Pull ups are Hard!
abijones75
Posts: 116 Member
Today I tried unassisted pull ups on the TRX with a resistance band, I managed 3 sets of 5 lol, pathetic! Are there any women here who can do pull ups? Do you have any tips for me?
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How do you do them in the TRX? I can't do them. I tried the assisted machine with the assist at 100% - and I couldn't budge! lol0
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I've been doing the assisted machine once a week for about 3 weeks, could manage 3 sets of 10 on that but it was hard! Today my trainer looped a thick band from the top of TRX, he pulled out a little step on the right side at the bottom for me to boost up on and I grabbed the grab handles at top then put both feet in the bottom of the band and went from there...So hard!!1
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It will get easier! I started on 4 reps. If you want to improve faster consider doing complementary exercises such as rows and pull-downs which will develop the muscle you need.2
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Those are also assisted pull ups
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I started with a pull-up bar and a foot on a chair for assistance. It took about 3 months doing P90x (pull-ups several days a week) before I was able to kind of jump and pull myself up. Then eventually I could do them with feet off the floor unassisted. Chin-ups are usually easier so start with them. Keep working at it and you will get there!1
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singingflutelady wrote: »Those are also assisted pull ups
Lol, well not quite as assisted then0 -
I started with a pull-up bar and a foot on a chair for assistance. It took about 3 months doing P90x (pull-ups several days a week) before I was able to kind of jump and pull myself up. Then eventually I could do them with feet off the floor unassisted. Chin-ups are usually easier so start with them. Keep working at it and you will get there!
Thanks for the info, I'll give that a go
What's the difference between pull ups and chin ups?1 -
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Pull ups are hard, for sure. I can do neutral grip chin ups more easily. I could always do 1 or two but am up to 4 sets of 5. One day I did 10 in a row but I can't count on being able to do that. My pull up count is like 3 or 4 in a row.0
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I do pull ups.
When I started and couldn't do any I would get a stool under the bar, pull myself to eye level and hold myself there until I couldn't hold any longer....repeat 5x (stool was to help me get to eye level)
Then when I could do one unassisted I would do 1 and 2nd one was another hold..and repeated that until I could do 5. That was enough for me...0 -
The difference is hand position. Pull ups are with the palms facing away. Chin ups the palms are facing towards you. Typically done on a fixed bar.abijones75 wrote: »What's the difference between pull ups and chin ups?
Using a suspension trainer the definition of pull up/chin up gets a little gray because you can freely rotate your wrists throughout the exercise.
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I can do pull ups- I've been doing them for years b/c it was a requirement for school.
The only way you can get good at them is by doing them- a lot.
Check out grease the groove technique.
Do lots of lat pull downs, rows (barbell, dumbbell, cable) and assisted pull ups.0 -
TRX are inverted rows which will definitely help with getting the strength needed to do a pull up.abijones75 wrote: »Today I tried unassisted pull ups on the TRX with a resistance band, I managed 3 sets of 5 lol, pathetic! Are there any women here who can do pull ups? Do you have any tips for me?
I also have clients just do "negatives" to get them to fell how their body feels on a pull up on the way down. I push them up, then come down slow. And this also helps them to develop strength to do a pullup.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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TRX are inverted rows which will definitely help with getting the strength needed to do a pull up.abijones75 wrote: »Today I tried unassisted pull ups on the TRX with a resistance band, I managed 3 sets of 5 lol, pathetic! Are there any women here who can do pull ups? Do you have any tips for me?
I also have clients just do "negatives" to get them to fell how their body feels on a pull up on the way down. I push them up, then come down slow. And this also helps them to develop strength to do a pullup.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I have started doing negatives and can now do 1-2 unassisted pull ups. I am going to keep at it until I can do 10. They are REALLY hard!0 -
Pull-ups are my favorite exercise. Probably cause I spent my entire childhood not being able to do one in gym class.
Wait till you start adding weight
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I have only managed to do 2 in a row and that was during a cut (I guess I was getting lighter so it got easier). I started with chin-ups, negative pull-ups, pull-ups with a band, eventually you just get stronger... it took a lot of time and practice though.0
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I can't even do one!0
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Something that helped me get doing pullups at a super funny 270, was rock climbing. Bouldering to be exact. Years of trying to do a pullup... A month of bouldering and I could knock out two.0
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I do pull ups.
When I started and couldn't do any I would get a stool under the bar, pull myself to eye level and hold myself there until I couldn't hold any longer....repeat 5x (stool was to help me get to eye level)
Then when I could do one unassisted I would do 1 and 2nd one was another hold..and repeated that until I could do 5. That was enough for me...
I've been doing them for years and this is pretty much how I got going on them. Once you get the first, the rest just follow.0 -
abijones75 wrote: »Today I tried unassisted pull ups on the TRX with a resistance band, I managed 3 sets of 5 lol, pathetic! Are there any women here who can do pull ups? Do you have any tips for me?
Those are still assisted...you're using the band for assistance. When I started doing pull-ups I started with the thickest band and just did as many as I could until I could do 3x10...then I went to a smaller band...then a smaller band and smaller band until I didn't need the bands. Negatives are also good.
I still do some band assisted pull-ups when I want to get in some bigger volume.0 -
Pull-ups are my favorite exercise. Probably cause I spent my entire childhood not being able to do one in gym class.
Wait till you start adding weight
Nothing more beastly than doing sets of 10 pullups with a 45 pound nutzsack hangin from your belt.
To answer op's question, i saw my mom do 8 pullups unassisted last moth and she is 64. it's definitely possible.2 -
Struggle to do even 1. for me a pull up is a wide grip pull up from dead hang , no kicking / cheating stuff ... and the chin has to go above the bar.1
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At the Air Force Academy the dormitories all have pull-up bars in the stairwells at each floor. Practice, practice, practice!0
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No idea what a Kik pull up is, and yes I already realised what I did today was an assisted pull up, not unassisted (see earlier comments) .. I just meant not on the assisted pull up machine. I'm a small girl and I found it bloody hard no matter what you want to call them, no idea how bigger heavier people manage. Bigger and better muscles I guess!1
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The 2 biggest thing that helped me to get unassisted pull-ups were super slow negatives (especially making sure they were slow all the way to the very bottom where arms are fully extended since lat activation for the initial pull was a major problem for me) and doing ring rows using a box to prop my feet so I was parallel to the ground. Good luck OP!
I also wouldn't advise kipping pull-ups until you have solid strict pull-up strength and have been taught to do them efficiently, just my opinion.1 -
Keladelphia wrote: »The 2 biggest thing that helped me to get unassisted pull-ups were super slow negatives (especially making sure they were slow all the way to the very bottom where arms are fully extended since lat activation for the initial pull was a major problem for me) and doing ring rows using a box to prop my feet so I was parallel to the ground. Good luck OP!
I also wouldn't advise kipping pull-ups until you have solid strict pull-up strength and have been taught to do them efficiently, just my opinion.
What is a negative and a ring row? I've only been going to the gym for 3 months and I'm not familiar with a lot of the terms being used here, an explanation would be great 0 -
abijones75 wrote: »Keladelphia wrote: »The 2 biggest thing that helped me to get unassisted pull-ups were super slow negatives (especially making sure they were slow all the way to the very bottom where arms are fully extended since lat activation for the initial pull was a major problem for me) and doing ring rows using a box to prop my feet so I was parallel to the ground. Good luck OP!
I also wouldn't advise kipping pull-ups until you have solid strict pull-up strength and have been taught to do them efficiently, just my opinion.
What is a negative and a ring row? I've only been going to the gym for 3 months and I'm not familiar with a lot of the terms being used here, an explanation would be great
A negative is where you either jump up or use a box or something of that nature to get your chin over the pullup bar and then you slowly lower yourself all of the way down until you are at a dead hang and repeat. This is a link to what a ring row is http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/58_07_Ring_Row.pdf you could use the safety bar on a squat rack too if you don't have access to rings.
Hope that helps!
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Negatives were the best for me, too. Jump yourself up into the top position of the pull-up, or step over from a box, then slowly lower yourself. It took me years to get a pull-up but once I did it was the coolest thing! And I worked up to five in a few months- the first one is the hardest. Seriously get a bar in your kitchen and just try all the time and do negatives. It will eventually happen.
And I agree with the above poster, do NOT do kipping until you are very solid at strict pull-ups, and you have good coaching for your form. I now can do zero pull-ups and have to begin again because I injured my rotator cuff doing sh*tty kipping.1 -
Yes they are hard. In my life I have never been able to do a pull-up or chin-up unassisted.1
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