Doing 20 chin- ups by Valentines day?

So my boyfriend and I had a conversation about our workout, routine, goals etc. I asked him how many chin ups he can do and he responded by saying about 30 at once. I then thought about how many I can do... which is probably 3. He then said that i shouldn't worry and that women shouldn't do pull/chin ups anyway. Wtf? We made a bet that if I do 20 chin ups by Valentines day he is financing then next vacay. Let me mention that this conversation was after about 3 whiskey-cokes when my inner superwoman comes out and I think I can do anything. That be said, from what I know the deal still stands. I am a stubborn person by nature and I want to show him that I can do this, also show myself. Now the big question: Training chin ups 4x a week, possible to do 17 more in 3.5 weeks?

Replies

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    No
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Yeah, you lost that bet. Maybe go for 10?
  • Urgh, thought so :x
  • 427_Cobra
    427_Cobra Posts: 13 Member
    Find a credit card with a good rate ... you'll need it hon. Sorry, but the reality is, you'll have a hard time getting to 10-12 in 3 1/2 weeks of training. It took me 90 days to get from 4 to 18 back when I started P90X.

    That being said ... don't give up. Impress him enough and he might pay your way regardless. ;)
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
    This is probably a very bad idea (depending on your current weight) but since pullups are bodyweight exercises, the quickest way to make them easier is to make your body weigh less. You could look up some of the things that wrestlers and the like do to shed water weight before a weigh in, if you drop 5-10 lbs of water weight + train pullups hard you should be able to improve that number. Although getting from 3-20 is still probably not going to happen.

    Like I said, probably a bad idea, but you can weigh the health risks for yourself.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    You might be able to get up to 10 in a fairly short time but getting from 10 to 20 takes ages, months and months.
  • I weigh 135 @ 5'8, trying to shed anyway. Thanx for the replies guys! I will post an update on how many I did the 14th.
  • Pavel has a theory, termed Greasing the Groove. You could try it, and hope for the best.

    http://fitnessblackbook.com/strength-training/how-to-get-stronger-at-push-ups-and-pull-ups-using-a-soviet-special-forces-technique/

    You just have to make sure you are doing a lot of small sets and not overdoing it. Placing a bar right above the door in the bathroom or kitchen and hitting a couple everytime can push you up there. Maybe not as much as you want, but more than you are doing now.
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    He said he can do 30 chin-ups, without dropping from the bar? I might have him prove that he can do that before you concede . . . . That is quite a few.
  • 427_Cobra
    427_Cobra Posts: 13 Member
    He said he can do 30 chin-ups, without dropping from the bar? I might have him prove that he can do that before you concede . . . . That is quite a few.
    Agree ... and make sure he's doing them with palms facing away, if indeed he's doing pull-ups ... chin up are easier.
  • mrslcoop
    mrslcoop Posts: 317 Member
    Like everyone else has said it’s not going to happen. It took me forever to go from a half of one assisted to 10 semi-assisted (using a very loose pull up assist on my bar) doing P90x. Most likely your'e going to need help (others said to shed body weight, but at your weight and height that's going to happen very slowly), but you can buy an assist for pretty cheap that you can let out more as you get stronger. Using a chair kind of works, but I felt like I was putting way too much weight on it. The pull up assist really got me to start using those muscles.
  • molonlabe762
    molonlabe762 Posts: 411 Member
    No

    This^
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    Even at my fittest/skinniest I haven't been able to do even one. You have my respect for being able to do three.
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
    you got this. ;-)
  • I just purchased a door gym from ****s Sporting Goods and mounted it on my door, did 4. Heh far from 20 but hopefully I can at least do 10 by Valentines day.

    As for boyfriend really being able to do 30 at once.. I saw him do 27 myself at a festival, he won out of 12 other guys. This was last summer so I believe him if he says he can do 30 :)