Chin-ups

[Susan Otcenas]

I'm curious to know how many women here can do a chin up. I'm betting Veronica can. Anyone else?

I've been using a personal trainer since January, with a special focus on core and upper body strength. He tested me quite a bit to start, to determine my strengths and weaknesses. Let's just say I had far more weaknesses than strengths!

The facility I use does not believe in machines. Everything is free weights and body weight based. I, of course, could barely hang from the chin up bar, much less get any movement trying to do a chin up. Nor could I get any upward movement when hanging from the bar with my feet braced against the wall.

So, he started me with a bench to stand on under the bar. I would pull up as much as I could, using my legs to do what my arms couldn't. Of course, it's easy to cheat like this, but I always gave it my all, getting to muscle failure in 4 or 5 reps.

But each workout, I would start by bracing my feet against the wall, just to see what would happen, and little by little, slowly but surely, over time I started to see some bend in my elbows. Progress!

A few weeks ago, I FINALLY managed to do a chin-up with my feet braced against the wall. WOOT! The next week I did two. :-)

Now the bench is gone. It's been replaced by a stretchy rubber strap. I dead hang from the bar, pull up, and the strap provides extra lift. I'm still using the thick strap (more lift). There's a thinner strap but I can't pull all the way up with that one yet, though I can get a little bend. I look forward to graduating to the thin strap in the next few months.

SOME DAY, I am going to do a chin-up. All on my own. It might take me another year, but dang it, I'm determined to be able to do it eventually. Losing some weight would help, of course, but in the meantime I'm considering it extra resistance training...

So, show of hands - can YOU do a chin-up?

[solobiker]

A few years ago I could do several...back in my rock climbing days. I even go to the point where I could do them just using my finger tips on the bar vs a whole hand grip. Keep it up and you will get there. :-)

[lph]

I've always been able to do them, palms away, even before I started rock climbing. But then I'd been riding racehorses for several years, and could on request produce quite an impressive "bull's neck" :-)

I think it's a mix of technique, static and dynamic strength, and having short arms helps!

[Susan Otcenas]

I haven't even tried palms away. I do them palms facing me. I'm under the impression that palms away is more difficult, as it uses more triceps...

[GLC1968]

I could do a set of them with the light band assisting me last spring (crossfit). I was almost at my heaviest back then.

I haven't tried lately, but I am fairly certain I could do at least one now (30 lbs lighter makes a HUGE difference!). Now you've got me wondering...

Congrats on your truly wonderful progress, Susan!

[ny biker]

Back around 1990 I had a chin-up bar in my apartment in Chicago. I probably could only do a few at a time back then. I don't think I've tried to do one since then.

I won't see my trainer again until Dec 5. I'll try to remember to mention it to him and see if I can do any then. That way we can both laugh about it if I can't do one (rather than just looking silly by trying and failing when I'm working out by myself.)

[Thorn]

Never been able to do one.

Last month I installed a chin up bar and, from your description, am where you were. I've thought this quest for a chin-up a fools errand, but you've just motivated me to keep trying.

Hoping to do my first chin-up ever by 60!

[Susan Otcenas]

Never been able to do one.

Last month I installed a chin up bar and, from your description, am where you were. I've thought this quest for a chin-up a fools errand, but you've just motivated me to keep trying.

Hoping to do my first chin-up ever by 60!

Thorn, I've never been able to do one either. Well, at least not since I was knee high...

I DO think it's possible, though like lph said it's a mix of technique, strength and body type. I'd like to install a chin up bar. And a TRX! Just need to find some space...

[Catrin]

I've a Jungle Gym, which is like a TRX. I actually prefer it to the TRX and it is half the price

I am allowed to do chin-ups (palms facing me) with bands occasionally and they are much easier than pull-ups (palms away). I've a recalcitrant shoulder problem that IS slowly improving We do have to be very careful with it however. I hope to someday be able to do chin-ups without assistance.

[Veronica]

I can do a few chin ups unassisted. Pull ups I do with a band now and occasionally jumping up. I found the motion very unnatural at first and jumping up seemed to help train my body to do what I wanted.

Veronica

[Catrin]

I can do a few chin ups unassisted. Pull ups I do with a band now and occasionally jumping up. I found the motion very unnatural at first and jumping up seemed to help train my body to do what I wanted.

Veronica

Our coach sometimes has us do jumping pullups without the band. Sometimes we are doing what he calls "resisted" pullups where the idea is to jump up to grab the bar, and then resist the downward movement that naturally comes. Some of my team-mates are pretty good at this - I get to do other things as he doesn't allow me to attempt it But part of why I pay him is to avoid injury and I have to make myself to remember that sometimes.

[Dogmama]

I can do 1.5 with palms facing each other. For me, that's the easiest way. (.5 = I can get halfway up )

[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?)