Struggling [ Chin-ups]
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Does your gym have a gravitron machine? That will help, it basically uses plates as a counterweight so the motion is identical but you're only pulling a portion of your body weight up. The other thing I didn't see here (though I skimmed quick) that will help is negatives. Jump up and catch the bar as though at the "top" of the motion, and then lower yourself slowly, resisting gravity as it were. This will help.
Chin ups/pull ups are all about form and efficient use of energy. The stronger your core is the easier they will get too. While "kipping" (swinging your legs for momentum) can help you do more, if it's not done right it wastes a lot of energy that could by used to pull. Try just locking up your lower body and focus just on the arms.
The one thing that helped me get my number up was putting a bar in my house - in the doorway to the bathroom! Five to get in, and five to get out. Then I bought the condo I live in now and it's built to new code standards and the doorways are too wide for my chinup bar, my numbers are suffering!
Chin ups/pull ups are all about form and efficient use of energy. The stronger your core is the easier they will get too. While "kipping" (swinging your legs for momentum) can help you do more, if it's not done right it wastes a lot of energy that could by used to pull. Try just locking up your lower body and focus just on the arms.
The one thing that helped me get my number up was putting a bar in my house - in the doorway to the bathroom! Five to get in, and five to get out. Then I bought the condo I live in now and it's built to new code standards and the doorways are too wide for my chinup bar, my numbers are suffering!
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yeah they have the gravitron machine, I use it pretty religiously actually, I haven't been to the gym in 3 days though. It's too damn cold to take the baby out and I don't want him getting sick. So I've been working out at home (just installed a chinning bar myself)
what kind of bar do you have? and how wide are your doors? I noticed that walmart has some extendible chinning bars (held in by brackets). Something like that might fit.
what kind of bar do you have? and how wide are your doors? I noticed that walmart has some extendible chinning bars (held in by brackets). Something like that might fit.
I have a chin-up bar in the door to my livingroom so I put one leg up and rest it on the couch - this allows me to do five chin-ups - without it I can do a half a chin-up. The only thing is my dad installed the bar so each time I worry about it and me coming crashing down with one leg stuck on my couch! - what a sight that would be too see lol
I will keep doing them, but am glad they are not tested !!!
I will have to check out the rest of my gym (I usually work out in the ladies only section which has less stuff) to see if they have a chin-up machine that your talking about. That might help too.
I am still struggling with push-ups as well BUT I have been doing ones on the knee (from 3 to 16 now) and can finally do one real one - mind you its not pretty and probably won't pass, but its an obvious improvement which helps motivate me to keep working this way.
Lil_T - any luck with improving on the chin-ups?
MediPea - let us know how you improve and what works - any tips help for us strugglers lol
;D Cheers
I will keep doing them, but am glad they are not tested !!!
I will have to check out the rest of my gym (I usually work out in the ladies only section which has less stuff) to see if they have a chin-up machine that your talking about. That might help too.
I am still struggling with push-ups as well BUT I have been doing ones on the knee (from 3 to 16 now) and can finally do one real one - mind you its not pretty and probably won't pass, but its an obvious improvement which helps motivate me to keep working this way.
Lil_T - any luck with improving on the chin-ups?
MediPea - let us know how you improve and what works - any tips help for us strugglers lol
;D Cheers
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missmague said:
Something that really helped me with the pushups is along the same lines as working on the chin-ups. Start in the upwards position of a push-up and lower yourself very slowly. If you're not able to push yourself back up (while not on your knees) then drop your knees to push yourself back up (once you've reached the lowest position in your lowering) and then lift them back up so you are in the push-up position again. Then lower yourself slowly once again. Repeat as many times as you can. (I used to count to 5 slowly while lowering) It was VERY hard when I first started, but within a short period of time I found I could do a full push-up with proper form. Once you're able to do that proper form pushup just keep doing as many of them as you can. I found that as soon as I had one good one, the numbers added very quickly. There's no shame to dropping to your knees when you tire out, as it's better to get that full up-down motion in than to be in the upwards push-up position doing half assed pushups.
Hope that helps.
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I got my from Ukrainian Tire, but it's basically like that. Unless you're HUGE the brackets are totally unnecessary. I'm 5'10 and 200ish and I didn't bother with them and had no issue. It basically just extends out and gets held in place by friction on the rubber grommets on either end. I guess the brackets would help keep the doorframe intact. Walmart has ones that go across the door and sit on the top of the frame (I can't really describe how it works) that also double as pushup bars. I got one of those in the hopes it would work with my massive doors. I can't remember the width but they're about 8 inches wider than a "normal" door.
Lil_T said:
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Marshall said:I used a tree branch last fall.. :-[
Need to find a smaller and sturdier one though for this spring.. har har.
Not going to bother investing in any fitness equipment until I know what I am doing this year and where.
Sorry that made me snort. :rofl: I love my vivid imagination.
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Be VERY VERY careful with a home installed chin up bar.
I have seen too many people mess with those things only to have them come lose during a work out and they come crashing down onto their knees. Its a good way to delay your entry into the CF if that happens.
As for chinups overall... It is absolutely not a requirement on the express test.
Here is what you must do
shuttle run 4 min for a female your age
pushups (not sure how many)
situps (not sure how many)
hand grip
Thats pretty much it. Im sure someone here has the female requirements memorized and can post it for you.
When you get on your course though, typically you will be doing chin ups during PT training. You are not tested on this. You will have some that can do 20, and some like you that cant do any, and a bunch somewhere in between. In this regard the key is improvement. As long as you show gradual improvement your instructors are happy. Though even if you dont improve your chin ups, no harm will come to you.
I am a 220lbs male and I cannot do one chin up either and ive been in 15 years. Though I find it highly embarrassing and annoying to no end, it does not harm my carreer, just my pride.
If you are looking at any airborn activity, this is where chin ups come into play. This is because you do not just dangle from your harness on the way down to the ground, your holding yourself with your arms as well (bad explanation I know).
I have seen too many people mess with those things only to have them come lose during a work out and they come crashing down onto their knees. Its a good way to delay your entry into the CF if that happens.
As for chinups overall... It is absolutely not a requirement on the express test.
Here is what you must do
shuttle run 4 min for a female your age
pushups (not sure how many)
situps (not sure how many)
hand grip
Thats pretty much it. Im sure someone here has the female requirements memorized and can post it for you.
When you get on your course though, typically you will be doing chin ups during PT training. You are not tested on this. You will have some that can do 20, and some like you that cant do any, and a bunch somewhere in between. In this regard the key is improvement. As long as you show gradual improvement your instructors are happy. Though even if you dont improve your chin ups, no harm will come to you.
I am a 220lbs male and I cannot do one chin up either and ive been in 15 years. Though I find it highly embarrassing and annoying to no end, it does not harm my carreer, just my pride.
If you are looking at any airborn activity, this is where chin ups come into play. This is because you do not just dangle from your harness on the way down to the ground, your holding yourself with your arms as well (bad explanation I know).
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Yep, my 12 year old learned that the hard way. I always check it before using it.ltmaverick25 said:
thank GOD
filled in the blanks for you
again, thankfully. I am improving, but it's slow going, and we all had the flu this past week so no gym for me. Glad I had my home stuff so I could do a little anyway - when I felt up to it..
Glad I'm not trying to do any airborne stuff then. I understand what you mean though. I did manage to do a negative though - which impressed the heck out of myself, since I couldn't before.
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Its slow goings for me too. I can do 50 pushups now, but still not a single chin up. Though I am convinced it must be the bars' fault! ;D
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Lil_T said:
ummm... sure!
I think if a baby started to crawl on me and a dog started to lick me while I was trying to do pushups or anything for that matter, I would get scared and run like hell! ;D
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OK, finally something i know about! The one way to increase your count for almost anything be it push ups, sit ups, chin ups pretty much any up OR down, can be simply increased by doing a THREE set work out. How a 3 set work out will work is, starting off with a minimal amount say if you can do like 3 chin ups absolutely at most, do about ONE or TWO for your first set, and for SECOND set is when you absolutely give 'er, and third is do about one or two becuase that's about as many as one would be able to do (epic Lawls). and i've done this method for a couple years and I am 210-220 pound young man, and i seem to do pull my weight quite well.
rah-gads,
Dave
rah-gads,
Dave
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