Road to 100

[quote]dragonmamma wrote:
Sounds good to me!

Hey, my gym (YMCA) finally got a dip belt, so I just started adding 10-lbs to my bodyweight for pull-ups. Gee, isn’t that impressive?[/quote]

Yes it is, most people don’t do pull-ups at all. I bet you get looks.

Pat36, do you perform pull-ups any differently than chins? Obviously the hand position changes, but are you any stricter with keeping the torso vertical?

My chins and pull-ups are basically identical in that I lean back and use the lats a lot. My friend (who’s into rock climbing) told me to stay vertical on the pull-ups though. Just wondering what your thoughts are on the matter.

[quote]MrTangerineSpedo wrote:
Pat36, do you perform pull-ups any differently than chins? Obviously the hand position changes, but are you any stricter with keeping the torso vertical?

My chins and pull-ups are basically identical in that I lean back and use the lats a lot. My friend (who’s into rock climbing) told me to stay vertical on the pull-ups though. Just wondering what your thoughts are on the matter.[/quote]

I have heard the samething to. I tend to be pretty vertical and have paid more attention to it. But as the weight increases, I am really more concerned with just getting up there.
Actually the position of the weight does tend to keep me more vertical, but I am not really paying that much attention. I am just trying to go up!

[quote]pat36 wrote:
Alright, this is my official log for pull-up strength. I just bought a shiny new dip-belt and my goal is to get to 2 full, clean, pronated wide-grip pull-ups will 100 lbs hanging off of my waist.
My best was 2 pullups with 75 lbs.

Ultimately, I want to get to my bodyweight hanging off of my waist, but I’ll be happy with 100 lbs. for now.
Anybody wanna join?[/quote]

I would join you but I am about 210 and my bar is only made to support 300. ;p

Hey pat36,

Pullups are one of my favorite lifts. I have done pullups with 180 lbs strapped to me at a BW of 218. I used a rope that hung from my neck with an extra shirt wrapped around it so it wouldn’t dig into my skin. At the time I was able to get 2-3 one armed pullups with my left hand and 2 at most with my right. I could do this until I passed 250 BW.

I had the most success with doing the 1-6 method that Poliquin writes about. You should also check out beastskills.com. I did most of my pullups with my hands facing each other because it didn’t bother my elbows and shoulders as much. I don’t think it makes much of a difference either way. I could do them in any position. They seemed to be more natural that way.

I wonder, how do your elbows feel doing heavy weighted pullups? Mine used to hurt for quite some time after doing them.

[quote]chewie wrote:
Hey pat36,

Pullups are one of my favorite lifts. I have done pullups with 180 lbs strapped to me at a BW of 218. I used a rope that hung from my neck with an extra shirt wrapped around it so it wouldn’t dig into my skin. At the time I was able to get 2-3 one armed pullups with my left hand and 2 at most with my right. I could do this until I passed 250 BW.

I had the most success with doing the 1-6 method that Poliquin writes about. You should also check out beastskills.com. I did most of my pullups with my hands facing each other because it didn’t bother my elbows and shoulders as much. I don’t think it makes much of a difference either way. I could do them in any position. They seemed to be more natural that way.

I wonder, how do your elbows feel doing heavy weighted pullups? Mine used to hurt for quite some time after doing them. [/quote]

I’m not Pat, but I’d like to answer that. With just my bodyweight, when I was using a palms-in grip and going for quantity (40 chin-ups in a workout) I injured my left bicep and pulled a tendon leading to my elbow. That was five months ago, and my elbow still bothers me when I use a palms-in grip.

I now use only palms-out grip, which doesn’t put nearly as much stress on my elbow or bicep.

Hands facing each other seems right in between the other two grips.

[quote]uberswank wrote:

I would join you but I am about 210 and my bar is only made to support 300. ;p

[/quote]

You could go to 90lbs!

[quote]chewie wrote:
Hey pat36,

Pullups are one of my favorite lifts. I have done pullups with 180 lbs strapped to me at a BW of 218. I used a rope that hung from my neck with an extra shirt wrapped around it so it wouldn’t dig into my skin. At the time I was able to get 2-3 one armed pullups with my left hand and 2 at most with my right. I could do this until I passed 250 BW.

I had the most success with doing the 1-6 method that Poliquin writes about. You should also check out beastskills.com. I did most of my pullups with my hands facing each other because it didn’t bother my elbows and shoulders as much. I don’t think it makes much of a difference either way. I could do them in any position. They seemed to be more natural that way.

I wonder, how do your elbows feel doing heavy weighted pullups? Mine used to hurt for quite some time after doing them. [/quote]

Wow! I bow to your back. If I had the implements to do them with hands facing each other I’d do it that way as it does seem to be kinder to the joints. Wide-grip (slightly wider than shoulder width) pronated grip works fine with no pain. Suppianated grip really aggrivates the biceps tendonitis, so I do them sparingly.
I’ll look up that Poliquin article, it looks worth reading. He is awsome.
My ultimate goal is to be able to do unilateral pullups. That’s a bit down the road for me.

[quote]pat36 wrote:
My ultimate goal is to be able to do unilateral pullups. That’s a bit down the road for me. [/quote]

Me too, I am able to do partials but when I start to make some progress my (and to answer chewie) my elbows hurt like a mf and I have to switch to higher reps with lower weights for a while. I do make slightly more progress each time, but its gonna be a long and slow road of a few inches at a time vs lots of healing.

Good luck and keep working hard, I’m sure you’ll get to 100lbs.

At one point I was doing 6 sets of 4 on wide grip pullups with about 2 min rest, I think at around 65-70 lbs. My best max was 2 good reps with 85lbs during that time, though I did try to do a single with one of my coworker trainers who was about 94 lbs. I only moved up about 3 or 4 inches before I had to drop off the bar as she was choking me. And I think you will find that your max # of repetitions with bodyweight will go up, even if only slightly.

I was stuck at 12 reps (bodyweight 190) and then after 2 months of 6x4 it went up to 15 with not a single rep above 4 in two months.

Pullups are great! You have to do them for a long time to get good at them. I’ve had pullups in my routine since day one, 3 years ago, and I am using 105 for 2 now. It’s funny how guys that only do rows can’t use very much on pullups, but guys that do pullups can use a lot on both.

My only tip for getting there is use a dumbell instead of plates on the attachment. It’s easier to manage, and it actually looks cooler to have a giant dumbell attached to you.

Chewie,

What kind of bar are you using for palms-facing pullups? Do you get a good lat pump from that grip ? Seems like I recently read an article that said that palms-away style grip is the best for targeting the lats.

I can’t say enough good things about pullups. You guys are smart to include them, whatever style you use. Nothing makes my lats respond like this exercise !

Also,good luck to you, Pat 36

[quote]magyar wrote:
Chewie,

What kind of bar are you using for palms-facing pullups? Do you get a good lat pump from that grip ? Seems like I recently read an article that said that palms-away style grip is the best for targeting the lats.
[/quote]

When I worked out at the University we had adjustable handles attached to the racks. There was one that had handles that could be adjusted for width as well as hand position. The handles were never locked in place. They rotated freely. I would grab them facing each other and when I began lifting, they would tend to rotate about 10 degrees toward the palms out position. I have never seen this at another gym before or since. This allowed my joints to be in their natural position. I did get a decent lat pump from this but I have had better.

[quote]pat36 wrote:
MrTangerineSpedo wrote:
Pat36, do you perform pull-ups any differently than chins? Obviously the hand position changes, but are you any stricter with keeping the torso vertical?

My chins and pull-ups are basically identical in that I lean back and use the lats a lot. My friend (who’s into rock climbing) told me to stay vertical on the pull-ups though. Just wondering what your thoughts are on the matter.
[end quote]

I have heard the same thing too. I tend to be pretty vertical and have paid more attention to it. But as the weight increases, I am really more concerned with just getting up there.
Actually the position of the weight does tend to keep me more vertical, but I am not really paying that much attention. I am just trying to go up!
[/quote]

Thanks! I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something obvious.

Best of luck!

[quote]dragonmamma wrote:
Sounds good to me!

Hey, my gym (YMCA) finally got a dip belt, so I just started adding 10-lbs to my bodyweight for pull-ups. Gee, isn’t that impressive?[/quote]

Sure, it is. Many women-even lifters-struggle with bodyweight pull-ups and chins for reps. Nice start.

I might join you in this venture. We’re at about the same point I believe, as I can hit a double fairly easily with 70 lbs hanging off me, sometimes a triple. And today I did 8 with 45 lbs.

[quote]jsbrook wrote:
dragonmamma wrote:
Sounds good to me!

Hey, my gym (YMCA) finally got a dip belt, so I just started adding 10-lbs to my bodyweight for pull-ups. Gee, isn’t that impressive?

Sure, it is. Many women-even lifters-struggle with bodyweight pull-ups and chins for reps. Nice start.[/quote]

Thank-you. I hope that by increasing the weight on singles, I’ll be able to increase my bodyweight reps.

weighted chins and pullups are fun.

i follow CW workout and did 6x3 at 65lbs the other day at 160BW.

i want to be able to do a couple with my girl-friend on me, so i can get more pussy.

[quote]dragonmamma wrote:
jsbrook wrote:
dragonmamma wrote:
Sounds good to me!

Hey, my gym (YMCA) finally got a dip belt, so I just started adding 10-lbs to my bodyweight for pull-ups. Gee, isn’t that impressive?

Sure, it is. Many women-even lifters-struggle with bodyweight pull-ups and chins for reps. Nice start.

Thank-you. I hope that by increasing the weight on singles, I’ll be able to increase my bodyweight reps.
[/quote]

Though there might be some carryover, I don’t think that increasing weight on singles will have too much of an effect on your bodyweight reps. I’ve always been able to hit in the 15-20 range bodyweight, even before I began doing weighted chins and that range hasn’t changed one bit since then.

2/18/2007

1 x 16 bodyweight
1 x 4 35 lbs.
1 x 3 45 lbs.
1 x 2 55 lbs.
1 x 1 70 lbs.
1 x 1 80 lbs. (barly!)
1 x 1 70 lbs.
1 x 3 45 lbs.
1 x 5 35 lbs.
1 x 10 bodyweight.

I was a bit tired yesterday. This was really a struggle, I tried 80 lbs. for the hell of it and barly got my chin over the bar, I almost didn’t count it. I don’t think I am ready for it. I believe I need to give my back some extra rest this week. I gave it hell last week.