Why you should start doing pull-ups (sore, gyms, press, build)
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You have do pull ups or chin ups rather fast, because it is tiring just hanging. I did 39 pull ups once in HS. Pull ups are where your palms face away from you. So using more muscles you can generally do more pull ups than chin ups. After my 39 my arms contracted to about 90 degrees, and I could hang from a horizontal bar and my weight wouldn't straighten out my arms for about a week!
In HS gymnastics I competed once against the world push up holder. As I recall he did 6006 before a terrible parallel bar accident left him nearly a quadriplegic.
I agree with everything you said except that there are plenty of strong guys in this age range. I see very few guys at any age range who can do 10 good form pull-ups. They may be strong, but many guys especially if they are bigger, avoid pull-ups.
Well, maybe I exaggerated a little bit but there are some very strong guys out there over 40. There may be a lot of guys that avoid pull ups but you could say there same thing about lifts like the deadlift and squat.
I just saw a kiosk at the mall. Give the guy $10.00, if you can hang for 120 seconds, you win $100.00. Not allowed to do a pull-up, not allowed to let one hand down to “rest” it.
Women and kids under 12 only need to hang for 90 seconds.
I practiced at the fitness center. 66 seconds. Felt like forever.
Funny story on something similar:
Guy fresh out of prison comes into a warehouse business that a buddy worked at. He was looking to wash cars. Skinny guy but "ripped arms" so he wants $20 to wash a car. My buddy (I've known for 20+ years) says you work out a lot in prison? Guy brags he can do more pull ups than anyone.
My buddy says ok, do more than me and I'll pay you to wash my car. 30+ year old guy throws up 20 on a low hanging bar in the warehouse. My buddy is 50, he does 25 with 2 hands, drops a hand a and does 10 more "ONE HANDED!" There are 4-5 guys standing there STUNNED and then cheer him on.
My buddy says, it is the white F150 out front........make sure it shines good.
Later on he says he does 100 sit ups/50 pull ups a day and has since he was a kid. His dad was really into fitness and made all the boys in the family do it. We laughed about the "free car wash" the rest of the year!
We never knew his workout routine!
Well, maybe I exaggerated a little bit but there are some very strong guys out there over 40. There may be a lot of guys that avoid pull ups but you could say there same thing about lifts like the deadlift and squat.
I usually see someone doing squats when I work out. I rarely see anyone doing deadlifts or pull-ups. There was one former powerlifter who decided he was going to make a comeback and compete in some meets. He was late 60s at the time and won a couple meets in his age group and retired again.
I usually see someone doing squats when I work out. I rarely see anyone doing deadlifts or pull-ups. There was one former powerlifter who decided he was going to make a comeback and compete in some meets. He was late 60s at the time and won a couple meets in his age group and retired again.
I guess I should have said that I rarely see anyone doing heavy squats or deadlifts. There are guys at my gym that can bench 400 lbs but don't squat or deadlift. I rarely see anyone squat over 315 lbs. It seems like only powerlifters are serious about those two lifts.
The guys who can do tons of pull ups are
rock climbers. They are typically not large in stature or weight, possessing practically zero body fat and the ultimate functionally strong upper body.
I guess I should have said that I rarely see anyone doing heavy squats or deadlifts. There are guys at my gym that can bench 400 lbs but don't squat or deadlift. I rarely see anyone squat over 315 lbs. It seems like only powerlifters are serious about those two lifts.
This is more because doing heavy squats is much more difficult than, say, a heavy bench or heavy curls. Most people simply don't have the muscle capacity, density or balance to load up 300+lbs on a bar to rest it on their necks while squatting.
I have begrudgingly given up on squats. My knees simply can't take the stress any longer and I feel like squat days invariably led me to more nagging injuries. Maybe one day if/when I'm feeling better I will give it a shot again but until then I'm substituting leg presses and some glute exercises.
This is more because doing heavy squats is much more difficult than, say, a heavy bench or heavy curls. Most people simply don't have the muscle capacity, density or balance to load up 300+lbs on a bar to rest it on their necks while squatting.
I have begrudgingly given up on squats. My knees simply can't take the stress any longer and I feel like squat days invariably led me to more nagging injuries. Maybe one day if/when I'm feeling better I will give it a shot again but until then I'm substituting leg presses and some glute exercises.
With large weights as you advance in age, bending the knees past about 90 degrees is not recommended.
As a skier I do more legs. And one main exercise I do is the inverted inclined leg press machine. I started years ago with 200#, and every year added another 100# up to 600. I do it like plyometrics, where I let the weight essentially drop, then catch up and keep it from bending me more than 90 degrees. And then a rapid push upward. I get into a bouncing rhythm, and it seems to reproduce an effect quite like skiing over rough terrain.
I never thought of doing pull ups as an exercise in itself. I originally bought my pull up bar to hang in my doorway so I could stretch out my back. After sitting for hours in front of the computer, it was so satisfying to feel a nice stretch and a 'crack'.
What I noticed over time was that I could hang longer and longer as my hands got stronger. I started lifting my knees up to work my abs and got better results than years of crunches on the floor hurting my neck. I noticed my shoulders and upper back getting nicely shaped as well. All these benefits without doing an official pull up! So don't feel defeated before you start.
My main complaint is the calluses on my hands. I bought some cheap polyester gloves from Amazon but they were too slippery so I was essentially hanging from my fingers.. Can anyone recommend gloves that will allow me to transfer the weight to my palms to get a solid grip?
As a piano and organ player, I am also concerned about hanging on with just fingers. I try to use the palm of my hand rather than fingers as I can't afford to damage them . I do like the results of pull ups and want to continue them but I must be careful.
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