I just celebrated 1 year of training 2 weeks ago. Cut my BF in half, lost about 20lbs of fat, gained maybe 8 lbs of muscle. I couldn’t do a single pull-up last April…now I can do 5 x 5, and I’m working on my 4 x 8 days, too (I’m using a version of Alwyn’s periodization with an Olympic day thrown in for dessert). Think my PR is around 10 right now.
I’m so glad there are so many iron-loving women around here - it gets sorta lonely here in DE!
ANYWAY - I wanted to share a pull-up training tip:
Push a bench over to the bar, just behind where your feet would hang.
Step up and start from the TOP of the pull-up, and just execute the negative (downward) part of the movement S-L-O-W-L-Y.
Repeat as desired.
Eventually you’ll be able to reverse-engineer the movement and head the other direction. The key is to force yourself to lower as slowly as possible. I’m wracking my brain to give credit where it’s due, but can’t for the life of me remember where I read this. Worked really well for me - I learned to engage my lats a lot more.
Yay, I can do a pull-up now too. They are SO ugly, and I can only do one at a time, but you have to start somewhere. My progress has definitely been going much faster since I got the first chin-up.
Now I have to work at improving my form and doing more than one at a go.
I also make use of negatives. Another one is “finishers”. Jump up to the top of the pull-up and then release slowly (like a negative), but then go back up to the top. Work on being able to pull yourself back up from a spot that is further down each time.
I started with the assisted chin-up/pull-up machine, but had very slow progress until I added a 1-rep max set into my workout, in addition to the set with more reps.
6 weeks ago I couldn’t do a pull up…nevermind that I am 170lbs. I was stalled on the assisted pull up machine with a counterweight of 30 lbs and nothing was working!
I tried the program outlined in the article on MWA (Ladies, you can conquer the pull up!) but it was a little too much for me, I could only do 8 negatives and after 2 days my back and biceps were all ripped up…so I adapted.
Every training session I did about 5 sets of 5 negatives in between my other exercises…so I would squat, pump out 5 negatives, squat, 5 negatives etc etc…
On Sunday (and today!) I was able to crank out 3 sets of 2 complete pull ups each! To follow that up I did 4 sets of facepulls with 15 reps each. Needless to say I am stoked!
Hi there, If your still strugling with Pullups maybe this will help.
I read it a while back of a Charles Poliquin article I belive and its helped alot of my clients (yes female to)
get out their first few pullups.
Step 1
Train Eccentrically (just the lowering phase)
aim for 4 reps, each lasting 30 seconds.
once you can do this with minimal rest
proceed to step 2.
Step 2
Punch out as many pullups as possible with both legs
supported by a spotter (not in the gravitron as he belives
its a poor alternative, taking away alot of assitance
muscles)
This is done by doing a normal pullup but having someone
hold both legs, and using your legs to assist you.
Aim for 10-12 then progress
Step 3: Same as Step 2 but this time just use 1 leg on the spotter, Still aiming for max reps, starting to
use less assistance from your leg. Aim for 10-12 again then progress.
Step 4: Alright after a few weeks or months, however long its taken walk your ass up to that chinup bar 1 more time
and aim to punch out some real ones. (obviously go for as many as you want)
Hope that helps, as I said Iv gotten girls that couldnt do 1, even with their legs (yes, quite sad) to doing sets of 12.
I’m thinking of reviving this thread, and letting the one in the FA site die…I dunno…I don’t know why they shuffled all the threads over there anyway, permission or not…
I would be honored to post my progress over here!
I don’t have anything against the FA site, I like all the girls over there…they are always quick to respond when your having a bad day, etc… the majority are training for figure comps. and are in there own figure training world… I feel out of place…
I suppose the only way I’m going to get any sort of feedback here about training is to start actually posting what I’m doing, huh?
I don’t have any formal training experience. I workout on my own, and most things I know are from reading books and researching online…
Right now I’m working toward progression in strength AND fat loss…I’ve come to find out that doing both at the same time is HARD! I have progressed in strength, but the fat loss is taking it’s sweet time…
I had an online trainer, but that didn’t go so well…It feels like Im starting all over!
Incline DB flies-5x5x35s
One arm DB row- 5x5x45s with this exercise I can clearly tell that my left side is weaker…I feel like I could go up to 50lbs with my right side
Bench Dips-3x10xbodyweight
Back Hyperextension-3x10xbodyweight
I haven’t been logging my foods for awhile since I eat the same stuff all the time…
But I started again today…WOW! It was supposed to be a higher carb day, but I came up about 30grams short…
Best start planning my meals again!
Man, I put a hurtin’ on my hammies the other day.My legs are still sore!
I think it was the barbell reverse lunges that did em’ in…
I am digging this Westside program…basically everything I need, nothing more nothing less!
Today’s workout:
3 sets max reps to failure(just the first exercise)…
Pushups- 3x10x
10,10,11 I think this is pretty good considering three months ago I could barely do 1 pushup!
Tricep Rope polldowns
4x8x30,35,35,35lbs
Lat pulldowns
4x8x-
70,75,75,70lbs
Standing OH shoulder presses
3x10x-25s,30s,25s
Alternating db curl
3x10x-15s,20s,25s
*20min walking @3.5
Took me a couple trys to find the right weight…I’ve been doing 5x5 stuff for awhile, and with the higher reps it’s just different…but I’m getting stronger!
Hi!
Just back from a family trip…ready to get back to where I left off, lol…I can see how easily it is to fall back into bad habits of not exercising/eating properly, even if you’ve only been away for a little while…
Im so glad to have the support of my family and this site of course for motivation and endless amount of info at your fingertips!
I still have an appt next week to speak to my doctor about my lack of weight loss…
Its so frustrating to me…I love lifting for strength now, not just because ‘they,’ say weightlifting is good for you…I take a lot of pride in it…However, I don’t want to be overweight and strong with muscles!! I really think its the diet, maybe I just haven’t found those ‘magic,’ numbers for ME, yet…
Thought it would be worth mentioning that I do interval training 2x a week after training, 1 fast paced cardio session after, and 2-3days of steady state(45-60min walking)(cardio only days)
I would like to start posting my diet to see if I am overlooking anything or what I could do to make it better!
Believe me when I say I am not here to waste mine or anyone elses time, and I certainly would not throw anyone’s advice back in there face…
Not too bad considering the last time I benched was over two weeks ago! The 110 did feel a little weak though, and I had to grunt pretty loudly on the last rep of the last set to get it up, lol…
Incline db bench-3x10x30s
bb bent over row-4x10x75lbs
Bent over db flyes-3x12x7.5s
Ill post diet later…I plan on logging my foods again using fitday
