Chin-ups

[yellow]

Palms away, easy for me with my big lats and short arms. I have a harder time with palms facing, though. I have a bar in the backyard but I haven't been doing pull-ups lately due to some rotator cuff tendinopathy and a SLAP tear :-( I hope to get back at it by summer (I am thinking I will have the SLAP tear repaired in January, maybe). Before all the shoulder goofiness, I would try to do 5-10 at least a few times a week.

Once upon a time I could do muscle ups, too (on rings, not a bar). Once you can do a strong pull up, a muscle up is largely technique. Maybe someday I'll get back there.

[roo4]

Nope. We have an assisted chin/dip machine in the basement. I still have to get an assist.

[skhill]

I try to stop by the playground weekly to make sure I can still do a chin-up; last week, it was one. But I was wearing heavy boots and a coat so I'm counting it as 2! I could do a pull-up last winter, but I end up only doing much strength training in the winter so I can't right now (but maybe in a month).

(my dog looks at me like I'm nuts when I tell her to wait patiently when interrupting her walk so I can do a chin-up, how's my upper body strength going to help her catch a squirrel after all?)

[OakLeaf]

Back before I got hurt I could do five chin-ups (palms facing me), and I could also hoist myself up a 7' wall (once), which is obviously palms away.

One day I'll do them again.

I'm really thinking about trying to add in some light strap work.

[ridebikeme]

Like many here, used to be able to do quite a few, but unfortunately that's a thing of the past. I do have a pull up bar in the shop, so that's the goal for the winter months... oops that means I should be starting NOW! LOL It might be nice to continue to have a post here over the winter months with everyones progress.... anyone interested?

[Wahine]

I can do maybe one pull up or two by myself.

Body weight is a huge fator and limb length. the longer your limbs are the harder it is to do a pull-up, it's all about leverage.

It looks like you're making good progress Susan!

[Susan Otcenas]

OK, so I still can't do a chin-up. BUT, this morning, I climbed the the rope hanging from the ceiling. Big thick sucker, with knots in it every, i dunno, 24 inches or so. I couldn't do that a few weeks ago.

[TrekDianna]

Now I am curious to see if I can still do them. I used to be able to knock them out -- lots of them - quite easily, but that was back in my Army days. Those days are behind me.

[GLC1968]

Palms away, easy for me with my big lats and short arms. I have a harder time with palms facing, though.

I'm glad you said this, yellow! I've been trying to mentally picture which way was easiest for me and without actually trying it, I swear that palms away was easier. I also have big lats and short arms...so maybe that's why? My triceps are also significantly stronger than my biceps, so I'm sure that helps too.

OK, good. I thought I was starting to lose my memory!

[Veronica]

It makes sense that being shorter would be easier. When I do walking lunges, I wish I were taller because it's always a set distance, not reps. When I do pull-ups, I wish I was lighter.

Veronica

[Catrin]

It makes sense that being shorter would be easier. When I do walking lunges, I wish I were taller because it's always a set distance, not reps. When I do pull-ups, I wish I was lighter.

Veronica

I hear you - when we do broad jumps I REALLY wish I had longer legs

The last time we did pullups (and I was allowed to do them), our coach used an attachment that had our palms facing each other, and the hands were able to rotate through the movement. I know my shoulder appeared to like that version, though of course I was still standing on a resistance band for assistance.

[Susan Otcenas]

The last time we did pullups (and I was allowed to do them), our coach used an attachment that had our palms facing each other, and the hands were able to rotate through the movement.

Yesterday my coach had me doing them hanging from the TRX straps. I started palms facing my chin (line a chin-up), by my hands naturally rotated to the palms facing each other. I guess I'm strongest that way.

[Catrin]

Yesterday my coach had me doing them hanging from the TRX straps. I started palms facing my chin (line a chin-up), by my hands naturally rotated to the palms facing each other. I guess I'm strongest that way.

That is the normal position for the TRX, it allows the joints to rotate naturally. This is why I am generally not allowed to do this with a regular bar as this doesn't happen. From what I've been told, this is the strongest position for most. Another good way to work on this is racked TRX rows - this is done with the face beneath the anchor rather than the feet. I think this is also called "inverted" rows.

Here is a You Tube video showing the racked, or inverted, row. It is a good way to work on pullup strength and as you can see, her hands are facing each other. I didn't watch the entire thing, but from what I saw she has pretty good form. Racked rows are HARD, at least for me they are.

[Susan Otcenas]

I am a pro at that Inverted/Racked Row position. Really. My trainer says rows are my greatest strength. I can do a lot of them, getting my chest up quite a bit farther than the gal in the video. But I still can't do do a chin-up. Still, maybe there's hope for me...