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I used eccentric muscle contractions to gain enough strength to do pull-ups when I was too weak to do even one. I stood on a chair to get into the top position,

by mrob 4y ago

I used eccentric muscle contractions to gain enough strength to do pull-ups when I was too weak to do even one. I stood on a chair to get into the top position, then lowered myself as slowly as I could. The exercise was effective, and after a few weeks I could do full pull-ups without the chair.

malshe 4y ago
Thanks for this tip! I am trying to build upper body strength and pull-ups kill me
- BFLpL0QNek 4y ago
  Bands help. You get the most assistance at the bottom and the assistance decreases as you pull up to your strongest position.
  - malshe 4y ago
    Thanks
- nordsieck 4y ago
  > I am trying to build upper body strength and pull-ups kill me IMO, the best thing is if you have access to an assisted pull up machine or lat pull down. Bands can work alright (and they're cheap!), but assisted pull ups and/or lat pull down allow you finely tune your progressive overload. The general problem with bands (and spring type resistance in general) is that the non-linear resistance makes it more difficult to judge your progress.
  - wnolens 4y ago
    I'd have to disagree. To me a negative is worth more than an assisted rep because you get to practice the real range of motion and activate all muscles (incl. stabilizers). Assisted forms ultimately "assist" you at some fixed point which alters the path you would take if hanging, often removing your core entirely. Also, I'd take the non-linear resistance of bands over the absence of core activation from a pull-up machine or the very different lat pulldown motion.
    - claytongulick 4y ago
      I'm a big calisthenics nerd, and I agree with this. For reference, I'm a rounding error away from 50 and I still do advanced bar work - muscle ups, archer pullups, pull overs, etc... I think it's important to always work with your bodyweight. 80% of strength is neuronal coordination, you'll get strong with the way you train. Use your bodyweight in closed kinetic chain [1] exercises and avoid the machines unless you're injured or have a specific reason. There are progressions for every level. I recommend "Be your own gym" and "Overcoming Gravity" for great references on bodyweight training. (Also: don't do muscle ups. The only people who like that are sports medicine docs.) [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_kinetic_chain_exercises#:~:text=Closed%20kinetic%20chain%20exercises%20or,the%20base%20of%20a%20machine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_kinetic_chain_exercis....
- Juicyy 4y ago
  Upper body strength is a lot more than pull ups. To me, pull ups are a back exercise (lats), upperbody is a lot more than that. Chest, delts, traps, tris, bis, forearms. Very different workouts when your prioritize a muscle group. This was my goto for years. https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/ https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/?
- tuatoru 4y ago
  > pull-ups kill me To build volume with pullups, complete your sets with negative pullups as gp describes (nb: at least three seconds down from chin over bar to full hang) when you fail the full pull-up (at least two seconds up, from full hang to chin over bar) any more.[1] >> I am trying to build upper body strength 1. Keep a diary recording every session. 2. Stay away from the bench press. Focus on your back chain, arms, and grip: deadlifts, pullups (weighted, when you can do a set of 20 body weight), and overhead presses. Add squats and weighted press-ups if you insist. (Make sure you get taught both proper form and proper warm-up sequencing and always use them!) Observe that these are all exercises that most people hate doing. For good reasons: they are hard work, and nearly all the gain is in your back, which you can't see in the mirror. 1. I used to see a lot of people doing what they claimed were pullups, with only a ten inch range of motion. Not helpful in real life. Start from a full hang: shoulders under hands, arms straight.
  - brailsafe 4y ago
    That's a lot to recommend based on less than a sentence. Sure some of this might be worthwhile to try, but if you just want to work on your upper body strength, you can do a lot less than this. Way more important to just do something with your muscles and experiment a few times a week, a long with increasing the amount of weight over time. Just because someone is trying to gain strength, doesn't mean they don't know how. I've been going to the gym for years, love pullups, vary in strength over time, and have never and will never likely take notes. But for some, that could be your type A thing to do.
  - dasil003 4y ago
    I wouldn’t focus exclusively on back in isolation. Ideally you want a push/pull combo to keep musculature balanced. Also, “make sure you get taught proper form” is doing a lot of work here. It can be hard to find someone who really knows their stuff and pays close enough attention to correct subtle mistakes.
- joshschreuder 4y ago
  There's a lot more to upper body strength than just doing pull ups. You can absolutely work up to it in many ways (including negatives as mentioned). Recommend giving this video a look, and the channel in general. Lots of good vibes and solid advice for working up through a progression without the muscle bro wankery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO3dKSQayfg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO3dKSQayfg
gensym 4y ago
I had a similar experience in learning to do my first pull-up at age 40. It felt great! Though in addition to the lowering, I also did horizontal rows using my kitchen table to work in the concentric direction.
naet 4y ago
Doing "negative" pullups also helped me build up from zero to a max of about ten regular pullups in one set. Unfortunately I took a long break from strength training and can now barely do 1-2. Was just thinking of going back to negatives to start rebuilding my strength.
- Hnrobert42 4y ago
  I am going to guess you are younger. Even if not, don’t worry about falling off the wagon. I’ve learned will happen again and again. The key is to get good at climbing back on, e.g., not letting shame get in the way, not jumping straight back to your previous weights, etc. That’s great that you got to 10 pull-ups. Looking forward to hearing about when you get there again!
  - danw1979 4y ago
    Now here’s a coach.
- brailsafe 4y ago
  I'm in the process of doing that right now. It goes away surprisingly quickly. I'm finding that rebuilding grip strength is crucial
  - xedrac 4y ago
    It also comes back surprisingly quickly, unless it's been decades.
    - brailsafe 4y ago
      True. Just takes a bit of practice. With grip strength specifically, it's easy to just finish a day with a long hang
  - tonightstoast 4y ago
    Are you gripping your thumb around the bar? I got to ~18 max set a few years back and found it much easier to go thumb in line with all your other fingers. Another tip is to train wide grip lat pull downs at a gym then do your pull ups with wide grip since it uses more back and less bicep (bigger vs smaller muscle). Last tip is don’t forget to breath :)
stavros 4y ago
The best thing I did for my pullups was lose weight. It's amazing what a difference losing 20 lbs will do for your ability to do pullups.
- temprose 4y ago
  For me it's the reverse, I gained weight and noticed how much harder it is. Used to be able to do like 5-6 unassisted pullups and now that I've been bulking and gained like 20 lbs, it's a bit harder. Too be honest, most of my weight gain is probably creatine lol.
  - stavros 4y ago
    To be honest, that's what actually happened to me too, though with me it's fat.
    - brailsafe 4y ago
      Stavvybaby is that you?
      - stavros 4y ago
        It is not.
  - daniel-cussen 4y ago
    [dead]
fnordpiglet 4y ago
I assume this works for push-ups too? Lower yourself then reset and lower again? That’s amazing. I guess it makes sense. If the research in the article holds true this makes strength building much simpler and a lot less grueling.
- j33zusjuice 4y ago
  Have you never done long eccentric phases? It’s the worst. Barring injuries, there’s no worse day after than the day after long eccentrics. DOMS for days!
  - fnordpiglet 4y ago
    Yeah I used to do a routine that was composed of very slow movement, so super slow push-ups. It was grueling.
- vagrantJin 4y ago
  Planks are the ultimate simple thing. Everyone can do it, at any age, at any level of fitness. Plank. Just two minutes.
wodenokoto 4y ago
The article suggest you should have kept doing eccentric pull-ups. I’m going to re-add eccentric focused movements back into my pull-up routine.

by mrob 4y ago

malshe 4y ago

Thanks for this tip! I am trying to build upper body strength and pull-ups kill me

BFLpL0QNek 4y ago
Bands help. You get the most assistance at the bottom and the assistance decreases as you pull up to your strongest position.
- malshe 4y ago
  Thanks
nordsieck 4y ago
> I am trying to build upper body strength and pull-ups kill me IMO, the best thing is if you have access to an assisted pull up machine or lat pull down. Bands can work alright (and they're cheap!), but assisted pull ups and/or lat pull down allow you finely tune your progressive overload. The general problem with bands (and spring type resistance in general) is that the non-linear resistance makes it more difficult to judge your progress.
- wnolens 4y ago
  I'd have to disagree. To me a negative is worth more than an assisted rep because you get to practice the real range of motion and activate all muscles (incl. stabilizers). Assisted forms ultimately "assist" you at some fixed point which alters the path you would take if hanging, often removing your core entirely. Also, I'd take the non-linear resistance of bands over the absence of core activation from a pull-up machine or the very different lat pulldown motion.
  - claytongulick 4y ago
    I'm a big calisthenics nerd, and I agree with this. For reference, I'm a rounding error away from 50 and I still do advanced bar work - muscle ups, archer pullups, pull overs, etc... I think it's important to always work with your bodyweight. 80% of strength is neuronal coordination, you'll get strong with the way you train. Use your bodyweight in closed kinetic chain [1] exercises and avoid the machines unless you're injured or have a specific reason. There are progressions for every level. I recommend "Be your own gym" and "Overcoming Gravity" for great references on bodyweight training. (Also: don't do muscle ups. The only people who like that are sports medicine docs.) [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_kinetic_chain_exercises#:~:text=Closed%20kinetic%20chain%20exercises%20or,the%20base%20of%20a%20machine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_kinetic_chain_exercis....
Juicyy 4y ago
Upper body strength is a lot more than pull ups. To me, pull ups are a back exercise (lats), upperbody is a lot more than that. Chest, delts, traps, tris, bis, forearms. Very different workouts when your prioritize a muscle group. This was my goto for years. https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/ https://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/finder/?
tuatoru 4y ago
> pull-ups kill me To build volume with pullups, complete your sets with negative pullups as gp describes (nb: at least three seconds down from chin over bar to full hang) when you fail the full pull-up (at least two seconds up, from full hang to chin over bar) any more.[1] >> I am trying to build upper body strength 1. Keep a diary recording every session. 2. Stay away from the bench press. Focus on your back chain, arms, and grip: deadlifts, pullups (weighted, when you can do a set of 20 body weight), and overhead presses. Add squats and weighted press-ups if you insist. (Make sure you get taught both proper form and proper warm-up sequencing and always use them!) Observe that these are all exercises that most people hate doing. For good reasons: they are hard work, and nearly all the gain is in your back, which you can't see in the mirror. 1. I used to see a lot of people doing what they claimed were pullups, with only a ten inch range of motion. Not helpful in real life. Start from a full hang: shoulders under hands, arms straight.
- brailsafe 4y ago
  That's a lot to recommend based on less than a sentence. Sure some of this might be worthwhile to try, but if you just want to work on your upper body strength, you can do a lot less than this. Way more important to just do something with your muscles and experiment a few times a week, a long with increasing the amount of weight over time. Just because someone is trying to gain strength, doesn't mean they don't know how. I've been going to the gym for years, love pullups, vary in strength over time, and have never and will never likely take notes. But for some, that could be your type A thing to do.
- dasil003 4y ago
  I wouldn’t focus exclusively on back in isolation. Ideally you want a push/pull combo to keep musculature balanced. Also, “make sure you get taught proper form” is doing a lot of work here. It can be hard to find someone who really knows their stuff and pays close enough attention to correct subtle mistakes.
joshschreuder 4y ago
There's a lot more to upper body strength than just doing pull ups. You can absolutely work up to it in many ways (including negatives as mentioned). Recommend giving this video a look, and the channel in general. Lots of good vibes and solid advice for working up through a progression without the muscle bro wankery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO3dKSQayfg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO3dKSQayfg

gensym 4y ago

I had a similar experience in learning to do my first pull-up at age 40. It felt great! Though in addition to the lowering, I also did horizontal rows using my kitchen table to work in the concentric direction.

naet 4y ago

Doing "negative" pullups also helped me build up from zero to a max of about ten regular pullups in one set. Unfortunately I took a long break from strength training and can now barely do 1-2. Was just thinking of going back to negatives to start rebuilding my strength.

Hnrobert42 4y ago
I am going to guess you are younger. Even if not, don’t worry about falling off the wagon. I’ve learned will happen again and again. The key is to get good at climbing back on, e.g., not letting shame get in the way, not jumping straight back to your previous weights, etc. That’s great that you got to 10 pull-ups. Looking forward to hearing about when you get there again!
- danw1979 4y ago
  Now here’s a coach.
brailsafe 4y ago
I'm in the process of doing that right now. It goes away surprisingly quickly. I'm finding that rebuilding grip strength is crucial
- xedrac 4y ago
  It also comes back surprisingly quickly, unless it's been decades.
  - brailsafe 4y ago
    True. Just takes a bit of practice. With grip strength specifically, it's easy to just finish a day with a long hang
- tonightstoast 4y ago
  Are you gripping your thumb around the bar? I got to ~18 max set a few years back and found it much easier to go thumb in line with all your other fingers. Another tip is to train wide grip lat pull downs at a gym then do your pull ups with wide grip since it uses more back and less bicep (bigger vs smaller muscle). Last tip is don’t forget to breath :)

stavros 4y ago

The best thing I did for my pullups was lose weight. It's amazing what a difference losing 20 lbs will do for your ability to do pullups.

temprose 4y ago
For me it's the reverse, I gained weight and noticed how much harder it is. Used to be able to do like 5-6 unassisted pullups and now that I've been bulking and gained like 20 lbs, it's a bit harder. Too be honest, most of my weight gain is probably creatine lol.
- stavros 4y ago
  To be honest, that's what actually happened to me too, though with me it's fat.
  - brailsafe 4y ago
    Stavvybaby is that you?
    - stavros 4y ago
      It is not.
- daniel-cussen 4y ago
  [dead]

fnordpiglet 4y ago

I assume this works for push-ups too? Lower yourself then reset and lower again? That’s amazing. I guess it makes sense. If the research in the article holds true this makes strength building much simpler and a lot less grueling.

j33zusjuice 4y ago
Have you never done long eccentric phases? It’s the worst. Barring injuries, there’s no worse day after than the day after long eccentrics. DOMS for days!
- fnordpiglet 4y ago
  Yeah I used to do a routine that was composed of very slow movement, so super slow push-ups. It was grueling.
vagrantJin 4y ago
Planks are the ultimate simple thing. Everyone can do it, at any age, at any level of fitness. Plank. Just two minutes.

wodenokoto 4y ago

The article suggest you should have kept doing eccentric pull-ups. I’m going to re-add eccentric focused movements back into my pull-up routine.