WOMEN - learning to do chin ups!

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worej
worej Posts: 108
in Fitness and Exercise
In addition to my other goals, one thing I really want to work towards is being able to do at least one unassisted chin-up. Women who haven't done much strength training before are usually woefully far away from this goal. How do you recommend working up to it?

I've been using an assisted pull-up machine at the gym; I'm at about 60 pounds assistance. I can do one full set of 10, rest for a minute or two, and usually reach failure around 8-9 reps the second time around. What else can I be doing? Additional exercises? Would it help to go for more assistance for a third set, or something like that?

Women who have accomplished this goal, or made progress towards it; how long did it take you? How fast were you able to remove the assistance weight? Do you have any other tips? Thanks!

Replies

  • worej
    worej Posts: 108
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    Bump. :/
  • withervein
    withervein Posts: 224 Member
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    I'm working toward this too. I have only been able to get over the bar with a buddy giving me an assist under my legs.

    I do the following stuff three times weekly after my kickboxing class:
    Using rings set about 3 feet from the ground, I do a pullup with my feet out from under me in a sort of an upside down plank/pushup position. I do as many as I can for three sets.
    Deadlifts to get more pulling motion and improve my grip/back strength
    Jump and hang from the bar with my arms bent. I hold as long as I can, then drop as slowly as i can and do it again for up to 2 minutes now. I can hang with my forehead on level with the bar for about 20 seconds, and I try to get a good negative rep out of it.
    Before my class, I hang from the bar and just swing in a kipping motion, this is probably to see if one day I manage to magically swing up there, but there's also the benefit of just working on my grip strength too.
  • deekaydee
    deekaydee Posts: 158 Member
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    Start by doing negative chin-ups.

    Jump up so your chin is above the bar, hold it, and lower yourself as slowly as you can. Do 3 sets of those a few times a week. That really helped to improve my chin-up ability.

    Lat pull-downs are a good exercise as well.
  • Jesung
    Jesung Posts: 236 Member
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    negatives, bands, assistance chin ups all work well
    Try doing sets of 5 instead of 10 for better strength gains
  • BenderFitness
    BenderFitness Posts: 349
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    I started doing interval body weight strength training, with lots of burpees and pushups and I went from zero chinups or pullups to being able to do 5. Before that I hadn't been able to do a single one since I turned 12 years old, lol. One day last summer I decided to try it and I could do it!

    I really need to up the ante though and start putting them into my workouts.
  • kimclaws
    kimclaws Posts: 101 Member
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    jump and holds work great , :)
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    negatives

    anti shrugs: hang from the bar at full stretch, concentrate on squeezing your lats to go up just a few inches. (this is because the bottom is the hardest bit)
  • geckofli
    geckofli Posts: 155 Member
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    negatives

    anti shrugs: hang from the bar at full stretch, concentrate on squeezing your lats to go up just a few inches. (this is because the bottom is the hardest bit)

    thats what i do know and even though im only getting my feet off the floor and up maybe 3cm max when i started i couldnt even get my feet off the floor id have to get a chair and hang, now its a little step so i can reach the bar and i pull myself up, one day ill crack a fullie. id like to play with one of those assisted pull up machines but i havent seen one to date so its all lat pull downs and try hard pull ups for me, i ve even got some gloves to guard against man hand callouses,
  • maverick48
    maverick48 Posts: 69 Member
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    Negatives are good, but inverted rows are even better. Better yet, do both!

    http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/inverted-row
  • MrsLVF
    MrsLVF Posts: 787 Member
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    In addition to my other goals, one thing I really want to work towards is being able to do at least one unassisted chin-up. Women who haven't done much strength training before are usually woefully far away from this goal. How do you recommend working up to it?

    I've been using an assisted pull-up machine at the gym; I'm at about 60 pounds assistance. I can do one full set of 10, rest for a minute or two, and usually reach failure around 8-9 reps the second time around. What else can I be doing? Additional exercises? Would it help to go for more assistance for a third set, or something like that?

    Women who have accomplished this goal, or made progress towards it; how long did it take you? How fast were you able to remove the assistance weight? Do you have any other tips? Thanks!

    Just curios how are you dong on your goal?
    I just started doing assisted(my man holding me at the ankles) pullups & dips. I really want to be able to do them too.

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