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When I in my late 20s I did 24 strict, overhand grip pull ups. 25 years later, I can do
4 -5. Haven't worked out in several years. It would be nice to have some upper body muscle tone again.
At the same time, you don't always know what they went through. They might have had a major injury in the past that prohibits them from working out without pain. A lot of elite athletes are done by the time they are in their 40s. It can happen to anyone. We just have to hope that it doesn't happen to us and wish well upon those who are not capable of working as if they were without injury. Sometimes, no matter what you do or what you think you know about healing, you still doubt. That's when faith comes into play.
Good point. Thanks for bringing that into the discussion.
It's amazing how long one's strength can remain.. I built myself up to about 14 pullups and after a year of not doing any I could still muster out 5 in my first set.. now I'm back at it again, up to 7, and am going to keep going seriously with my routine and diet to get myself in the best shape of my life.
If you don't use it, you lose it... but you don't want to overdo it and destroy your joints like marathon runners do either! Some of the most comfortable older folks I know did very light work as adults whereas the factory workers ended up with destroyed wrists, shoulders, arthritis, pain, etc.
I am not that fit but I have always been good with pull ups starting as a skinny kid. Right now turning in a few months, I can do 10-12 with perfect form, no swinging whatsoever. If I do it like the other guys in my gym I would probably do 16. I am 6 ft tall and weigh only 160 lbs which helps. Now I am relatively weak in other parts. Bench press 145 lbs (5 reps), deadlift 185 lbs (6 reps), squat 145 lbs (6 reps) and that has taken 5 years to build up.
I also do a lot of cardio, do great in spinning class but still takes me an hour to run a 10K on the treadmill.
Wow....18 at 67, eh? That's a pretty high percentile, man. I reckon only about one out of 100 guys over 60 could do more than ten real pullups. Shoulder strength is the biggest strength loss area in the elderly, in case you're not aware.
Eighteen pullups for a 50 year old is excellent, and would be in the 90th percentile for THAT age group!
I think many people think they can do more pullups than they really can.
So you think 10% of 50 year old guys can do 18 pullups. You must workout at a gym with some really incredible people. I've been doing pullups at least 2-3 times a week for the past 20 years and have have done more than 13. I don't see many guys at any age attempt to do them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BucFan
I can run 10 miles, I can do 75 situps no problem, 40-50 push ups, no problem, swim laps 30 mins, ride a bike 15 miles @ 15 mph no problem, I lift light weights every other day, but can't do a single unassisted pull up. It's really a back exercise, isn't it along with triceps maybe?
I'm working on it with progressions but right now only assisted. Even as a kid, couldn't do them. Twig arms perhaps?
I think 99% of the population couldn't do one properly.
No triceps involved with pullups. Triceps are involved in pushing exercises not pulling.
I agree with you comment regarding 99% of the population.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stockwiz
It's amazing how long one's strength can remain.. I built myself up to about 14 pullups and after a year of not doing any I could still muster out 5 in my first set.. now I'm back at it again, up to 7, and am going to keep going seriously with my routine and diet to get myself in the best shape of my life.
If you don't use it, you lose it... but you don't want to overdo it and destroy your joints like marathon runners do either! Some of the most comfortable older folks I know did very light work as adults whereas the factory workers ended up with destroyed wrists, shoulders, arthritis, pain, etc.
Moderation is key.
For some reason I lose the ability to do pullups quicker than any other exercise. I do notice that I start to regain it rather quickly after a few workouts.
I don't agree about the statement about joints. Doing proper form pullups should not affect your shoulder joints and marathon running will not destroy your joints. You will probably experience elbow pain if you do lots of pullups. This can be easily corrected with eccentric exercises
I am 6 ft tall and weigh only 160 lbs which helps.
Maybe! BUT, BUT, BUT....you have smaller muscles than the 200 lb guys. You are demonstrating that smaller muscles don't necessarily mean weaker muscles, and bigger muscles don't necessarily mean stronger muscles. It's a matter of strength, not size! Pull ups demonstrate this fact quite nicely. Generally speaking...on a pound for pound basis, smaller guys tend to be stronger than bigger guys. Certainly not true across the general population, but quite often true in the gym. Again generally speaking, smaller guys tend to be more athletic, fitter, and stronger pound for pound.
Last edited by CosmicWizard; 02-22-2017 at 09:19 AM..
Maybe! BUT, BUT, BUT....you have smaller muscles than the 200 lb guys. You are demonstrating that smaller muscles don't necessarily mean weaker muscles, and bigger muscles don't necessarily mean stronger muscles. It's a matter of strength, not size! Pull ups demonstrate this fact quite nicely. Generally speaking...on a pound for pound basis, smaller guys tend to be stronger than bigger guys. Certainly not true across the general population, but quite often true in the gym. Again generally speaking, smaller guys tend to be more athletic, fitter, and stronger pound for pound.
I'm sorry, but that's pure nonsense. Although there are some incredibly strong elite powerlifters in the lower weight classes the bigger guys are even stronger. Also, you are putting too much emphasis on pull ups. If a 160 lb man can do 12 pull ups but only deadlift 185 lbs is he really that strong? Are bicep curls a better measure of strength than the deadlift? There are weight classes in sports like powerlifting, boxing and MMA for a reason.
I'm sorry, but that's pure nonsense. Although there are some incredibly strong elite powerlifters in the lower weight classes the bigger guys are even stronger. Also, you are putting too much emphasis on pull ups. If a 160 lb man can do 12 pull ups but only deadlift 185 lbs is he really that strong? Are bicep curls a better measure of strength than the deadlift? There are weight classes in sports like powerlifting, boxing and MMA for a reason.
You took the words right off my keyboard.
I've notice that adding or losing 10 lbs. has a direct correlation to how many pull-ups I can do. I've seen guys who can bench or squat a lot and struggle to do a couple pull-ups. My daughter, OTOH, does weighted pull-ups, but probably can't bench her weight. Ability to do pul-ups comes down to how much you weigh and specific training.
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