Hey just a quick question. A friend of mine is in the police academy and needs to do one pull up in order to graduate. Just has asked me to help her. Any ideas on what to focus on and maybe whta muscles to work??? I was going to try some straight-arm hangs and “fat man” pull ups to start. Later incorporate some pulldowns,push ups and squats.
Any additional info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
JOHN
That sounds good.
Even though this isn’t the SMA forum, feel free to post pics of your friend.
Here’s a link that may help.
Read the back articles by Charles Poliquin on the site. Do a search by author and read up.
THanks all for the responses. I will give the negative pull up a try with other training tactics.
One pullup? Just one pullup?
Since pullups are a vertical pull exercise, focus more on improving lat pulldown numbers rather than fatman pullups, which is a horizontal pull. It could also help if weight is lost.
I sure hope if a loved one of mine is in trouble and needs police assistance a 85lb female officer who is unable to do a pull up arrives at the scene. United States law enforcement: The best and brightest!
If you’re training with her, you can have her bend her knees so her lower legs are parallel to the floor and have her cross her feet at the ankles. If you grab her feet she can push off of you or you can just lift her to a full rep.
[quote]HoratioSandoval wrote:
If you’re training with her, you can have her bend her knees so her lower legs are parallel to the floor and have her cross her feet at the ankles. If you grab her feet she can push off of you or you can just lift her to a full rep.[/quote]
… and then she’ll face plant when her grip gives! Don’t use this outdated assist.
How much time do you have? Negatives work, but you need to have her do some form of a pull up - from full arm extension to chin over the bar. Parallel grip is strongest, then chins (palms facing), then pull ups (palms away). Progress through them.
Stretch bands work the best; rope climbing is great; pull ups on a low bar that put her leg weight on the ground are good; jumping pull ups off a box work as well. Lots of one rep sets, even if they are negatives work as well. Gravitron machines are good for assistance, although the stand on versions are tons better than the knell on ones.
Pulldowns are not similar enough to pull ups to allow for a transition when you gain strength!
Pull up everyday - she will improve.
Hope this helps.
[quote]ontothenext wrote:
HoratioSandoval wrote:
[/quote]
If your grip gives out during 1 or 2 reps, I wouldn’t risk getting tangled up in a stretch band. Or climb a rope.
I had my kid do reverse pull-ups in sets of 5 and within 2 weeks he was able to do 2 pull-ups prior to that exercise he could not even pull himself half way up, i think its a great exercise.
I’d recommend negative only chins performed through out the day whenever she has a chance, i.e. 5 or so say twice a day if she has access to a chin bar. After that progress to perhaps one rep of positive chins and several reps of neg chins. After that, perform a few reps of pos chins several times per day. In no time I’d expect her to be able to perform at least 5 chins at her bwt. Good luck.
Jump Stretch Bands are really helpful for training someone who can’t do even one pullup. Tie them around the bar, have her put her feet in there then do a normal routine like 5x5.
Thanks for all the replies. I will try all of the suggestions. ONTOTHENEXT your advice is great. I will definitely try negative pull ups and the pull ups with feet on the groung I will try in stead of the Fat Man pull ups. Thanks again I will keep you guy posted on her progress. I have about 4 weeks to accomplish her goal of 1 pull up.
Well go to go and train I am doing the Waterbury ABBH program.
Intelligent: Negative pullups from a box. Climb up on the box, grab the bar, lower yourself to the ground, repeat. They are even good when you CAN do pullups.
Sarcastic: Why the hell can’t she do one pullup? Every size double-zero stripper and female model I ever dated can do 100 pullups and pushups easy. How the hell did she get this far? How does she even fire her pistol?!?! I’m with dean12345 on this one, when I’m pinned under the wreckage of a flaming car, I don’t want an 80 pound lipstick librarian to be the first responder.
-Sab
I’m going to echo everyone saying “negatives,” but I’ll back it up with some anecdotal evidence: I was working with a girl not too long ago who couldn’t do a single pullup, and had her doing 3 sets of 5 assisted pullups twice a week, and 5 negatives whenever she got the chance. She was doing two sets of 4 bodyweight pullups within a month.
stick it in the pooper? 
Even better, set up a smith machine so the bar is at a medium-low height.
Wrap two towels round it and have her grab the ends in two hands. feet out straight. Pull up like that.
Then, for inspiration, lay under her when she does them, and stick it in the pooper. She’ll be so shocked she’ll pull her bitch ass all the way up within seconds.
=P
Sarps
[quote]HoratioSandoval wrote:
ontothenext wrote:
HoratioSandoval wrote:
If your grip gives out during 1 or 2 reps, I wouldn’t risk getting tangled up in a stretch band. Or climb a rope.
[/quote]
Not trying to step on or argue with you. Your advice was once THE method to assist with pull ups - no doubt. But when your training partner has his hands around your ankles while your pulling you run the risk of face-plant. I’ve seen it at least a few times. There’s not enough time to adjust in some cases. On the other hand, if your partner is free to watch you, how you can get tangled up in the bands is a good one - you’re not familiar with them if you think so. Climbing a rope? Of course there is a chance of falling. Who climbs without throw mats? Or a partner?
Sorry you got a hit to your ego, but it’s not an excuse to defend an outdated and unsafe training method.
I second negative pullups off of a box, or whatever way you can get up there. On the other hand… one pull-up? Talk about mediocre standards.