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Can you do pull-ups?

makedah

makedah

New member
One of my fitness goals for 2003 is to be able to do at least one pull-up from a dead hang. I'm fat, so that's going to make it even more challenging. :o

Can you ladies do pull-ups? If so, how many?
 
I could maybe pull myself up a few millimeters, but then again, Im a wuss :)
 
Nooooooooo ..... :( :bawling: :( :bawling:

I used to be able to do 2 or 3 chin-ups, but haven't tried in a while. It REEEAALLLY helps if you're lean, which I'm not.

Dips, on the other hand - NOW we're talking. I can do those.
 
i can do about 8. i really think it depends A LOT on your body frame. i am short and have short arms and i think it's a little easier for me because i am not particularly strong at anything else.

but i can only do like 2 with a wide grip so those are what i'm trying to work on now.

if you work at it a couple of times a week, you will be able to do it easy by the end of the year! :)
 
There was a time when I would do 4 sets of 8-10 wide grip pullups with my training partners weekly but now I am lucky to get my current partners to even try them. Occasionally I can get a guy to spot me and give me a lil boost and get a couple sets out. What is it with pullups and women? This is one exercise that can really define a back and give it great shape. And doing pullups consistently will develop upper body strength like nobody's business!:D
 
Makedah, I was one of those girls who could never climb the ropes/poles in gym, so accomplishing one unassisted pull-up is my long-term goal.

Between my bum shoulder and my weight, not sure when I'll accomplish it. I can't even do unassisted dips yet. :(

Short-term is solving my squat problem. I'm getting there on that one, though, so I know I'll master the pull-up someday, too.

I'm sure you'll make it this year. Just keep plugging away.
 
on my back day I do 4 sets of 8-10 chin-ups. It definitely is one of the best upper body strength exercise. I can only do maybe 5 wide-grip pull-ups. Although I haven't done either in a month due to boob surgery...:D My back day is today, and I'm going to give them a try. The best way to begin trying to do a pull-up just your body weight is to begin w/ an assisted chin-up/pull-up/dip machine.

I don't know if body frame has something to do with it. I have heard people say that. I have a small body frame. I'm 5'3, 112lbs, about 15% body fat. I have always been lean.
 
Ladies, may I offer some advice? I train a couple of female athletes, and alomst all can do pullups. There are a few points, that i feel everyone should know.

Firstly, for pullups do not use the assisted dip chin machine. They are ok for training the lats, but the stabilizer muscles are greatly neglected. Eventually you may be able to ween yourself off of the machine, but it will take a while.

Next, if you do not have a spot, do negatives. Simply set a bench up underneatht the pull up bar, and use it boost yourself up after you have copleted a eccentric phase of the movement.

If you do have a spotter, use a simple progression. Begin by having the spotter hold both of your feet. After you become stronger, have your spotter just hold one leg at a time. This will help to train the stabilizing muscles of the upper back.

Well, i hope offered some advice that was beneficial to you all, and good luck with all of your goals.
 
Yes. When I eat enough I can do 3 sets of 9/10. If I don't eat properly than 6/8.

The most I ever did was one set of 18.... but that was a lifetime ago.
 
I could never do chin-ups/pull-ups until about a year and a half ago, at age 42. Now I do 4 sets of 8 chin-ups, 4 sets of 5 wide-grip pull-ups. It is the only thing I can do that impresses the guys at the gym. I read an article about how to build up to them. First, jump from a box to the top position and do very slow eccentrics, 30 seconds. One rep was a set. When that gets easy, divide the eccentric into 3 stages and hold for 8 seconds at each position. Near the bottom is the hardest. When you've mastered that, try a chin-up or pull-up and give yourself a little push off the box to get through your sticking point. Expect this to be very hard. You will need to really push yourself. At first you will only be able to do one, so still do eccentrics to keep building up. I worked on it 2-3 times a week. My back development really took off, and it builds up your grip also.
 
Well the way I learned was using an assisted pull-up machine, and it worked for me. I did slowly wean myself off of it, by continuing to decrease the weight that was assisting me. One of my big accomplishments I will say. And it definitely is an exercise that impresses many at the gym. :D
 
You ladies are amazing. Thanks for your tips. I'm going to try the negatives, and if I can't even do that, then I'll try the Gravitron.
 
I know it's inappropriate for this thread, but nothing gives me a woodie more than seeing a girl repping out on pull-ups. There's something primal about it:p

Now carry on:D
 
wife

Well, my wife can do a set of 5.....with a 45 lb. plate hanging from her waist :p . Hell, I can't do that, :bawling: , but she's got quite a wingspan :angel:
 
Yep. I do sets of 5. I started in late August able to do 1 (2 on a great day), and I s-l-o-w-l-y progressed. And I agree, it definitely does impress at the gym.
 
I am able to do 5-8 pullups per set on the assist. machine, like KRS, I will wean my self off of the ass. machine. I will however try and do as many unassisted pull ups as possible (sadly, i'm able to do 2 maybe 2.5). I'm with you on this makedah, i am DETERMINED to do pull ups on my own- just keep working at it, you'll get there!!!
 
Soooo....

I tried the "slow eccentrics" today. I got up on a chair, grabbed the chin bar, stepped off.... and damn near yanked my arms out of their sockets. :lmao: I scuttled my butt right on over to the Gravitron. ;)
 
typically, i can do 2 sets of 8 (wide-grips), then on the third set, i always seem to die around 5 or 6 reps.

with narrow grips, i can usually squeeze out 10-12.

its kinda frustrating, because i used to be able to do more reps, and was even doing weighted reps for a little while...but i was also around fifteen pounds lighter at that time! oh well...
 
Ha ha - did these with my trainer last night - she was calling them pull-ups. *I* was calling them drop-downs, ha ha ha ha haa. My problem is, every time I start working on them, building up from negatives, etc., my diet/weight changes, and then I'm back where I started - nowhere. Sigh. It doesn't help that I'm so big to start with. :(

But with this thread as my witness, I now guarantee, vow, that by this time next year, I will be doing a minimum of sets of 10, wide-grip, overhand, if not sets of 15, if not just possibly with added weight.

That, along with a 315 lb deadlift.

And my back will be gorgeous :)
 
Makedah, here's the link to the article I used http://www.testosterone.net/html/body_100back.html. Could you control the descent at all? Even if you couldn't last the 30 seconds? I tried for quite awhile to work up to bodyweight chins & dips by pushing up from a box on concentrics, and trying to push less and less (I have never seen a gravitron machine) but it was the slow eccentrics that did it, and relatively fast too. Maybe doing some other exercises hanging from the bar (knee raises, shrugs) would help.
 
Thanks for that link, Candi!

Check my post again - If I were a cartoon character, I would have fallen to the ground, leaving my arms still hanging from the chin bar. :bawling: So no, I couldn't control the descent AT ALL.

I don't think that I should be trying eccentrics again until I get stronger (and maybe even thinner), because I have rotator cuff problems. The shoulder is coming along, but in the meantime, I don't want to give it another violent yank like that again.

The Gravitron chin-up/pull-up/dip machine is counterbalanced.
Here's a pic of such a machine (whether or not it's Gravitron, I don't know) http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/AsPullup.html

When you adjust the weight stack, you stack up the weight you DON'T want to lift. So, if someone weighs 150 lbs and she can only chin 130 lbs for reps, then she sets the weight stack to 20. I'd prefer a non-machinated movement for the benefit of stablizers and such, but that doesn't seem to be an option for me yet when it comes to pull-ups.

BTW - I'm talking about doing this move with my palms facing me. I see such contradictory information about what constitutes a pull-up and what constitutes a chin-up.
 
I can't wait to graduate to pull ups on my own! I've tried the assisted pull ups...it was a good place to start. I've also had "some trainer guy" <<he he>> spot me...which felt much more challenging:D .
 
The most I've ever done at one sitting is ten, but I generally shoot for sets of five broken up between other exercises. I like the little pump they give me. I often do a set or two in the morning to get the blood flowing. I have a weird doorframe with a little window/door thing above it leading into my kitchen, and I can do them right there. It's nice, because if I feel guilty about the food I'm on my way to get, I do a few pullups and then eat guilt free. ;)

xoxo

Wyst
 
Pullups

I don't post very often , but I love you ladies, ya'll all are awesome in my opinion ! Not that any of ya'll care what i think lol

And Spatts, if that's your ass in that lil pic on the side, ( which I think it is ) it's beautiful :o))

And for the record , I am 5 11 253 and I can do 3 sets of 5-6 widegrip chins and it' AIN'T easy lol


Thanks Ya'll
 
Well, dudelift , you weigh 80 lbs more than I do, (same height) and you're sure doing a WHOLE lot better than I am. I suppose being a girl is no excuse on this board ...

Anyway my vow stands. 364 days to go :)

Makedah - just keep working at it and you'll get it someday! (and I'm going to keep reviving this thread to remind you :) ) Pull-ups are with palms facing AWAY from you, usually with a wide grip. Chin-ups are with palms facing towards you, and these are quite a lot easier .... good place to start.

If that's the Poliquin article - that's what I've been working on too - just never got through the whole programme - diet kept interrupting.

Onward and upward! :D
 
Im lucky in that I have great upper body and back strength. I have a super V taper with huge, thick lats largely due to wide grip, palm out chin ups. A couple of years ago I couldn't even do assists. Now I can rock with weight on for reps-and sets. If you can't pull your own body weight up you can't pull it up. Negatives seem to be what made it happen for me. Well that and I wasn't gonna let some guy show me up!!
 
I did my very first unassisted pullup (underhand) last week :) I started weighttraining about 5 months ago and I weigh 56 kg (123 lbs), started at 50 kg/110 lbs in August. Now going to try more reps, and overhand pullups asap :)
 
I missed out on this thread, since I was off galavanting from place to place.

I've finally started doing weighted chins - either 4 sets of 5 or 3 sets of 6 with 10 lbs. I do them with two hand grips - under and hammer. I haven't done over, wide grips in a little while, but was doing sets of 6 when I did them consistently. Now I'm working on bumping up the weight. I'm eyeballing that 45 lb. plate...

That's the whole key - you have to do them consistently. At least once a week, or better yet, start every lift with one set to failure. That's how I developed my initial chinning strength.
 
"That's the whole key - you have to do them consistently."

Yup, and the number of chins one can perform is inversely related to the mass of the ass.

Big lats and a small ass = lots of chins.

Some of the girls I train wouldn't have dreamed of doing chins when they first started, but now it is a reality because of both significant body fat loss and increased upper body strength.

W6
 
wilson6 said:
Some of the girls I train wouldn't have dreamed of doing chins when they first started, but now it is a reality because of both significant body fat loss and increased upper body strength.
Click to expand...

I see you are on to my little plan... ;)
 
wilson6 said:
"That's the whole key - you have to do them consistently."

Yup, and the number of chins one can perform is inversely related to the mass of the ass.

Big lats and a small ass = lots of chins.
Click to expand...
Replace 'ass' for 'belly' in my case ... gained 4 lbs because of Christmas eating, some of it lean mass (did very heavy legtraining a few days before the biggest dinners), but mostly fat, and it's on my belly, that doesn't make ANY difference when chinning, because I can't do it anymore :D Well, I'm doing some strength oriented back training now (latpully with 3-5 reps, and negatives on chinning), once my back muscles aren't sore anymore, I'll do these at the start of my other workouts (so tomorrow probably). So I should be pulling myself up again next week or so... I hope! :D

edit: make that this week! I talked about it with some collegues and decided to try again (on a ridge above one of the fire safety doors here at my job). And it worked, even with all my heavy winter clothes on! LOL, I really managed to impress the guys here ;)
 
Last edited:
Used to be a National Level male competitor that trained at our gyms, he couldn't do many chins either because his legs were so big, and I don't mean fat. Now there's a problem I'd like to have.

W6
 
i CAN DO ONE, THIS WAS ONE OF MY GOALS. I FEEL THAT BUILDING MY BI'S AND TRI'S PLAYED A BIG PART IN HELPING ME ACHIEVE THIS GOAL. I'M GOING FOR TWO TODAY... HEE HEE :D
 
My sincerest congratulations, Friscochick!! I know what you mean, I did my first pullup just a few weeks ago!

In my case, I think not so much the arm training did the trick, but heavy back training incl. assisted pullups did it :) Now I use that one pullup that I can do to get myself up there and do a very slow negative rep for strength buildup about 3x a week (not on back day, because then I do the assisted pullups). I try to make the negative movement in half a minute, but haven't succeeded yet (best is about 25 secs). I feel these reps compromise my other training (especially triceps) when I do them in the beginning of regular training, so now I do them on my off-days.
 
5 sets of 8 pull-ups
4 sets of 8 chin-ups

I lost 15 lbs. and that made it a lot easier. About a decade ago, i could only do about three, but I incorporated negatives into my routine. After a few weeks, I was able to go up to 12 regular reps.

Stick to it and never get discouraged
 
I just tried doing wide grip pull-ups 2 weeks ago. Last week I could only do 2 and couldn't pull myself up again for a second set. This week for the first set I got 3, then 2 on the second set followed by 6 lat pull downs of my near bodyweight at 140. I'm 5'3"weighing 143 at 18.5%bf. I've been using the gravitron for the past 6 months with a lot of assistance doing 3 sets of 12 - 15 reps. Last week I lowered the assistance dramaticly and again this week. I can't do as many reps but I think pushing myself with more weight and less reps really helps the muscles develop...it has for everything else. Now I'll be incorporating the unasisted pull-ups early in my workout followed by the gravitron later in my routine. I do back once a week.
 
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This is what I do for my girlfriend. She had been slowly progressing on pullups. Started with only 1 rep. Few weeks later 2 reps. Up to 3 reps, but she wanted more. I got this from Elitefts.


I set up a light Jumpstretch band(purple/pink) choked around the chin bar. I have her put both her feet in the band. As she goes down, the band stretches and basically assists her on the way up. Near the top she gets little to no assistance. She's been doing these for a few weeks and can do sets of 10. She gets a much better back workout this way. We are going to slowly work her down. Probably go to 2 mini bands next, then 1 mini and then no assitance.

Give it a shot.
 
Yup, elastic bands are a good way, and also, if the bar is low, you could help yourself with your leg(s). But that's probably hard, because you're very likely to support yourself a bit too much on the way up. Anyway, I don't have this 'problem' in my gym, because the bar is so high I have to stand on a bench and then reach as high as I can :D I learned my pullups by getting assistance from (most of the times) the gym owner, and now can do 2 reps, almost 3 (hope to do three next week) :)
 
JJFigure said:
I missed out on this thread, since I was off galavanting from place to place.

I've finally started doing weighted chins - either 4 sets of 5 or 3 sets of 6 with 10 lbs. I do them with two hand grips - under and hammer. I haven't done over, wide grips in a little while, but was doing sets of 6 when I did them consistently. Now I'm working on bumping up the weight. I'm eyeballing that 45 lb. plate...

That's the whole key - you have to do them consistently. At least once a week, or better yet, start every lift with one set to failure. That's how I developed my initial chinning strength.
Click to expand...

Wow, weighted chins...u go girl! I have trouble enough doing regular chins. I'm okay with the undergrip but it's the over grip wide pullups that I have trouble with.
 
Went up to 15 lbs. last week for 4x4s. :-)

Then, I did a lighter workout later in the week (my hypertrophy workout) with slow chins - pause at the bottem and get a good stretch, then pull up slowly till chest hits the bar. Damn, those felt good!
 
JJFigure said:
Went up to 15 lbs. last week for 4x4s. :-)

Then, I did a lighter workout later in the week (my hypertrophy workout) with slow chins - pause at the bottem and get a good stretch, then pull up slowly till chest hits the bar. Damn, those felt good!
Click to expand...

Way to go JJ!!!:dance2:
 
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