Ok I'm at it again, trying new things. Actually I tried the assisted pull up machine a few weeks ago with no success. I got on it and tried to pull myself up but no go. The max counterbalance on the machine is 180 and with me weighing over 300 lbs, I figured it was time before I could do it. So anyway I decided to try it today and I was able to do it! The only thing is that I couldn't pull myself all the way up, I was probably able to do it 3/4ths of the way which kind of discouraged me. So I know it sounds kind of stupid, but is that ok? Should I just keep working on it til I can pull myself all the way up or should I try to wait until I lose 10 or so more lbs and try it again?

Keep at it! Keep working on back and biceps, too, and I suspect that one day, very soon, you'll make it all the way up Then the next day you'll do 1 1/2, then 2.....

Nelie, you've got a great attitude!

Mel

Exactly! Wow, does that bring back memories -- the assisted pull up machine had a big role in the year that I was losing weight and I know you'll have fun with it too, Nelie.

I was 46 years old and had never done a pull up in my life -- I was one of the nerds dangling helplessly from the chin up bar in those hideous grade school "fitness evaluations" or whatever they were called (I called them total public humiliation ). So it was incredibly cool to actually be able to do a pull up with the assisted machine, albeit with a LOT of asistance at first. I think I started with 160# of assistance -- I wasn't nearly as strong as you, Nelie! Every day that I walked in the gym, I'd set the peg 10# lower than I had ever managed a pullup at and try to get just one. It wasn't part of my workout or anything -- it was just a little game that I played with myself. Then when I could squeeze out one at that weight, I'd drop the peg down another 10# and so on.

The combination of losing weight (less to pull up) and getting stronger made the numbers whiz by until -- ta da -- I could do ONE on my own with NO assistance. What a thing to get so excited about, but I was floating on .

Just keep on working on it, Nelie, just like you're doing! It's going to happen for you -- first, one with 180#, then one with 170# and then one day with no assistance at all. Count on it!

Gen -- ours is like that too -- the least amount of assistance you can use is 20#, though there are several smaller plates beyond that (probably 5 and 10). I don't know why it's that way? Our cables are like that too -- the lowest weight you can use is 20# on a side (the 10# is locked to the 20#). That means I can't do most shoulder exercises with the cables because I can't do 20# on a side. When my partner (a guy) is doing cable side raises or rear delts, I have to grab DBs and do the same thing and it makes me .

UGH! That would really annoy me. Our cable stations and assisted chin/dip machine has 10 pounds as the smallest increment. I love doing "fun with cables" shoulder days One of the cable stations also has drop-down 3 1/3 pound weights so you can use 10, 13.3, 16.6, 20.....I've finally graduated to being able to drop both drop-downs onto the 10 pound plate for shoulders I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but shoulder day is tough for me.

The first time I did an UNassisted pull-up, I ran all over the gym telling everyone

Mel

Nelie, congratulations on 3/4 of a pullup! That's great progress and you've gotten great advice on how to proceed.

I agree with Meg on the total coolness of doing any sort of pullup, assisted or not, since I was the fat girl also hanging helplessly in the public humiliation rituals.

Gen, I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will have more detail later on, but in my limited understanding the palms-facing grip is for narrow-grip pullups, which recruit the biceps first then the back and shoulders. The wide grips (palms away, I haven't done palms facing) work primarily the back and shoulders, only a little effort from the biceps.

Linda C.

Thanks guys, I was actually able to do 12 of them 3/4ths of the way up, I just couldn't do 1 all the way up for some reason, I thought it was kind of strange.

Keep up the great work Nelie !! I always see your CW going down !! WOOHOO Way to go !!

Gen -- ours has the three different sets of handgrips also -- it looks similiar to this:


I agree with Linda that the close-grip, hands together position emphasizes biceps and it's a lot easier for me.

The other two wide-grip positions emphasize the back more and you would do both of those with your palms facing away from you. The lower position lets me go down lower and get more of a stretch at the bottom (which is what makes it painful to put deoderant on the next day ).

A classic chin up is done on a plain bar with palms facing you. I don't think that the assisted pull up machine is designed to use a palms facing grip on any of the its positions -- perhaps that's the difference between a chin up and a pull up?

Anyone else have input?

Yeah, my new programme now has dips in it ... just on the bench and my gawd, they are tough! I used to do them many moons ago and the sucky thing about my old program was no tris work so I am really really week at these! I will get there though, and I am supposed to be able to progress to dipping my body weight, so having the assisted dip machines available is a god send!!

Way to go Nelie, I came across this and I am definately up for trying out the assisted pull up on Thursday, my next upper body workout. My gym has 3 different machines, so I think I will ask about the differences.

Nelie, What is normally happening when you can do an exercise partway but not all the way is that at the point where you get stuck, the exercise "work" as it were, is transitioning from one set of muscles to another. Starting the pullup, it's your middle back (lats I think?) doing most of the work, then your upper back (traps? shoulders? not sure) finishes out the movement. You can probably feel this yourself by tensing your back and moving your arms through the motion of a pullup -- I could feel the effort moving from my middle back to my upper back as my arms came down. (I'm assuming a wide grip pullup -- narrow grip is different.)

If you've got a lat pulldown machine in your gym, add those into your routine to work the areas that are weak in the pullup, mimicking the grip you use for pullups and using a full range of motion.

Linda C.

Can I just chime in to say I love the chin/dip assist machine, too? I avoided it for my first two months, because I was terrified of it -- mostly the shirt comeuppance factor--but one day I gave it a shot when the gym was really really empty (probably Sunday morning -- my favorite time to have the run of the place!). I feel like I get a more complete workout from that machine than from either the other tri machine or from the lat pulldown because it's a wider range of motion.

And the day I can do an unassisted pullup? You'll never hear the end of me!