The Dead-Hang Pull-up Society

[Gary Ohm]

What a great idea Delita! I don't qualify anymore, but I was there not too long ago. What helped me was lots and lots of negatives. Jump upon the bar and hold on like your life depends on it until you are at full extension. Then hold that for as long as you can. Baby steps...baby steps...

[Jared Ashley]

Originally Posted by Delita Wright

LOL - I'm staying with a friend in a rental - I'll have to rethink where we could get away with that.

Thanks, David - I'm toying with joining a local gym (not CF) where I expect they have a gravitron! ;-) Meantime, I'm wearing a 100+ pound vest 24/7 so doing floor-assisted pull-ups is definitely doing something to my arms. Poco a poco. Delita

If your friend is into fitness as well and you've got a little space, you could build a squat rack from lumber and put the pipe in that... that's what I've done in my 800 sqft 2nd floor apartment. cost: $80. My fiance puts up with it because she likes having a guy who's ripped.

Regarding the gravitron... it's ok, but a combination of bands, ring rows, and jumping pullups is better, IMO. Problem with the gravitron is it's got a weird grip for a lot of people (especially those who prefer the underhand grip). The angles aren't the same either... as a trainer I observed that most of my clients would lean way back away from the machine when they were tired problem is when you're hanging from the bar you don't have that crutch. The friction on the machine makes the effect on the negative useless also. the bands and jumping pullups provide better angles and more negative. rows obviously are a different angle, but will build substantial strength and will help with grip strength and actually help a bit with the core muscles you'll need to do a lot of pullups.

[Stephen R. Lampl]

Originally Posted by Delita Wright

Got this idea from some encouraging remarks on my workout log (you know who you are!), so...

Here's the deal. The Dead-Hang Pull-up Society has only one membership requirement: You must be working on getting your first dead-hang pull-up.

The trick is - as soon as you get your first DHPU, you are out - graduated.

Who's in? I am!

And what are you doing or what have you done to get to that point where you can get your first DHPU?

Thanks for playing!
Delita

Delita,

Not only are you motivated, determined, and inspirational; you're just flat out creative too!! What an awesome topic for a thread! Sorry that I no longer qualify to be a member (thanks to everyone cheering me on and for "Recon Ron!"). I'll be hangin' out to see how the membership's going!

[Anu Varadharajan]

Hey Delita, Thanks for bringing my attn to this thread. I'm IN!!

I've never been able to do much upper body so pull ups are my nemisis right now. When I started CF, I was on the gravitron, w/ 10# bw and I've come up to now 50#bw. I've also moved over to the PU bar in the gym and have been doing jumping PUs and negatives a couple of times a week.

I bought the Iron Woody bands and was using them in the gym when I went in at 5 am and no one bothered me. THis week, I went in at noon and the guys at the front desk said I can't bring them in anymore coz they're not provided by the gym and they have liability issues!!

So, I'm getting one in my house. It's either going to be one in the basement (if I can get my friend to help me install as I am hardware / installation challenged for now ) or I'm getting one of those that go between a door frame - whichever gets to me first. But this weekend for sure. Esp since I 7 yr old also wants to do pull ups for her gymnastics.

In terms of progression, I've learnt to pull w/ my back (took a while to get that to click) and now, when I do a negative, I can lower myself about 1" from the top and then pull back up over the bar - about 3-4 times.

I can't wait for my first DH. And it's fabulous to see all the cheerleaders on this board encouraging with your tips for what worked and just cheering us on.

And we need a pull-up icon. Can the moderators (anyone?) work on that please?!!

[Danielle Benford]

I'm in!

When I first started, I had to do 90# assistance on the gravitron.

Now, I can do a PU from a standing position under the pull-up bar, with one step (no lifts) beneath me. This does not include jumping. I want a DHPU soooo badly! I (seriously) dream about it at night.

So - sign me up!

Also... maybe whoever graduates first can start the Recon Ron Pull-Up Program Society?

Here is a summary I borrowed from Carla Trembley's log:

Recon Ron Pull-up Program

Rules:
1. Each step is done two weeks before advancing.
2. A workout consists of approaching the bar five times to do the specified number of repetitions in each set of pull-ups.
3. Select one day each week to omit the workout and do one-third the total repetitions for the day.

Step 1:1,1,1,1,1 Step 16:9,7,6,5,5
Step 2:2,2,1,1,1 Step 17:10,7,6,6,5
Step 3:3,2,2,1,1 Step 18:10,8,6,6,6
Step 4:3,2,2,2,1 Step 19:10,8,7,6,6
Step 5:4,2,2,2,2 Step 20:11,8,7,7,6
Step 6:4,3,2,2,2 Step 21:12,9,7,7,7
Step 7:4,4,2,2,2 Step 22:13,9,8,7,7
Step 8:5,4,3,2,2 Step 23:14,9,8,8,7
Step 9:5,4,3,3,3 Step 24:14,10,8,8,8
Step 10:6,4,4,3,3 Step 25:15,10,9,8,8
Step 11:6,5,4,4,3 Step 26:16,10,9,9,8
Step 12:7,5,4,4,4 Step 27:16,11,9,9,9
Step 13:7,6,5,4,4 Step 28:17,11,10,9,9
Step 14:8,6,5,5,4 Step 29:18,11,10,10,9
Step 15:8,7,5,5,5 Step 30:18,12,10,10,10

[Delita Wright]

Very cool. Very cool. I feel so... not alone!!

My pull-up efforts got expanded yesterday based on your posts. In addition to the floor assisted pull-ups, I'm doing pull-downs now, and going to work more on my negatives also (which I figure I'll last a little longer on).

This is so cool to give us a place to work on this and exchange tips together!

[Roger Harrell]

Delita, this is brilliant. I've got a ton of clients that would love this idea. Most of them are not forum visitors... May I borrow it for my gym?

[Sara Fleming]

I'm definitely a member. I've been doing negatives and gravitron and even starting them from a stool with my arms extended, but not dead hang. Getting there . . . . nice to have a tribe finally . . .

[Jill Zimmerman]

I suck at pullups, not sure if it is preexisting shoulder damage or not but I'm in. Have no excuse - two places to do it, lot's of assorted bands and steps and boxes. I will try to get offspring to do it too.

[Delita Wright]

Originally Posted by Roger Harrell

Delita, this is brilliant. I've got a ton of clients that would love this idea. Most of them are not forum visitors... May I borrow it for my gym?

Hey - non-proprietary here. Although I think we all might apologize to any dead poets we see. ;-)