Comments on: Mistressing the pullup http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:41:52 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Joanna http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-2668 Joanna Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:59:09 +0000 #comment-2668 Dear Katy-- Another thing you can try is your feet up on a stability ball while doing dips! Fun and challenges your proprioception in a different way! Krista--I have just looked at your site for the first time today, thanks to "Bitch" magazine--I love it!! I am a gal who frequently does 2 or 3 sets of 3 or 4 reps of chin/pullups in the gym, and I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to pull my own weight! What's the point of lifting/being strong if not being able to move your own beautiful body around? =) And honestly, I really don't mind the guys coming up to me and saying, "Wow! That's really impressive! I wish I could do that!" I tell them, "Well, keep trying--you'll get there eventually!" Perhaps I should direct them to your site! Thanks again! Dear Katy–

Another thing you can try is your feet up on a stability ball while doing dips! Fun and challenges your proprioception in a different way!

Krista–I have just looked at your site for the first time today, thanks to “Bitch” magazine–I love it!! I am a gal who frequently does 2 or 3 sets of 3 or 4 reps of chin/pullups in the gym, and I can’t tell you how good it makes me feel to pull my own weight!
What’s the point of lifting/being strong if not being able to move your own beautiful body around? =)

And honestly, I really don’t mind the guys coming up to me and saying, “Wow! That’s really impressive! I wish I could do that!”
I tell them, “Well, keep trying–you’ll get there eventually!”

Perhaps I should direct them to your site!
Thanks again!

]]> By: Mistress Krista http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-2574 Mistress Krista Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:12:31 +0000 #comment-2574 Katy: You can use an elastic band for assistance, similar to a band-assisted pullup thus: http://www.youtube.com/v/efpptPJFiyc http://www.youtube.com/v/TindOf7zyXM Katy: You can use an elastic band for assistance, similar to a band-assisted pullup thus:
http://www.youtube.com/v/efpptPJFiyc
http://www.youtube.com/v/TindOf7zyXM

]]> By: Katy http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-2557 Katy Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:20:32 +0000 #comment-2557 Do you have any ideas for working up to chest dips? My gym doesn't have an assisted dips/pullups machine, right now I'm doing them with my hands behind me on a bench and my feet up on another bench. Do you have any ideas for working up to chest dips? My gym doesn’t have an assisted dips/pullups machine, right now I’m doing them with my hands behind me on a bench and my feet up on another bench.

]]> By: Jennifer Foss http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-2279 Jennifer Foss Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:43:21 +0000 #comment-2279 Thank you for the suggestion. I will certainly try that. Jennifer Thank you for the suggestion. I will certainly try that.
Jennifer

]]> By: Mistress Krista http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-2208 Mistress Krista Sat, 05 Dec 2009 12:55:28 +0000 #comment-2208 Jennifer: Try 1-3 reps, several times a day, every day. Every time you walk past the bar, do a rep or two. Don't go anywhere near your max (which is currently 4). Just a few reps, here and there, frequently. Every few weeks, test your max, then take a day or two off. Following that, go back to your "a few reps a day, several times a day" protocol, adding reps if needed (e.g. if your new max is 6, then do 2 to 4 per set). Jennifer: Try 1-3 reps, several times a day, every day. Every time you walk past the bar, do a rep or two. Don’t go anywhere near your max (which is currently 4). Just a few reps, here and there, frequently. Every few weeks, test your max, then take a day or two off. Following that, go back to your “a few reps a day, several times a day” protocol, adding reps if needed (e.g. if your new max is 6, then do 2 to 4 per set).

]]> By: Jennifer Foss http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-2206 Jennifer Foss Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:53:02 +0000 #comment-2206 Krista, I know I'm late to the post, but I just found your site. I hope it's not too late to get your advice. This autumn I finally got my pull-up bar at home. I don't belong to a gym, so I can't do machine assisted or even lat pull-downs. I set my goal as a set of 10 pull-ups. I trained for this with sets of as many full pull-ups as I could do, followed by slow negatives to fill out a set of 8-10. I usually did 3 sets, twice a week. For me, the hardest part was getting past 3 or 4. Actually, every additional rep I really had to fight for. I had figured that once I could do 5, going to 6, and then 7 etc wouldn't be that hard. I can believe what you say about it actually being easier to add weight than add reps. In two months I almost reached me goal. On a very good day I could manage 9 pull-ups, but more often I could only do 7 or 8. Then I got the flu for a few days, and just generally slacked off from weight training for a month. I did pull-ups again for the first time yesterday and I could only do 4 in the first set. My question is do you have any advice for how I can best get back to a full set, and maybe even more? I would love to do 12. Is there a better way than what I was doing? Most of your article is geared toward getting that first one, but not so much about what to do then. Thanks. Krista,

I know I’m late to the post, but I just found your site. I hope it’s not too late to get your advice.

This autumn I finally got my pull-up bar at home. I don’t belong to a gym, so I can’t do machine assisted or even lat pull-downs. I set my goal as a set of 10 pull-ups. I trained for this with sets of as many full pull-ups as I could do, followed by slow negatives to fill out a set of 8-10. I usually did 3 sets, twice a week.

For me, the hardest part was getting past 3 or 4. Actually, every additional rep I really had to fight for. I had figured that once I could do 5, going to 6, and then 7 etc wouldn’t be that hard. I can believe what you say about it actually being easier to add weight than add reps.

In two months I almost reached me goal. On a very good day I could manage 9 pull-ups, but more often I could only do 7 or 8. Then I got the flu for a few days, and just generally slacked off from weight training for a month. I did pull-ups again for the first time yesterday and I could only do 4 in the first set.

My question is do you have any advice for how I can best get back to a full set, and maybe even more? I would love to do 12. Is there a better way than what I was doing? Most of your article is geared toward getting that first one, but not so much about what to do then. Thanks.

]]> By: Rena Rosenquist http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-1994 Rena Rosenquist Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:41:42 +0000 #comment-1994 I have lost 176lbs and one of my long terms goals was to do pull ups. It has taken me two years to master pull ups.. I used the assited pull up machine with super huge results until I removed all assistance and when over to a standard pull up bar starting with chin ups and progressing there from, but made real progress came bombing the upper body as a unit with every possible exercise to gain steer upper body strength. Push ups came as a bonus without realising it. These days I super set the pull up with pushups and pull downs, the results keep getting better with dedication.. I don't look much, but other women and even men stop dead when I do this trick at the gym. NOT because I do them, but the steer number of sets. I think I now have wow muscles efter 2 years of body building.. My measurements to start were 152 cms around the hips, 141½ around the bust and 116 cms around the waist with a weight watcher nutrition and now body building. I had skin removed from my stomach but the rest of me is me lol.. I sport 90 cms bust and hips and 70 cm waist.. Body building evened up my body measurements heaps.. I also train with a c7 spinal injury and no longer use pain killers. The pull up is like a super wonderful stretch that massages tightness out of my back.. I have lost 176lbs and one of my long terms goals was to do pull ups. It has taken me two years to master pull ups.. I used the assited pull up machine with super huge results until I removed all assistance and when over to a standard pull up bar starting with chin ups and progressing there from, but made real progress came bombing the upper body as a unit with every possible exercise to gain steer upper body strength. Push ups came as a bonus without realising it.
These days I super set the pull up with pushups and pull downs, the results keep getting better with dedication.. I don’t look much, but other women and even men stop dead when I do this trick at the gym. NOT because I do them, but the steer number of sets.
I think I now have wow muscles efter 2 years of body building.. My measurements to start were 152 cms around the hips, 141½ around the bust and 116 cms around the waist with a weight watcher nutrition and now body building. I had skin removed from my stomach but the rest of me is me lol.. I sport 90 cms bust and hips and 70 cm waist.. Body building evened up my body measurements heaps.. I also train with a c7 spinal injury and no longer use pain killers. The pull up is like a super wonderful stretch that massages tightness out of my back..

]]> By: Scarlett http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-1935 Scarlett Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:16:32 +0000 #comment-1935 Interesting comment Emily. I want to caveat off that to say I improved the best when I got some bands. I got mine from ironwoodyfitness.com. The pull-up assist machines don't do the job, as Emily stated. I find negatives to be annoying. I went from nothing to two chin-ups in 2 months after I got the bands. Interesting comment Emily. I want to caveat off that to say I improved the best when I got some bands. I got mine from ironwoodyfitness.com. The pull-up assist machines don’t do the job, as Emily stated. I find negatives to be annoying. I went from nothing to two chin-ups in 2 months after I got the bands.

]]> By: Emily http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-1925 Emily Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:59:28 +0000 #comment-1925 Just want to say, the negative pull-ups regiment definitely builds strength that the pull-up assist doesn't. I started training about a year ago-- my goal (among many) was to be able to do an unassisted pull up. For many, many months, I countered my body weight with the assist machine, and barely made progress. Once I started the negative pull-ups (maybe just 3-5 reps, 3-5 times a week?) I saw progress within weeks. I'm almost there now-- can pull up from about 3/4 of the way down. Thanks for the great advice! Just want to say, the negative pull-ups regiment definitely builds strength that the pull-up assist doesn’t. I started training about a year ago– my goal (among many) was to be able to do an unassisted pull up. For many, many months, I countered my body weight with the assist machine, and barely made progress. Once I started the negative pull-ups (maybe just 3-5 reps, 3-5 times a week?) I saw progress within weeks. I’m almost there now– can pull up from about 3/4 of the way down. Thanks for the great advice!

]]> By: Mistress Krista http://www.stumptuous.com/mistressing-the-pullup/comment-page-1#comment-1905 Mistress Krista Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:02:39 +0000 #comment-1905 Great link Scarlett! Great link Scarlett!

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