Hi everyone,

I have a pull-up bar in my apartment. I'm SO FAR from being able to do a pullup or even half a pullup - yesterday I was playing around dangling and such and today it feels like I have severe whiplash.

Is there "any point" to using a pull-up bar if you're nowhere near capable of doing them?

I feel your pain. I am also so far from being able to do a real pull-up. Luckily, I use the assisted pull-up machine at my gym to work my way toward that goal. What I've heard, though, is that if you don't have access to that, doing negatives is a great way to work up to doing full pull-ups.

Use a chair to get yourself into the top pull-up position on the bar (where you'd be with your arms flexed at the very top), then slowly lower yourself down to the bottom.

Here is a good guide in my opinion:
http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/04/25/do-a-pull-up/

I am also far from doing one yet but I am working on it.

You can start with a chair underneath you and put one foot on it, as you get stronger, move it further and further out in fron of you do that you're supporting yourself less with your leg and more with your arms until you're on your own! I hope that makes sense...

One thing I did to get up to doing pull ups was jump up in a pull up position and lower myself down slowly. I did that for WEEKS and I can finally do pull ups. Not that many, right now but I'm slowly getting there.

You should have seen me when I first realized I could do a few It was like I won the lottery.

Thanks dudes. I will use the chair when no one is looking - my roommate is a 5'10 and 160 lb male who can do front and back flips in slow motion on it, and my boyfriend is 6'2 and 220 and can do a whole bunch.

Is it "normal" to feel like you have whiplash from pullup bars? Or did I just sleep funny on my back? I'm such a n00b to upper body weight/resistance training of any kind...

I think the pain is probably normal... I kinda had the same problem the other night waking up with pain, but it was because I was super sore from push-ups. In P90x they recommend using a chair as well since you start off from the get-go doing pull-ups... make sure you only put one foot on the chair though... and the more the chair is directly beneath you (as opposed to out in front of you) the easier it is... you progress by moving the chair further out in front of you until you don't need it anymore. Good luck!

The pull up doesn't require using the same muscles that are painful with whip lash.

Could it be you did something else to cause that pain? Did you fall recently or trip?

I can't figure out how pull ups hurt you like that. ?

He could support some of your weight for you. I mean, if that's something he'd do for you. He could lift you up and let you lower yourself down.

You could use something like this too. http://rubberbanditz.com/pull-up-bands/#rightforme