LADIES ONLY - Pull ups... how hard did you work to get there??

ARGriffy
ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
edited November 28 in Fitness and Exercise
So my upper body strength is pretty good, it's not amazing but i can smash out some serious press ups but I've got a pull up bar at home (my husbands') and although i'm getting closer by starting with assisted ones, I still cannot pull myself up from hanging! Did anyone else find this hard or does my lack of back muscle stunt me? Just a wonder if everyone finds it hard or just me!

Replies

  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    pull ups are the hardest things for me to do. Work on negatives, jump up to the bar and lower yourself down as slowly as you can.
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
    Everyone finds it hard. You just have to keep trying (and practising with assisted ones) and the feeling when you finally manage your first one is amazing - there's a point you get past where it suddenly feels different because different muscles kick in and you know you're going to make it! Then getting to the second one is way easier than getting to the first.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    so glad to hear this, I can assist, leave myself at chin level and do tiny dips but that's it at the moment! I cannot wait for that feeling when I finally do one!
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Do you do lat pulldowns? Other hope back stuff?
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    pull ups are the hardest things for me to do. Work on negatives, jump up to the bar and lower yourself down as slowly as you can.

    This. Once I started doing negatives it wasn't long before I could do a real chin-up. Chin-ups are easier than pull-ups. Start there.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    start off with negatives. took me forever but now I can do one decent one from full hang and 5 if I just go down until my elbows are 90 degrees (like not full hang)
  • 20Grit
    20Grit Posts: 752 Member
    ^^ best advice ever, and stick with it, I let up and lost it, I was up to sets of 6....now I'm back to 2 :/
  • fitfabforties
    fitfabforties Posts: 370 Member
    I am absolute way too weak to do pull ups even though I lift weights....I use a resistance band and wrap it around the newel post at the top of my stairs and I twist the band around my hands a bit for extra resistance and I pull on that....I have the front leg bent and the back leg in a long lunge so I'm using balance, abs, quads as well....I do regular "pull ups" with that with my palms facing down and I also turn the hands palm up and pull that way as well....works for me....:)
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    pull ups are the hardest things for me to do. Work on negatives, jump up to the bar and lower yourself down as slowly as you can.

    This. Once I started doing negatives it wasn't long before I could do a real chin-up. Chin-ups are easier than pull-ups. Start there.

    That's awesome advice thanks, literally going to go have a go at this now!
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    Do you do lat pulldowns? Other hope back stuff?

    Um yeah so I don't use a gym I do everything at home and my back is probably the one area that is neglected, one reason I wanted to add the bar into my training

  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    Is it possible to do neutral grip? Ie palms facing each other? I know lots of bars don't have that but it is easier than normal pullups. Perhaps you can do rows for upper back?
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    Is it possible to do neutral grip? Ie palms facing each other? I know lots of bars don't have that but it is easier than normal pullups. Perhaps you can do rows for upper back?

    Yeah mine is one with both options, palms facing or plain bar. Just did a few negatives, I can definately see how it's a fantastic start, way better than the assisted ones I was doing before so glad I asked!

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Try chin-ups. They are the pullup's easier cousin. (No judging.) Also, losing weight goes a long way to help, if you're overweight.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Try chin-ups. They are the pullup's easier cousin. (No judging.) Also, losing weight goes a long way to help, if you're overweight.

    Thanks, as I said before I've been doing mini chin ups as a start and i've only got a few lbs to lose (if any tbh i'm totally in a normal bmi i'm just reducing body fat %) so not much excess weight (I hope anyway!) dragging me down :) just little muscles!

  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    edited January 2016
    If you use heavy dumbbells at home, also check out dumbbell pullovers for the lats (and lots of other stuff). I love those so much.

    I have no bar and haven't even tried a pullup in forever, so I'm no help on them specifically, though.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    ARGriffy wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    Try chin-ups. They are the pullup's easier cousin. (No judging.) Also, losing weight goes a long way to help, if you're overweight.

    Thanks, as I said before I've been doing mini chin ups as a start and i've only got a few lbs to lose (if any tbh i'm totally in a normal bmi i'm just reducing body fat %) so not much excess weight (I hope anyway!) dragging me down :) just little muscles!

    Sorry, got sidetracked while typing and pressed Post late.

    Negatives, as already posted, also helped me a lot.
  • ARGriffy
    ARGriffy Posts: 1,002 Member
    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    Not sure if your bar is adjustable or not, but when I was learning pull-ups, in addition to doing negatives, I did supine rows (inverted rows) http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/BWSupineRow.html. These can be made harder or easier by how high the bar is placed and whether your knees are bent or not. Those were the two exercises that seems to help me the most.

    Ooh they look fun, my bar isn't adjustable however I have a chair which fits at a good level under it so to give this a go thanks!

    @cafeaulait7 Yes I have lovely heavy dumbbells, pullovers are probs one of the only back exercises I do, I totally agree love them!

  • lemmie177
    lemmie177 Posts: 479 Member
    I used the program at 50pullups.com. It has you do negatives until you can do 4 pullups since they're more effective at that point. Before this, I was doing stuff with bands and half pullups that were getting me nowhere.

    I had to do the "less than 4 pullups" routine for around 2+ weeks before I did my first real pullup from a dead hang. Now I'm up to 8! but having a real hard time getting any further.
  • ka97
    ka97 Posts: 1,984 Member
    It's tough. Took me forever to do one. I can do one, but that's it. I think I need to lose another 10 pounds in order to get anywhere.
    lemmie177 wrote: »
    I used the program at 50pullups.com. It has you do negatives until you can do 4 pullups since they're more effective at that point. Before this, I was doing stuff with bands and half pullups that were getting me nowhere.

    I had to do the "less than 4 pullups" routine for around 2+ weeks before I did my first real pullup from a dead hang. Now I'm up to 8! but having a real hard time getting any further.

    Sounds interesting. Thanks for the link - I may check that out.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Never really tried one until I'd been lifting for about a year (starting strength then all pro's beginner and intermediate programs) and I'd hit goal weight long ago. I was able to do three from a dead hang. I felt I could have managed more, but I was just fooling around in the park across from my office at lunch time. Didn't really want to make enough of an effort to start sweating.

    I've not lifted in 6 or so months - took up marathon training and decided to drop lifting for a bit. Not the best move for me, I'll be picking it back up, but just before the holidays I tried pull-ups again just to see if I could still do one. I could. Maybe I didn't lose as much strength as I thought.

  • ltworide
    ltworide Posts: 342 Member
    I constantly work pull-ups & inverted rows. They're tough...I'm able to do 5-6 in a row parallel grip & 3 shoulder width grip.
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,010 Member
    I can do chin-ups no prob but use a resistance band to assist with pull-ups. Someday. I feel like I'm making a lot more progress doing the pull-ups w the resistance band since it's diff muscles than chin-ups.
  • IzzyBooNZ1
    IzzyBooNZ1 Posts: 1,289 Member
    bump, lots of very helpful info here
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    Great post, super helpful, thanks!
  • holothuroidea
    holothuroidea Posts: 772 Member
    I love this thread. There is hope!

    I practice for pull ups every time I'm at the gym. I alternate various things. Assisted pull ups, lat pull downs, awkward attempts at negatives, hanging on the bar for as long as possible, etc.

    Thank you ladies for all the useful info!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Took me about 6 months to master my first chin-up, with lots of negatives, assisted and lat work. Then I developed tendonitis and don't think I will ever be able to train up to doing that again
  • toe1226
    toe1226 Posts: 249 Member
    i am a rock climber and the most pullups I have ever done is 8. That being said I was underweight and overtraining and unhealthy in many other ways. When I started, I couldn't do 1, then I built up to 3, then 4, ...I think 4 or 5 was my max while being in a healthy weight range. I'm tall, 5'10, so I have longer levers, it really took tons of dedication for me, I think others are much better at building muscle. I spent 6 months or so working from 3-8.
  • Becca_250
    Becca_250 Posts: 188 Member
    I managed chin ups (and push ups too) by literally just trying once or twice every day until it finally worked! I found it easier once I could do one to do more. Still not mastered a pull up though, those are tough!
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    Even men have a hard time doing pull ups. It took me a couple weeks of negatives to get to 1 pull up (I would do them 3x/week along with my SL5x5 workouts). 3 months in and I can now do "7" in a set and then I fade from there. The 7 is questionable though as how high I pull for each rep slowly drops a tiny bit and the 7th probably shouldn't count, but I'm the judge so it does :smile:

    At this point I can do 22 in a workout and I typically add 1 to that every session or two.

    This (3 part series) is a decent watch. I use some of the techniques.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIWVBiBt2kg
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    do negatives- chair pull ups- lat pull downs whatever- on a DAILY basis. Pull ups are one of the BEST movements that fit into "grease the groove" style of training.

    do them- or any modified variation of them- often- as often as you can daily.

    Anyone can train to do them- it takes time - and a consistent attack on the obstacle to achieve. But it's doable.
  • punkahontas71
    punkahontas71 Posts: 73 Member
    I'm going to attempt a negative tonight! found this post very useful.
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