Pull ups

armystrong2015

5-Year Member
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Mar 6, 2010
Messages
86
Hey all, I was just wondering if any of you have any advice for getting to a few pullups by the time Plebe Summer starts. For the CFA, I was only able to do the hang which was surprising to me because I can easily crank out 60 or 70 correct pushups. I'm not sure why it's so hard for me to do just one pullup. Maybe I'm not excersizing the right muscle, or maybe it's because I'm heavier than most other other girls I know. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :shake:
 
What I did was buy the iron gym pull up bar. It hangs right on the door. Every time I walk into my room I do 5 pull ups. If you can only start at one then do that. Every time you want to go into your room do one pull up. Eventually, it adds up and gets better. I started out with only 2 correct pull ups and now my personal best is 10 (I am a girl too, a heavier one at that because I am a thrower). Good luck, and I hope to see you at Annapolis next year :wink:
 
Thanks for the input. I also am a heavier girl (also a thrower :) ) who can't do pullups. My dad put a pull up bar out in my garage, but it's not as convinent. I guess I will need to start finding reasons to go to the garage.

PS - do you both have appointments?
 
One major diff between push-up and pull-ups is that pull-ups use a lot more of the back muscles vs the push-up. Also work on forearm strength. I have improved my pull-ups from 9 to about 12 now (one month of time). Some people may have more dramatic improvement rates than others. To get better at pull-ups, do pull-ups (not pull-downs on a weight machine, not just bicep curls, inverted rows, etc.). Other supporting strength exercises with weights are good, but pull-ups should be your main exercise.
 
The problem is I can't do one at the moment. How can I build up to 1? I think once I have 1 down I'll be able to get really better at them...
 
Thanks for the input. I also am a heavier girl (also a thrower :) ) who can't do pullups. My dad put a pull up bar out in my garage, but it's not as convinent. I guess I will need to start finding reasons to go to the garage.

PS - do you both have appointments?

I do not have an appointment, I am a junior. Pull-ups have definitely been a great addition to my throwers workouts. Pretty much essential for my javelin throwing. It is also great for just brute strength for shot put. You will see a big difference once you get the hang of it.
 
The problem is I can't do one at the moment. How can I build up to 1? I think once I have 1 down I'll be able to get really better at them...

You can work on negatives until you can do a few unassisted. Jump up and hold yourself over the bar and then slowly let yourself down. Controlling your descent is the key. After a while, you'll build up the necessary muscles to start being able to pull up. Assisted pull ups also can be helpful but I really haven't done all that much. Just the negatives and now up to doing regular pull ups (I'm also a girl who has trouble with pull ups, no sweat on pushups. go figure)
 
You can work on negatives until you can do a few unassisted. Jump up and hold yourself over the bar and then slowly let yourself down. Controlling your descent is the key. After a while, you'll build up the necessary muscles to start being able to pull up. Assisted pull ups also can be helpful but I really haven't done all that much. Just the negatives and now up to doing regular pull ups (I'm also a girl who has trouble with pull ups, no sweat on pushups. go figure)

Thanks! :wink: How long did it take you to build up to one pull up?
 
You can work on negatives until you can do a few unassisted. Jump up and hold yourself over the bar and then slowly let yourself down. Controlling your descent is the key. After a while, you'll build up the necessary muscles to start being able to pull up. Assisted pull ups also can be helpful but I really haven't done all that much. Just the negatives and now up to doing regular pull ups (I'm also a girl who has trouble with pull ups, no sweat on pushups. go figure)

Thanks! How long did it take you to build up to one pull up?
 
I was referring to both armystrong2015 and ectriso. I deff can sypathize with you armystrong2015 as I can't do a single pullup either. and yes I also have an appointment :)

Good luck ectriso on any applications next year.
 
One good way to do negative pull-ups is to use smith weight machines and adjust the bar at an appropriate height. You may get funny stares at your local gym.

Negative pull-ups should still come as your top priority though until you can do a real pull-up.

weight exercises that will train the pull-up muscles:

bicep curls
dumbbell overhead press (the stabilizing works your back more in my opinion vs a military press)
machine cable pull-downs
inverted rows
push-ups
 
Noting hb2011's comment about being a more heavyweight athlete and a woman, I was one of those in the last century (!) working on my upper body strength before going on active duty. Had the running thing down, but needed to build up other skills.

I worked on mastering the flexed arm hang first, which builds endurance and mental stamina, supplemented by weight training for upper body, arms, back and chest, then proceeded to pull-ups. Now past the mid-century mark, I can still do them - only because I never stopped doing them, along with push-ups and sit-ups. The answer is to roll out of the rack in the morning and invest 15 minutes in a routine designed to move you along the path toward routine mastery of these physical skills - EVERY DAY, or most days. As Nike says, "just do it," recognizing it's an incremental process and once you get there, you have to maintain. If you haven't been able to do a pull-up, it's not something you can get handled in cram sessions a few days before you head off.

Take a look at the flexed arm hang, which I think is what female Marines do instead of the pull-up. It's a good one to work on to build confidence and strength, male or female. Harder than you might think, if you have never done one. For women, hand strength is sometimes an issue for bar exercises, so get one of those spring grip exercisers and build up your grip. And, most gyms have those assisted pull-up machines where you can build up to your full body weight for the pull.

http://www.topendsports.com/testing/tests/flexed-arm-hang-pft.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_2159587_flexedarm-hang-marine-corps-pft.html

There are many reputable online fitness training sources which offer tips and techniques for improving pull-up skills. Just do it... and good luck!
 
Thanks! How long did it take you to build up to one pull up?

Not really sure. Much to my mother's chagrin, I've been using the frame on one of our walkthroughs (very sturdy, older house) that I do a set everytime I walk through that doorway with a set at night as well. I didn't just work on pullups as well, but curlups and the negatives to work and help to be able to get the pullups down. This added to pushups and normal core work as well
 
Pull Up program

This program works really well. http://webpages.charter.net/bert/reconron.html

You do those sets with pushups in between (5 for first two weeks, 10 for second two... etc) 30 sec break in between exercises.

This was what we used to do in my unit, and I improved from 12 pull ups to 28 on the PFT in a little over two months.

Good Luck.
 
Ask you parents if you can install a bar in the doorway to your room. And, as Casey did, do something every time you walk through that door frame.

A year ago - has it really been that long? :eek: - when my plebe was in your shoes, I would shout 10-10-2 (or some other combination of small numbers) and she would bang out 10 pushups, 10 crunches and then run down to her brother's room where the chin bar was hung and try for 2. We made a game of it; I'd do it at odd times - like during a commercial break while we were watching TV, or just before a friend was due to visit, or 20 seconds before the buzzer went off on the cookies she was baking. It was all in good fun and took only seconds.

But everyone's different and you need to figure out what works best for you.
 
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