question about assisted pull up machine
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stephcalcott
Posts: 84 Member
Hi - I have been playing around with the assisted pull up machine (because I am nowhere near able to do a pull on on my own - yet). I'm so confused! It has weights in 10 pound increments and you can choose how much weight you want assisted. Right now I weigh about 140. I set it up to 105 pounds and couldn't pull myself up. Then I set it to 135 and got 8 pull ups done before it was too hard. I KNOW I can lift more than 5 pounds - I've been doing bicep curls with a 40 pound bar. I've done the pull down machine with 50 - 60 pounds (and that seems like the same motion as the pull up).
So what the he*#? When you put 135 pounds on there is it not really assisting with 135 pounds? Is there some sort of formula that I should know about? I looked on the machine and got no information and didn't see any trainers walking around the floor to ask.
Help! At this rate I'll never get to an unassisted pull up!
So what the he*#? When you put 135 pounds on there is it not really assisting with 135 pounds? Is there some sort of formula that I should know about? I looked on the machine and got no information and didn't see any trainers walking around the floor to ask.
Help! At this rate I'll never get to an unassisted pull up!
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Replies
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I really wish I could help you out but I'm tagging to follow.
What grip are you using with you do it?
I've noticed that depending where my hands are on the machine determines the amount of assist I need.
Like at the end of the bars, I need more assist.
Right at the bend (hands on the slanted part) I need less assistance.
And then completely on the straight part, I can get away with even less assistance.
But I'm also sort of able to do an unassisted chin up0 -
Im not sure about a formula....different machines have different pulley systems that make for different assistance. I wouldn't worry too much about the numbers....just put on the amount of weight that will get you to challenge yourself.0
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Don't get frustrated! I'm not familiar with the machines that use "weights", but I can tell you if you put 135 pounds on there, and you aren't almost floating upward, something seems off. The machines I've used in the past have a digital clock-like number where you enter your weight, and percent of your weight you want assisted. To be blunt....I suck at pull ups...big time. Can't do one right now. But the times when I've entered 90%, I've almost flown off, and felt like King Kong when I did such an easy pull up (lol). At 135/140, you have over 96% of your weight assisted, so if you can't do those in your sleep, don't worry: IT ISN'T YOU. Something is wrong with their machine.0
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that seems a bit off. i weigh 105 and I put it at like 45 lbs and i can do about 5...:??0
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I am not great with weights, but I know that the assisted pull up machine works in reverse than other machines. The higher weights you set it to, the easier to lift yourself up. So they say if you are about 150, you set it to 105 or so. Then as you get better, you "lighten" the weight (say to 90) and it makes the lift harder. The weights are counter balancing you.1
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I don't think there is a specific formula to it. When I started using the machine in late August, I was using almost all of the assist. I think it was either 145 or 165#. As it got easier, I would drop the assist by 5# or so. Last month I dropped 15# off my assist.
Just use as much assist as you need to be able to do 8-12 reps. It'll get easier with time...before you know it, you'll be dropping the assist. Mine is currently at 85#.0 -
The one in my gym has a chart with how much weight is displaces by each plate. So with the pin in the 10 plate it is not displacing 100 lbs but more like 48 or something like that. The pulleys are providing some extra leverage.
You could google the machine name, or go with the above poster and just set it to a challenging setting and aim to not need the assisted machine eventually.
Hope that helps!0 -
I guess it doesn't REALLY matter what the weights say as long as I'm challenging myself. I just like to know exactly what I'm doing/lifting - it's motivating
I'll just continue to motivate myself by taking weight off the assisted lift until I can do it without the machine. Thanks for everyone's feedback!1 -
Hi - I have been playing around with the assisted pull up machine (because I am nowhere near able to do a pull on on my own - yet). I'm so confused! It has weights in 10 pound increments and you can choose how much weight you want assisted. Right now I weigh about 140. I set it up to 105 pounds and couldn't pull myself up. Then I set it to 135 and got 8 pull ups done before it was too hard. I KNOW I can lift more than 5 pounds - I've been doing bicep curls with a 40 pound bar. I've done the pull down machine with 50 - 60 pounds (and that seems like the same motion as the pull up).
So what the he*#? When you put 135 pounds on there is it not really assisting with 135 pounds? Is there some sort of formula that I should know about? I looked on the machine and got no information and didn't see any trainers walking around the floor to ask.
Help! At this rate I'll never get to an unassisted pull up!
It is a reverse system. The more weight you add to the machine, the less amount of your own weight you are lifting.
If your weight is 100lb and you add 50 lbs to the machine, you will be pulling 50% of your body weight; If you only add 20 lbs, then you will be lifting 80% of your body weight.
That is why you can do 8 pulls up wit 135 lbs but nothing with 105 lbs. This is the way that the asisted machine works at my gym. You can confirm with one of the trainers.1 -
I guess it doesn't REALLY matter what the weights say as long as I'm challenging myself. I just like to know exactly what I'm doing/lifting - it's motivating
I'll just continue to motivate myself by taking weight off the assisted lift until I can do it without the machine. Thanks for everyone's feedback!
exactly. i adjust the weight so that i max out at 5-6.0 -
Hi - I have been playing around with the assisted pull up machine (because I am nowhere near able to do a pull on on my own - yet). I'm so confused! It has weights in 10 pound increments and you can choose how much weight you want assisted. Right now I weigh about 140. I set it up to 105 pounds and couldn't pull myself up. Then I set it to 135 and got 8 pull ups done before it was too hard. I KNOW I can lift more than 5 pounds - I've been doing bicep curls with a 40 pound bar. I've done the pull down machine with 50 - 60 pounds (and that seems like the same motion as the pull up).
So what the he*#? When you put 135 pounds on there is it not really assisting with 135 pounds? Is there some sort of formula that I should know about? I looked on the machine and got no information and didn't see any trainers walking around the floor to ask.
Help! At this rate I'll never get to an unassisted pull up!
[/quote]
It is a reverse system. The more weight you add to the machine, the less amount of your own weight you are lifting.
If your weight is 100lb and you add 50 lbs to the machine, you will be pulling 50% of your body weight; If you only add 20 lbs, then you will be lifting 80% of your body weight.
That is why you can do 8 pulls up wit 135 lbs but nothing with 105 lbs. This is the way that the asisted machine works at my gym. You can confirm with one of the trainers.
[/quote]
I get the reverse system. The problem is that I KNOW I can pull up more than 5 pounds. I weigh 140 and can do 8 pull ups with the machine set at 135. It's absolutely not possible that I can't pull up more than 5 pounds so I was trying to figure out if there was something else in play. I've used machines that allow me to put a percentage of my weight and I've been able to lift 25% of my weight easily and that would be 35 pounds.0 -
The acceleration due to gravity pushing down on earth is 9.8m/s^2. That should answer your question
No idea 2 -
The acceleration due to gravity pushing down on earth is 9.8m/s^2. That should answer your question
No idea
It's totally clear now! 0 -
Hi - I have been playing around with the assisted pull up machine (because I am nowhere near able to do a pull on on my own - yet). I'm so confused! It has weights in 10 pound increments and you can choose how much weight you want assisted. Right now I weigh about 140. I set it up to 105 pounds and couldn't pull myself up. Then I set it to 135 and got 8 pull ups done before it was too hard. I KNOW I can lift more than 5 pounds - I've been doing bicep curls with a 40 pound bar. I've done the pull down machine with 50 - 60 pounds (and that seems like the same motion as the pull up).
So what the he*#? When you put 135 pounds on there is it not really assisting with 135 pounds? Is there some sort of formula that I should know about? I looked on the machine and got no information and didn't see any trainers walking around the floor to ask.
Help! At this rate I'll never get to an unassisted pull up!
It is a reverse system. The more weight you add to the machine, the less amount of your own weight you are lifting.
If your weight is 100lb and you add 50 lbs to the machine, you will be pulling 50% of your body weight; If you only add 20 lbs, then you will be lifting 80% of your body weight.
That is why you can do 8 pulls up wit 135 lbs but nothing with 105 lbs. This is the way that the asisted machine works at my gym. You can confirm with one of the trainers.
[/quote]
I get the reverse system. The problem is that I KNOW I can pull up more than 5 pounds. I weigh 140 and can do 8 pull ups with the machine set at 135. It's absolutely not possible that I can't pull up more than 5 pounds so I was trying to figure out if there was something else in play. I've used machines that allow me to put a percentage of my weight and I've been able to lift 25% of my weight easily and that would be 35 pounds.
[/quote]
You may be lifting more that 5 lbs, if you consider the "set" weight of the machine since some machines have already a 10lbs plate that you can't move. I think that you should ask a trainer or a gym monitor to explain how is the machine set up. Or find out the name of the equipment and try to Google the information.
I am sure that you can lift more than 25% or body weigh because I am 102lb and I after 2 months of doing the assisted pull up/chin up I can do 3 sets of 5 reps each at 55% my body weight, and I was pushing for 60% before I went on vacation.
Good luck!0 -
For fun I put 150 on the weights (10 pounds heavier than me) and I was still having to pull myself up. So - it's not a direct pound to pound ration. I looked up the machine online but couldn't find any info so I'll just try to improve and not worry about it I guess.0
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All machines are different. Use whatever weight will assist you but still make it challenging. Your could also use a band to put under one or both legs as an alternative.0
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stephcalcott wrote: »Hi - I have been playing around with the assisted pull up machine (because I am nowhere near able to do a pull on on my own - yet). I'm so confused! It has weights in 10 pound increments and you can choose how much weight you want assisted. Right now I weigh about 140. I set it up to 105 pounds and couldn't pull myself up. Then I set it to 135 and got 8 pull ups done before it was too hard. I KNOW I can lift more than 5 pounds - I've been doing bicep curls with a 40 pound bar. I've done the pull down machine with 50 - 60 pounds (and that seems like the same motion as the pull up).
So what the he*#? When you put 135 pounds on there is it not really assisting with 135 pounds? Is there some sort of formula that I should know about? I looked on the machine and got no information and didn't see any trainers walking around the floor to ask.
Help! At this rate I'll never get to an unassisted pull up!
Hey Steph,
I know it's been sometime. Typically gym machines are setup to counteract 1/2 the pulled weight due to the physics of their pulley setups.
That being said, you say you weighed 140lbs and set the machine to 135lbs.
Because of the pulleys, that 135lb assist is truly 67.5lbs. So your weight of 140 - 67.5 assist = 77.5 lifting pounds. So if you put the machine at 280lbs you shouldn't be able to move it at all because it's perfectly cancelling out your weight.
For those that don't have access to a fancy pull-up assist machine, head to your adjustable cable machine. We can apply the same principles here:
1) you're going to want to set the cable pull at the highest notch or wherever aligns you well with step 2
2) you're going to want to be level on your knees with your arms fully extended and gripping comfortably onto the bar (use a pull down bar)
3) now figure out how much weight you want help with
I.e. I weight 170lbs
I want help with 3/4 of my weight
170*3/4 = 127.5 lbs = assisted weight
170-127.5 = 42.5 lbs = Non-assisted weight (load weight)
The machine is going to only help with half of the set plate so I set my plate to double my load weight. 42.5*2 = 85lbs
Now with your arms fully extended pull the bar down like you're doing a pull-up until the bar reaches below your chin.
The more weight you put on the cable machine, the more actual weight you're lifting.
The more weight you put on the pull-up assist machine, the less actual weight you're lifting.
Cable machine:
Greater weight = greater lifting load
Lesser weight = greater simulated assist
Assist machine:
Greater weight = greater simulated assist
Lesser weight = greater lifting load
To build towards doing a full pull-up unassisted choose a slightly uncomfortable assist weight to start with (completing twelve reps with a burn towards the last four reps). Do one set at that weight then increase the assist one plate and do another set. Then increase the assist another plate and do another's set. This will cumulatively rip your muscle, allowing it to grow and become stronger.1 -
A band would be much better, IMO. I have never liked the way assisted pull-up machines do all the work of stabilizing one's body.All machines are different. Use whatever weight will assist you but still make it challenging. Your could also use a band to put under one or both legs as an alternative.
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It works in reverse the less weight you use the more of your own body weight your using. I loved this machine at my old gym. My new gym hasn't got one and I'm no where near doing a full chin up or pull up. Where do I start without assistance0
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stephcalcott wrote: »Hi - I have been playing around with the assisted pull up machine (because I am nowhere near able to do a pull on on my own - yet). I'm so confused! It has weights in 10 pound increments and you can choose how much weight you want assisted. Right now I weigh about 140. I set it up to 105 pounds and couldn't pull myself up. Then I set it to 135 and got 8 pull ups done before it was too hard. I KNOW I can lift more than 5 pounds - I've been doing bicep curls with a 40 pound bar. I've done the pull down machine with 50 - 60 pounds (and that seems like the same motion as the pull up).
So what the he*#? When you put 135 pounds on there is it not really assisting with 135 pounds? Is there some sort of formula that I should know about? I looked on the machine and got no information and didn't see any trainers walking around the floor to ask.
Help! At this rate I'll never get to an unassisted pull up!
[/quote]
I get the reverse system. The problem is that I KNOW I can pull up more than 5 pounds. I weigh 140 and can do 8 pull ups with the machine set at 135. It's absolutely not possible that I can't pull up more than 5 pounds so I was trying to figure out if there was something else in play. I've used machines that allow me to put a percentage of my weight and I've been able to lift 25% of my weight easily and that would be 35 pounds.[/quote]
However, if you set it at 140 and pulled yourself up, you wouldn't be lifting 0 lbs, there is a natural resistance to the machine (pulleys, etc). Just keep taking weight off and you will improve. Also, I found that following a one second up and 4 seconds down rule helped alot. I am not able to do 5 unassisted pullups from a dead hang (which is huge for me) Good luck.0
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