Morning,
This is major news for me!
You see, back in early 2007, I made a promise to myself that by the end of summer, I’d be able to do one (only one!) pullup by myself.
At the gym, we have this super cool assisted pullup machine – when I started, I worked against a 90 pound offset (‘course, I was 170+ in weight).
I’m now 133, and am able to do an assisted pullup against 20 pounds! This means that instead of lifting 80 pounds, I can now lift 110 or so via my beloved biceps, triceps, deltoids, etc.
I really enjoy trying pullups. They’re quite a super exercise for strength training!
Need a good site? Consider Mistress Krista! She writes:
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Pullups are a cool exercise. They look tuff, they feel butch, they’re low-tech, and they are one of the best exercises for all-round upper body strength. Not only are your back, biceps, forearms, and shoulders involved, but you may also feel them in your abs. (Gawd, my abs were sore for a week after my first attempt at pullups… felt like I’d pulled my ribcage out through my nostrils)
Pullups are also darn hard for the average woman to do. Most untrained females who are older than 10 and heavier than 50 lbs can’t do them. The good news, though, is that most trained women CAN do them. It just takes practice, patience, and time. So, if you’ve always wanted to do a pullup, or you have to do a few to pass a military or police fitness test, this article is for you!
The first thing to mention is the role of strength relative to mass. The heavier you are, the more weight you’re going to be pulling up. If you need to do pullups for something like a job-related fitness test and you have excess body fat to lose, then consider dumping some of that body fat overboard (of course, using a sensible nutrition plan of moderate caloric restriction and perhaps some interval training, as recommended elsewhere on this site). The lighter you are, the better your chances. That being said, the heaviest woman I’ve ever seen do a pullup was nearly 200 lbs., so it can be done even if you’re bigger. It’s just that this is one of those areas of physical unfairness where it’s better to be smaller….MORE….
And here’s another inspiring article:
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On January 1, 2001 – I set a goal to be able to do five chin-ups and three pull-ups by December 31, 2001.
A chin-up is when you pull yourself up with your palms facing you (using a lot of biceps) and a pull-up is when your palms face away from you (using a lot of back muscles). Most people find the chin-up to be the easier of the two.
Looking back to when I first set my goal I remember that my course of action was to gather as much information as I could, make a plan, commit to it, and then make the necessary adjustments along the way.
I gathered information by speaking with several different people including, exercise physiologists, personal trainers, fitness trainers, and athletes. Some thought that a girl wouldn’t be able to do a pull-up, others thought that a girl shouldn’t worry about doing a pull-up; others simply knew a girl could do a pull-up and gave suggestions on how to go about it.
One trainer told me not to worry about doing chin-ups or pull-ups from a dead hang. He thought it was too hard for a girl to do because of her physiology. Does that also mean….MORE….
Now, true, it has passed the summer…and I still cannot do one pullup by myself. Oh well! I can honestly say I did do my best….and there’s always next year as well. Every day is one step closer.
Enjoy,
Barbara
ps – want a pullup bar?