BostonCharlie wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 5:03 pm
Pull-up confession: I started out not being able to do
any chin-ups or pull-ups. I have a door frame bar, and I had to start from a standing position until I could finally do one chin-up from a hanging position. Now I do pull-ups, and I think my max is four at a time. I leave it in the doorway so I will do a few once in a while. At least, I used to. I haven't done anything for at least a month. Ergo the challenge.
Way to overcome the initial hurdle! For most people, especially just getting started and/or overweight, doing a single pull-up can well be impossible. And that can be very discouraging. And then people give up because they feel they can't make any progress.
But the important thing to keep in mind is that it's not as binary as it sounds. There are half-steps.
To anyone who can't do a single (or enough) pull-ups for it to feel worthwhile, I would suggest looking into
inverted pull-ups (AKA Australian pull-ups). This will require you to pull less weight, thereby allowing a "Goldilocks" amount of resistance. All you need is a broom handle placed atop 2 chairs to do it. Some other options might be an
exercise pull-up band (a big rubber band that takes off some of the weight), or to do pull-up negatives (jump up to the bar if you can't pull yourself up, then hang on and slowly let yourself down).
BostonCharlie wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 5:03 pm
When I started on my bar the worst part was my hands -- the bar padding sucks, and my hands would start to hurt from just gripping the bar. Now my hands don't hurt like they used to when I'm using the bar. All I can figure is that they got stronger, and somehow that helps. Or maybe they toughened up in some way. Is this a common experience? Judging by my workout book, padded grips are unusual, and the authors discourage using gloves. But I think if my hands started hurting so that it impacted my workout, I would go for the gloves. Maybe I wouldn't need them after awhile as my hands toughen up.
I think the hands do just naturally toughen up, but all the same, here are some suggestions: (1) Instead of gripping w/ thumb underneath, opposing and squeezing, rest the thumb lightly on top of the bar, next to your index finger; (2) try some chalk dust on an unpadded bar. I've never used padded grips, so can't comment on it.
Part of what's great about pull-ups is that it's a proportionate exercise: you do more not only as you get stronger, but also as you lose weight. It keeps you honest in that regard (whereas, say, with a lat pull down machine, you might actually be getting a stronger back, and justifiably feeling good about it, but you don't have a built-in mechanism to ensure against gaining bad weight).
Keep us posted!