This past weekend, I attended a rugby camp for the U.S. women's 15s team, and the topic of pull-ups came up. Often. A lot like the way pushups keep coming up lately. (See here, here, and here for examples.)
Granted, the rugby camp attendees are probably a skewed sample of individuals -- many of them were discussing how to meet the national team's strength and conditioning standards for the exercise. The requirements vary by position, but the minimum runs from 10 to 15. Players in my position, wing, need to be able to do at least 15 consecutive pull-ups. (May I just say, Gaaaah!)
But this emphasis on bodyweight exercises extends far beyond rugby campers -- as part of their 2008 predictions, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) cited bodyweight and equipment-free workouts as emerging fitness trends.
While pull-ups aren't entirely equipment free, they certainly don't take much -- a tree branch, football goalpost or jungle gym will do just fine.
SO HOW APPROPRIATE IS IT that in the May issue of Experience Life, Krista Scott-Dixon wrote an article called "Clear the Bar" -- all about how to do a pull-up. Or 15.
Take a look for exercises that will help you meet your goal, from standing lat pull-downs and negative pull-ups to resistance-band pull-ups and L-pull-ups using a bench.
Even if you can already do full bodyweight pull-ups, the exercises Scott-Dixon covers can be used to boost your number. For instance, tuckered after two? Have your workout buddy jump in to assist with some partner pull-ups. (See pics in the article.)
On the other hand, if you're itching for more advanced maneuvers, check out her other article on the topic, "Mistressing the Pullup," on her women-oriented fitness site, Stumptuous.com.
FOR THOSE OF YOU who asked about my dear friend Stubot's progress on our Pull-Up Challenge (see this post for details), she hasn't even started yet. But she swears she's about to. Any minute. Regardless, she could probably use a few words of encouragement, so kindly leave yours in the comments section.
Stubot...YOU CAN DO IT!
But i'm going to stick with my conviction that you really only need to do 1 pullup...
ooooh the coincidence that you write this today and my new pull up bar arrived yesterday in the mail (I figure I dont get to the gym as often as Id like since Im playing babymama---perhaps Ill actually motivate to use it).
this weekends minigoal is simply installing.
love Stumptuous.com
may never make it to the advanced maneuvers.
M.
Personally, I'm a fan of the door gym and the band -- makes you feel challenged at the same time it convinces you that someday, you too, six foot tall woman whose upper body to lower body strength/weight ratio could be, well, better, may just make it to a pullup or three.
Pullups remind me of my childhood, since we had a bar in almost every doorway in our house. As Kate may well remember, my father would sometimes make us do a pullup (or as close to one as a thirteen-year-old sports-averse girl could get) before entering the room. Sadly, I haven't attempted one in about a year.
The most helpful thing my dad would do, though, was to grab our feet and sort of lift them up with us as we pulled. It was more a mental thing than actually reducing the weight, but it made it seem easier...wonder if that would work today?
wow, Julie.
Im starting to feel thankful that my Jewish intellectual father merely proffered books at every turn :)
M.
My aunt fed me Lucky Charms for breakfast, lunch, and dinner when she would babysit me when I was a wee child. I don't regret a single thing I've eaten (or been made to eat) or that I can't do 15 pullups. hahaha.
MizFit,
Love my home door gym -- 'specially since I've attached the giant, 4-foot-long resistance band for assisted pull-ups. I can so picture you doing the advanced maneuvers -- by contest time in August for sure!
Julie,
What your dad was doing = partner pull-ups. Dude knows his stuff! Rematch for the Thanksgiving pull-up contest!
Kim,
Did you hear about the new Indiana Jones movie? Surely he will have to pull himself from a ledge per usual, doing the one pull-up you rightly claim is necessary to survive.
Kate,
A pull-up is in your future, I know it. It almost is already!
Been working on the one handers for awhile. I need to give the rope a try. I have just been doing them by gripping myworking arm with the arm that is not doing most of the work. I can do about 7 on my left side, with my right arm gripping my left wrist. I have done as many as 3 on the right side, with my left arm gripping just above my elbow. The higher up your hand is on your arm, the harder it is. I have been leaving hand print bruises on my right arm lately. Pullups are my thing. I have done as many as 37 in a row. I would have to say that the thing that really increased my abilitly to do ridiculous amounts of pullups would be doing pullups with added weights. I went from 15 in a row to 37 in a row in just under a year.
Halvo,
Since your comment, I have now been asked, "Who is this Halvo person who can do 37 pull-ups?!"
So, to prove you exist and are capable of such a feat (I don't doubt it for a second, you freak, I've seen what you can do in yoga), can you please take a video of yourself doing 37 pull-ups? I will post it here.
Thank you.