Hello… I can’t do pull-ups. I’ve been trying for weeks and my max is around 2. I am 6" 240lbs.
I tried the assisted pull-up machine last night. It felt a little awkward but at least i was able to do more then 3!
What to do???
Why do you want other people to make your decisions for you?
For what it’s worth, if you want to stick to pull-ups, try fattyfat’s approach (t-cell thread “bodybuilding my way” just for pull-ups. Should get your max pull-up number per set up fairly fast.
i just want to know what other people’s opinions are. (hence this being a forum)
cool… i’ll check out that thread. thanks
[quote]Bingbeast wrote:
Hello… I can’t do pull-ups. I’ve been trying for weeks and my max is around 2. I am 6" 240lbs.
I tried the assisted pull-up machine last night. It felt a little awkward but at least i was able to do more then 3!
What to do???[/quote]
My pushup count sucked when I first started. I just did my max. Then took a very short rest(like 5 seconds), shook out my arms, and tried to squeeze out another few more. I repeated that a few times per set, basically going to failure more than once in a short time period on each set. This helped me go from barely being able to do 10 reps with good form, up to 45 just a few months later.
You may have to adjust this for the pullups, as 5 seconds may not be enough to let you squeeze out another one if you can only do 2 to begin with. But maybe 10 or 15 seconds would work. I would shoot for 3 or 4 sets of this, once per week for 6 weeks. Then re-evaluate. I bet within 6 weeks you’ll be up to several reps at least. (Assuming you get good nutrition and rest along the way)
Good luck.
[quote]Bingbeast wrote:
i just want to know what other people’s opinions are. (hence this being a forum)
cool… i’ll check out that thread. thanks[/quote]
Then you should have asked “what would you recommend/what would you do?” instead of “what to do?” 
I get it, though.
Personally, I would ask myself these questions (and you have to answer them for yourself, mostly):
Pullups are a backwidth (lat width primarily) exercise in bodybuilding.
So which exercise works better for that in your case? If I felt my biceps taking over a lot on pull-ups,
I’d adjust my technique and ditch them if that didn’t work.
Also, which exercise can you progress faster/more easily on?
And finally: injury potential?
1 - does it get the job done?
2 - can you progress ok on it?
3 - injury potential… Does it bother my tendons/joints, don’t bounce out of the hang position with overstretched bis etc…
(4 - what part of the ROM is actually useful for the job the exercise is supposed to do, and is there anything special about the technique used? I.e., what should my scapulae be doing during the exercise, shoulder position, etcetc)
[quote]Bingbeast wrote:
cool… i’ll check out that thread. thanks[/quote]
And read it all the way through.
I’m talking about his approach to cluster training, the 25 rep version, not the 50… Though I guess you could just start with 10 per day and work your way up from there if necessary.
I am doing forced negatives in my training for a one arm chin; I don’t see why they would not work well for two arms until you can get your reps up.
Get an Iron Woody band and wrap it around the top of a power rack. Put your knee in the loop and use it for assistance. The band is superior to the assist machine for two huge reasons. (1) The resistance of a band will help you the most when your at your weakest (bottom) and less as you become stronger throughout the movement. (2) the cost is a small fraction of that of a machine. Start with a heavy band and move down in thickness as you progress until your doing pull ups unassisted for reps. $30 or $40 and your problem is solved.
[quote]dnlcdstn wrote:
Get an Iron Woody band and wrap it around the top of a power rack. Put your knee in the loop and use it for assistance. The band is superior to the assist machine for two huge reasons. (1) The resistance of a band will help you the most when your at your weakest (bottom) and less as you become stronger throughout the movement. (2) the cost is a small fraction of that of a machine. Start with a heavy band and move down in thickness as you progress until your doing pull ups unassisted for reps. $30 or $40 and your problem is solved. [/quote]
Where did he say he was weakest at the bottom-I personally have never met anyone who is weakest at the bottom of a pull up…not that it not likely just IME…
Something wrong with the lat pull-down machine, or you don’t have one?