MSK Posted March 29, 2017 Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 Hi gang, New guy here, but you probably knew that. As the topic says, p/ups are something that I have never been able to do. And I am no couch potato! I used to be a runner, and then later a competitive cyclist on a sponsored team. Now for exercise I walk 4-8 miles at a brisk pace and ride my mountain bike. Also in the summer I mow my half-acre law with a non-motorized reel mower, and in the winter I shovel my 90 ft. driveway by hand whenever it snows, which is quite often where I live. (I rake the yard by hand in the other seasons.) So I don't think I am a slouch. I am 63 years old. It has always bothered me that I cannot do even a single pullup. I have just begun using the 50 Pullups app. I have used the negative method in the past and I have been trying it again with this program. The problem is that as soon as I become unsupported I drop like a rock. I cannot hold myself above the bar for even a second while giving the effort every ounce of strength I have. I also can't seem to do very much to slow my descent either, nor can I hang onto the bar for more than a second or two before I drop to the floor. This has been the case ever since I was a kid in gym class - can't support my own weight using just arm strength. I'll keep working on it, though, so that I can eventually do ONE negative pullup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LettinGo Posted March 29, 2017 Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 Kudos to you for all that shoveling and mowing! That sounds pretty fricken good for 63! My son and husband use a bar called "the perfect pull-up" and practice on it daily. It hangs in a doorway and supports them both very well. 145-195 lbs. maybe give that a whirl? Good luck! Just keep trying to build that upper body strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuxgirl Posted March 31, 2017 Report Share Posted March 31, 2017 I read someplace that someone used resistance bands somehow for their negative pull ups. I've never been able to do a pull up either, so no experience here... I am wary of the doorway pull up bars because I know someone who had one fall down on their head while someone was using it (properly), and they had a concussion that lasted for months... Anyway, good luck to you! Hope you can reach your goal!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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