How long did it take before you could finally do a pull-up?

workingmom1008 · 02-02-2011, 08:05 PM

I was just wondering how long it took you to finally do a pull-up. Did you "train" every other day? When do your arms finally stop hurting? lol

I'm doing negative pull-ups now (still using a chair for assistance) about 3 times a week & I swear my arms are always sore. This is in addition to upper body strengthening exercises.

(I've always had skinny arms & it took me forever before I could do a real military push-up.) At this rate it looks like it's going to take me several months...

kaw · 02-03-2011, 08:32 AM

Well, I couldn't do one for the Presidential Physical Fitness and Social Torture Test in 7th grade. (Other scarred-for-life children of the 1970s and 1980s will know what I'm talking about!) I probably did my first around age 30. So, 17 years?

More seriously, "several months" is not at all unreasonable.

Your comment about your arms being sore tempts me into giving unsolicited advice: focus on engaging your lats rather than your biceps and delts. Concentrate on bringing your shoulderblades down and back; think about squeezing an orange between your shoulder blades. Or, think chest-to-the-bar, head back. If you kind of hunch over and squish your shoulderblades up, you're not hitting the lats and muscles of the mid-back as much as abs and biceps. This will slow if not stall your progress toward an unassisted pullup, because the bigger muscles of the back won't grow (or at least as quickly as if your form was less bicep-centric).

//b. strong,
Kim

mkroyer · 02-03-2011, 11:21 AM

one great way to learn to engage the lats for a pullup is to justgo in a complete dead hang off the bar. Just hang there, and then focus on initiating the pullup movement by squeezing your lats, pushing your chest up, pulling to shoulder blades together, and then relax. Then dead hang and practice initiating it again, and again, till it becomes more natural.

For me, i couldnt do a pull up till i dropped below apprx 18% BF

neurodoc · 02-05-2011, 03:33 PM

It took me over 4 months of weight training along with weight (fat) loss. Using the lat pull-down bar helped a lot; when I could pull down 70+ pounds easily, I could also do a single pull-up (at the time, I weighed just under 130 pounds). 3 months later, I can now manage 3-4 (4 on the first set, 3 on subsequent ones) though not with fabulous form.

workingmom1008 · 02-06-2011, 12:02 PM

Kim - I knew I could count on you to always give me great advice. I'm happy to say I do feel it in my lats too...just when I started doing negatives my arms seemed to really feel it but I will focus on form more. Working towards this goal is really frustrating at times but it keeps my mind off other things that I can't do (I twisted my left ankle a few months ago so I can't run for now). And yes, I do remember that Presidential Physical Fitness Test....and how I despised it lol

mkroyer - thanks for the tip on the deadhang lift. I just tried it this morning & I'm going to add it to my "pull-up training plan". Also, I really liked your mantra 'I do not workout I train" so much that I'm replacing "workout" with "train" & it's really helping my motivation mindset towards exercising.

neurodoc - I exercise exclusively at home so do you (or anyone) have any substitutions for the lat pull down bar move?

justMOVE · 02-06-2011, 10:21 PM

If I have trouble doing even a single bodyweight pull up, would it be okay to go to a 'assisted pull up machine' and do them?

kaw · 02-07-2011, 06:45 AM

justMOVE: Yes, if you have access to an assisted pull-up machine, it's a great way to work up to pullups. The movement isn't exactly the same, because your body is held on a vertical plane because your feet (or knees, depending on the machine) are "fixed" on the assist part of the machine. But, it's still a good substitute for or complement to unassisted pulls. Same comments about form -- squeezing lats, chest up, etc -- apply.

workingmom1008: If you work out at home, there are a few options for progressing to an unassisted pullup. If you have a bar that is fixed in height (e.g., attached to a doorway), you can start with dead hangs, move to negatives (climb up using a chair, lower yourself down as slowly as possible), or enlist someone to assist by holding your feet. Or, you can invest in some resistance bands and string them from the bar in a "V" or "U" and stand on the bottom of the V or U; they should have to stretch when you do this, meaning that they are supporting some of the weight. (I'm explaining this badly -- I'm sure there are pics on Teh Internets.)

If your pullup bar isn't fixed in height, you can also lower it to, say, chest height and put your feet on the floor (easier) or a chair (harder) to support part of your body weight. Your body will then be diagonal instead of vertical as you do your pullups.

//b. strong,
Kim

joyfulloser · 02-07-2011, 09:07 AM

Quote:

If you have a bar that is fixed in height (e.g., attached to a doorway), you can start with dead hangs, move to negatives (climb up using a chair, lower yourself down as slowly as possible)

THIS^^ is how I got started at 200 lbs! (didn't realize it had a name what I was doing though..haha!)

I did this every other day (placed it in the bathroom doorway so I'd be forced to see it often

) It took about 1 month before I could do my first palm facing towards me pull up!

Now...4 months later, I can do 3 sets of 5 pullups in two positions (palms facing me, thumbs facing me) and 3 sets of 1 pullup (the official way...palms facing away from me).

AshleyRae · 02-07-2011, 12:05 PM

I'm so glad for the terrific advice in this thread! I know I've got quite a lot of weight to lose and strength to gain before I'll be able to do a pull-up, but the advice on technique is wonderful!
I've been practicing it at the gym and really concentrating on form. I told my husband (who's an amazing pull-upper ;P) that my New Year Resolution would be to do a pull-up and with this advice I'm sure I can do it!
Thanks!