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Lil_T said:
That is most inconvenient! I think i will have nightmares tonight..
Struggling [ Chin-ups]
- Thread starter Lil_T
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That is most inconvenient! I think i will have nightmares tonight..
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Lil_T said:
Warm milk is the yuck. But I think I will take your advise and go abuse some whiskey! Though that may lead to some very unorthodox and ill suited attempts at chin ups!
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Lil_T said:
Hey now, I have a hard enough time motivating myself to do chin ups as it is, without having to worry about an audience while making a fool of myself!
I sucked at chin ups, could do 2 or 3. Tried doing as many as I could each time I hit the chin up bar. Now I can do 15-20 at once.
When I wanted to join the CF I could do the 2.4 KM run just under 12 minutes, ran 5 kilometers a few times a week and am now doing the 2.4 KM in under 8 minutes.
I could do about 5, yes, 5 push ups. Now I can do 50 at once.
See a pattern? Keep trying, exercise a few times a week. Get your ipod on, get some good music playing and do as many pushups, situps, leglifts etc as you can at once. Next time you work out try and beat it. Don't settle for the minimum, army training is so much easier when you fit.
Good luck!
When I wanted to join the CF I could do the 2.4 KM run just under 12 minutes, ran 5 kilometers a few times a week and am now doing the 2.4 KM in under 8 minutes.
I could do about 5, yes, 5 push ups. Now I can do 50 at once.
See a pattern? Keep trying, exercise a few times a week. Get your ipod on, get some good music playing and do as many pushups, situps, leglifts etc as you can at once. Next time you work out try and beat it. Don't settle for the minimum, army training is so much easier when you fit.
Good luck!
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Chinups are a hard thing to really work on. There isn't really a particular exercise to help you with them except for doing chinups. If you have a partner working with you, bend your legs, and have the other person hold your feet, around the ankles. That will act as a pivot point making it a bit easier, but still using the same muscle groups. Or do as many as you can, then do "jumping" chin ups. Jump up to the bar and try to pull yourself up, even if you can't pull yourself up, the effort alone is training your body. And one other way is when you are at a full chinup, slowly let yourself back down (known as a negative chinup). They do have chinup machines in some gyms, but I haven't ever used one, so not sure how well they work.
hotei
Jr. Member
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Oddly enough, I have found a very unorthodox method of doing chin ups. When I was in high school, I decided I was going to get "in shape". I could jog (just barely), do a couple of push ups, and sit ups but chin ups were foreign territory. I didn't really have a half-decent chin up bar anywhere, so I improvised.
In the school washrooms, the metal crossbar over each of the stall doors was almost perfectly suited to my height with arms extended. I managed a couple at first, but by the end of that year, I could do a good, solid 12 (with what I believe to be called the suppinated grip -- palms facing inward). After about a year of really pushing, I was able to do one-handed chinsups as well (though my best for those has only ever been 5).
If you live in an older house (as I do) and you have the original door trim, I have found that using that (and gripping only with the tips of the fingers) can really improve profficiency with the chip up bar, as it seems to strengthen not only your regular chin up muscles, but your grip as well.
Just my 2c
;-)
In the school washrooms, the metal crossbar over each of the stall doors was almost perfectly suited to my height with arms extended. I managed a couple at first, but by the end of that year, I could do a good, solid 12 (with what I believe to be called the suppinated grip -- palms facing inward). After about a year of really pushing, I was able to do one-handed chinsups as well (though my best for those has only ever been 5).
If you live in an older house (as I do) and you have the original door trim, I have found that using that (and gripping only with the tips of the fingers) can really improve profficiency with the chip up bar, as it seems to strengthen not only your regular chin up muscles, but your grip as well.
Just my 2c
;-)
Jarnhamar
Army.ca Myth
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Lat pull down machine.
As embarassing as it is, when I started working out (in a serious way) last august I could do about 2 chin ups. 2 and a half on a good day kicking my feet.
I started using the lat pull down machine with both my palms facing towards me and away. 2 months later when I tried my chin-ups again I expected to do 5 - I got off 16.
Lat pull down machine
As embarassing as it is, when I started working out (in a serious way) last august I could do about 2 chin ups. 2 and a half on a good day kicking my feet.
I started using the lat pull down machine with both my palms facing towards me and away. 2 months later when I tried my chin-ups again I expected to do 5 - I got off 16.
Lat pull down machine
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Again, think scientifically about what you're doing when it comes to improving your exercise performance, and in this case, the chin-up. While all of the suggestions above are bang on, think about the proper application of said exercises. Most people I see in the gym doing chin-ups or lat pulldowns hold their hand pronated (ie thumbs in, palms out) with a wide grip (and worst case, bar behind the neck). This is in the false hope that one's back will become "wider" compared to doing these exercises with a narrow grip. Is this logic sound? No. People forget range of motion and proper biomechanics (or the function of the muscles). Doing pulldowns and/or chin-ups with the hands supinated (palms in) and narrow grip (shoulder width) does a few things - but first, let's look at the primary functions of the biceps and the lat muscles - the biceps not only bends the arm, a lot of people forget that they also help rotate the forearm. Simple test - flex the biceps, put your hand on the muscle and rotate your hand. The biceps are fully flexed when the palm is supinated. Thus, by chinning with the palm in, you're maximizing the use of your biceps (some argue that the chin-up is one of the best bicep exercises). The function of the latissimus dorsi is to bring the upper arm to the centre of the body. By doing wide lat pull-downs, the upper arms are not fully in the upright position, thus limiting the range of motion of the lats.
Finally, when chinning or doing lat pulldowns, avoid the behind the neck method, as this puts a significant amount of stress on the shoulder girdle and may cause impingement.
Keep the positive and negative portions of the reps slow (2-3 seconds up, 2-3 seconds down) to eliminate momentum (makes the exercise harder - but is it supposed to be easy for the body to have to respond??) and reduce any chances of injuries. When chinning, begin the movement with a downward shrug by pulling down with the lats before smoothly transitioning to the arms moving down.
Stay focused, keep a record of your progress, rest, eat well and remember, you only grow stronger outside of the gym.
Finally, when chinning or doing lat pulldowns, avoid the behind the neck method, as this puts a significant amount of stress on the shoulder girdle and may cause impingement.
Keep the positive and negative portions of the reps slow (2-3 seconds up, 2-3 seconds down) to eliminate momentum (makes the exercise harder - but is it supposed to be easy for the body to have to respond??) and reduce any chances of injuries. When chinning, begin the movement with a downward shrug by pulling down with the lats before smoothly transitioning to the arms moving down.
Stay focused, keep a record of your progress, rest, eat well and remember, you only grow stronger outside of the gym.
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Dinosaur
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I suggest trying a workout or two per week at a climbing gym (or on real rock). You don't even need to rope up, just 'boulder' around a couple of feet off of the ground. It's hard going at first, but much more fun than dangling helplessly from an unforgiving overhead bar.
The added plus is that this will also help you build overall core and leg strength, as well as increase your caffeine levels (if the gym also has an espresso bar onsite).
The added plus is that this will also help you build overall core and leg strength, as well as increase your caffeine levels (if the gym also has an espresso bar onsite).
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Lil_T said:I'm getting closer to one. I did a half chin up.Push ups are greatly improving too.
haha good job, it's an improvement right...keep at it and you'll get one, soon enough lol. Have you been trying those Lat pull downs? they work pretty good to improve chin-ups.
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lol well good for you, I'm sure you'll be busting out 5 in no time.
