I can't do a pull up.
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In... Because I can't do one either, but I will. Oh yes... I will. (My goal is to be able to pull myself up into a hypothetical hole in the ceiling. But not to run from zombies. Honest.)0
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about two years I could only do one pull up …I persevered and now I can do a 5 pull-ups with a 45# plate hanging from my waist…
Not sure about a specific exercise that you can do, but pull-ups are a total body exercise. The assisted pull up machine is a good start, but you should also train your shoulders, arms, and back as these are all utilized during a pull up …
Keep at it and before soon you will be doing weighted pull ups like a boss!
You might want to start with chin ups, as those are sometimes easier and then transition to pulls...0 -
keep at it girl.. I have been working MONTHS.. and still can not do one. I weight lift like crazy and heavy to.. its very hard for women.. keep at it.. I do a lot of differing lat pull variations to help and I also jump up in a chin up or pull up position and hold it, and slowly let myself down, this also helps build the muscles..
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Some of the healthiest find it difficult to do a pull up. "Hang" in there.
^^I see what you did there. :laugh:
I can't do a pull-up, either, OP. I'm doing good to do push-ups, right now...but I CAN plank pretty decently (unless, my idea of decent is way off. haha!)0 -
about two years I could only do one pull up …I persevered and now I can do a 5 pull-ups with a 45# plate hanging from my waist…
Not sure about a specific exercise that you can do, but pull-ups are a total body exercise. The assisted pull up machine is a good start, but you should also train your shoulders, arms, and back as these are all utilized during a pull up …
Keep at it and before soon you will be doing weighted pull ups like a boss!
You might want to start with chin ups, as those are sometimes easier and then transition to pulls...
Aww, this was actually very encouraging. Nice reply.
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about two years I could only do one pull up …I persevered and now I can do a 5 pull-ups with a 45# plate hanging from my waist…
Not sure about a specific exercise that you can do, but pull-ups are a total body exercise. The assisted pull up machine is a good start, but you should also train your shoulders, arms, and back as these are all utilized during a pull up …
Keep at it and before soon you will be doing weighted pull ups like a boss!
You might want to start with chin ups, as those are sometimes easier and then transition to pulls...
Aww, this was actually very encouraging. Nice reply.
stahp it! you aren't supposed to see this or you might get the idea that he's really a nice guy! :happy:0 -
Don't feel bad. It's very, very rare that any woman- even fit women- can do a pull up without specific training to do them.
There's 2 ways to get there- assisted pull ups and negatives. Assisted pull ups are when you either use a machine or a rubber band contraption to counterweight some of your bodyweight and you progressively subtract counterweight over time until you're pulling your whole body weight.
Negatives are when you use a chair or something to get you to the top of a pull up, and then you let yourself down as slowly as possible, repeat. They're much harder than they sound if you're doing it right.
Both are useful, I recommend doing both if you can. It took me a full summer of training to be able to do a full 5-rep set of unassisted pull ups. Don't be ashamed.
negative comments are usually frowned upon, but, in this instance it is well defined and accurate. Best of luck, both of these techniques will work. Modified forms initially, and over time as strength increases, you'll be doing them. :flowerforyou:0 -
about two years I could only do one pull up …I persevered and now I can do a 5 pull-ups with a 45# plate hanging from my waist…
Not sure about a specific exercise that you can do, but pull-ups are a total body exercise. The assisted pull up machine is a good start, but you should also train your shoulders, arms, and back as these are all utilized during a pull up …
Keep at it and before soon you will be doing weighted pull ups like a boss!
You might want to start with chin ups, as those are sometimes easier and then transition to pulls...
Aww, this was actually very encouraging. Nice reply.
stahp it! you aren't supposed to see this or you might get the idea that he's really a nice guy! :happy:
Lol--I'll do my best to keep quiet. 0 -
If you have access to a stable, secure bar, try a reverse push up.
I use a rack that can be used for bench presses, just remove the bench out. Adjust the height of where the bar will sit to maybe a little higher then your waist.
facing the ceiling, grab the bar. Your feet should be extended out with heels touching the ground (back, leg, feet in a straight line) then pull yourself up as far as you can, trying to get your chest as close to the bar as you can. This will build up the same muscles used for pull ups.
Baby steps. Realize that it's not going to happen overnight.
Finally a good use for smith machines!
It's the only thing I use the Smith Machine for! It took me 2years, but I can do one damn pull up. It's difficult, but with persistance you can do it! Keep at it!! :flowerforyou:0 -
I can do 5 pull-ups and that has taken me a long time to accomplish. As the other members have said most people can not do a pull-up. But id you work on it with the assisted machine, bands and bodyweight rows you will build up the muscles in your back needed to do a pull-up. It would not be one of my first goals, I concentrated on fat loss and then began to set specific fitness goals.0
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I could only do like 2 pull-ups when I started P90X. I just did what I could then put my foot on a chair so I could do more reps. By the end of my 1st round of P90X, I was doing about 30 of the 120 pull-ups unassisted during the Legs and Back workout.
It gets better every single time I do it, so just keep trying!0 -
I'll add in.
Aside from losing weight, which I think I saw one person mention.
For me, rock climbing has been excellent, and far more effective than assisted pullups. I guess essentially, most arm moves are negatives. Either way, rock climbing is also a fun, cerebral challenge. So it might be something to look into.0 -
Bump to train0
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Don't feel bad, pull ups are my NEMESIS! I spent 6 months training with an assisted pull up machine in college and still couldn't manage ONE! I will get there one day though dammit! I was doing the lat pull downs and was up to 5x5 with 130 lbs (I'm 174lbs) but the machine in my apartment complex broke! Still can barely hang there for more than a few seconds at a time and can make NO upward movement...
Seriously, that was not anything you needed to feel embarrassed about. As you can see from all the replies, everyone who's really tried doing a pull up knows exactly what that feels like!0 -
A good beginning to doing a pull up is actually using the lat pull down machine. it is basically doing a pullup in the seated position and works the same muscle groups needed for a pull up.0
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I am female and I can do 6-7 wide grip. They are easy for me. Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftIxAq8PdYs
Honestly. I feel that the military requirements for 3 pull ups minimum are TOO LOW and pathetic... and that is coming from a woman. If you can't do 3 with just body weight you have no business being in the military. Also, the military is not even strict on pull ups, they allow NARROW GRIP... from the videos I've seen online of marines doing pull ups etc their grip is WAY narrower than the pull up bars at my gym. They also allow chin ups (palms facing towards your face) which are a joke and easier because it uses more biceps. I'm not training to be in no army; just for LOOKS and AESTHETICS and I can do WIDE grip which is much more difficult than the armed forces require.
It is only a LITTLE bit harder for females to do pull ups, not a TON harder. I know because I am FEMALE. Strength is something that can be trained for. A female who strength trains (bench, row, deadlift, squat, OHP, dips etc) and trains for strength exclusively will be stronger than an untrained male. When people say they can't do pull ups because it's sooooo much harder for them because they are a woman is a sign of mental weakness. I say that because I can do them and it's not THAT hard. It's very achievable to do many pull ups if you are not overweight.
Pull ups are only a matter of training your CNS to adapt to the movement. The easiest way to learn them is to do negatives. I never used bands or assisted machine. Wouldn't be caught dead on those lame machines. Once you can do one just do singles like maybe 12 singles throughout the day spread out. That's called "Greasing The Groove". Once you can do that just do a ladder program like Pavel's Pull Up Program. The key is not to max out but to get your CNS to adapt the movement pattern. Other than that it's quite easy.
I also trained upper (bench, row, etc) so my upper body strength is decent. Right now I barbell row almost my body weight...
If you are overweight then it's a different matter. However, I am also strong enough to do weighted pull ups (with neutral grip) with an extra 10 lbs added for reps; more for a single I'm sure.0 -
It is only a LITTLE bit harder for females to do pull ups, not a TON harder. I know because I am FEMALE.
Fascinating support for your assertion.0 -
It is only a LITTLE bit harder for females to do pull ups, not a TON harder. I know because I am FEMALE.
Fascinating support for your assertion.
Well worth bumping a months old thread, right?0 -
I trained for Tough Mudder last year and couldn't do ONE pull up prior to it. I was able to do 3-5 consistently prior to Tough Mudder. I did the negatives that everyone else has suggested. If you don't have the assisted machine, try the machine with the bar meant to assist back squats and such (the bar slides up and down along a track and you can attach weights to it for back and front squats or bench presses). This bar can be set up so your arms are slightly bent and almost straight (don't go even this high at first though).
Depending on your comfort level, hold the bar (make sure it is locked in), and jump to do a "pull up". Then as slowly as possible let yourself down. Jumping will elevate your HR like you wouldn't believe and you also get to do negatives without worry about falling too far. Go until your arms are like jelly. Do this for reps 2-3 times a week until you build those muscles that you need for an unassisted pull up.
I've got to build those muscles back up as I hurt myself at the Tough Mudder (ankle :grumble: ) so had to take this year off of racing to recover. My pull ups have gone to just one unassisted (but barely). I have to do the above about once a week and then I have a trainer two days a week. Good luck! It took me about 6 months of 3 times/week to get to my best number of pull ups.:flowerforyou:0 -
Don't feel bad - Pullups are hard! I've been working on them for a while. I had a good day a few months ago and I was able to do 1, but I haven't been able to do it again :grumble:
I use a rubber resistance band that I loop around the bar, and around my bent knee, my other leg hangs (does that make any sense?). The bands are 2-4" wide. They support some of my weight so I am able to do chin-ups, but is still challenging.
ok, I can't the picture posted, but an example of the band I mean is here
http://www.amazon.com/Pull-Up-CrossFit-Resistance-Stretch-Band/dp/B0064E1LB8/ref=sr_1_8/181-2829993-5538236?s=exercise-and-fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1411764209&sr=1-8
*sigh* I never remember to look at the original post date0
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