can do about 5 or 6 unassisted.

    And I haven't been able to do pullups all my life, this is a pretty recent development. But otherwise:

    Age - 38
    Height - 5'4"
    Weight - 140
    Body fat- according to the Omron handheld thingy, 25%

    Also short-waisted with big shoulders.
  • mdn15
    mdn15 Posts: 145
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    That article is crazy. Apparently, they have not seen the crossfit women.
    I can do the following unassisted:
    5 chin ups
    2 overhand pull ups
    5 alternating hands


    Age: 42.
  • savvygurl101
    savvygurl101 Posts: 37 Member
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    I have just recently been able to do pullups without assistance. I started off with assistance and have slowly taken it away and given back my body weight. I am 133lbs and just the other day did three unassisted pull ups. Quite proud of myself.
  • salgalbp
    salgalbp Posts: 218 Member
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    You all are very inspiring to me :)! THANKS!
  • Joreanasaurous
    Joreanasaurous Posts: 1,384 Member
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    We have a pull up bar in a doorway in my house that I always use when I pass through it. Or attempt to do.at least. I am at about one and a half right now.... But a vast improvment to my days of hanging there grunting and swearing.
  • cleotherio
    cleotherio Posts: 712 Member
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    bump--there have to be more!
  • RandiLandCHANGED
    RandiLandCHANGED Posts: 630 Member
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    I can do them! Some days it's two, sometimes I can bang out 5 in a row.
  • wmoomoo
    wmoomoo Posts: 159 Member
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    Unfortunately, I still can't do any without assist. T_T
  • Hbazzell
    Hbazzell Posts: 899 Member
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    Female Marines can do them. Ef that article.

    I can't do any though.
  • patentguru
    patentguru Posts: 312 Member
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    Any article that says a large group of people can't do something is highly suspect and should be discounted. I wouldn't read past the title.
  • MarineCodie
    MarineCodie Posts: 256 Member
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    As a female Marine I can tell you that not all female Marines can do pull-ups. It will be a requirement in 2014 though. :) To get better at pull-ups you simply have to do pull-ups.

    Things that helped me:

    Negatives
    Jump pull-ups
    Kipping
    &overall improving my back strength via weight lifting.

    (let's not forget shedding the excess body fat. I gained 3 pull-ups just from losing 10lbs)
  • Admiral_Derp
    Admiral_Derp Posts: 866 Member
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    This title doesn't need to be followed by anything other than awed silence.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
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    I've seen that article, whatever!

    I can do 3-4 sets of 10 chin-ups unassisted and 3-4 sets of 5-6 wide grip, palm out pull ups unassisted. Will work on the weighted pull-ups as I increase the volume of wide grips. Also recently won my gyms competition for most amount of pull-ups in 60 seconds in the female catergory. Practice, practice, practice and lift those weights. :)


    B268B77D-007D-41E7-B356-EA2F5DED83E0-4528-0000024F3566018B.jpg
  • Mummyadams
    Mummyadams Posts: 1,125 Member
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    I can do 5 x chin ups but haven't mastered the longed for strict pull up yet - my goal for July. My coach has me doing negatives and jumping pull ups to gain lat strength.

    40 yrs here!
  • NicoWoodruff
    NicoWoodruff Posts: 369 Member
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    When I was a lifeguard there was a lever in the pumproom I was supposed to be able to pull as part of my job. I'm a tiny at 4'11".33 and I just didn't have enough torque to do it. No one would believe me that I couldn't pull this lever.

    So I called everyone into the pump room one day and did 20 pullups with my feet totally off the floor and all my weight on the lever and it never budged it.

    Then they believed me. :laugh: I still laugh thinking about it.

    I wonder if I could do that now.. I'm in pretty good shape but I haven't tried pullups in a long time. I'll have to give it a try next time I'm near a bar of some kind.
  • ixap
    ixap Posts: 675 Member
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    I guess they gave the article that title to grab attention. The article doesn't say that women can't do them, just that it is harder for them. Which is true I'm sure.

    I can do them now but it took me two years to work up to it. I started out with the machine at the gym that supports part of your body weight. I had to set it to support 80 of my 120 pounds at the time to do even one. I switched to doing assisted pullups with a resistance band, which helped speed up the progress. Then I started doing sets of negatives, which I think is what pushed me over the final hump.
  • Troublemonster
    Troublemonster Posts: 223 Member
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    My wife bangs out overhand pullups like it's fun. She did 4 sets of 5-7 last time we did them last week.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    It took me FOREVER to work down the assistance, but I can do a handful of unassisted chinups and 2 or 3 unassisted pull ups on a good day. Getting stronger all the time!
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
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    Um... this is ridiculous.

    I've always been able to do at least one, even at my heaviest.
  • SJ46
    SJ46 Posts: 407 Member
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    I am close, very close to being able to do an overhand pullup. With the right training and more importantly the will and dedication I think most could do it. I'm a positive thinker :)

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