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97. Jul 4, Wed
Flow
5 x 3 reps BTN strict presses: 35, 35, 35, 40, 40
5 rounds, 15 min cap
5 close grip bench press (55)
10 pull-ups
EMOM 16
Odd: 15 toes to kettlebell
Even: 30 s hollow hold
WOD - finished 12:30 / 15
3 rounds of 50 UB single unders and 20 db thrusters (15# dbs)
120.2018.24 Feb 9, Fri
96. Dec 21, Thurs. For the WOD, I used the children’s bar. I lost count somewhere between 110-120 so I just restarted at 101 from there. Completed the WOD at 17:00 flat. With no burpees.
20. May 10, Wed. Isometric pull up holds again. I still feel last Monday's workout on my forearms and lats. Coach Ram's tip to open up my chest helped with my wrist problem during the dips. For today's WOD, I was able to complete it with a few seconds to spare. I still had to do the scaled down version with 15lbs DBs at each arm.
12. Apr 21, Friday. On VL to mini-celebrate my dog's birthday. I had to switch from the 5PM to the 6PM schedule of the Fitcamp class because we were still out. Since it was a partner WOD and I was by myself, Pam joined me in class and we were able to do 3 rounds. In the first set, I was able to complete the 50 alternating burpees with Pam. By the 2nd and 3rd rounds, I had to pause 1-3 times! As usual, super red faced at the end. While we were resting, Pam asked me what my heart rate was -- hers was 88 while I was still at 117. Her spinning coach said that those who exercise have their heart rates go down quickly in the short moments of rest in between. Clearly, my heart's not used to exercise or efficient at it. Pam said it takes practice.
Did some of these on my way out of the gym this morning, and now for whatever reason my traps feel like they’re about to hit my earlobes.
10/10 would lift again
Pull-up progression... for a strong upper body
Hi guys,
I am kind of obsessed with doing pull-ups… now that I can do them. It took a lot of sweat and hard work but the feeling of accomplishment after doing your very first unassisted pull-up is beyond! After 3 years, they haven’t gotten any easier but I think that’s what I like about them. They challenge me so I always have something to work towards. I always work better when I have a set goal. Right now, I want to get to double digits on strict pull-ups (no help from lower body or kipping). I think I did 7 today. In this post, I am doing pull-ups but I use my lower body to help me up a bit. Holding steady and using only my upper body is so much harder. Ugh!
I asked my trainer, Karissa Silva, what progression she uses to get her clients to do unassisted pull-ups. There are 4 stages. We start with the easiest grip, the underhand grip (or chin-up grip):
*The video looks sideways but once you hit play, it will play upright.
1. Static Hold Pull-Ups - chest to bar and hold as long as you can
2. Negative Pull-Ups - Explosive up and slow, 5-count on the way down.
3. Assisted Pull-Ups - (no video) Use an assisted pull-up machine or if you have a friend, have him/her hold your ankles to assist you. Your knees are bent and ankles crossed.
4. Unassisted Pull-Ups - Here, Karissa is demonstrating strict chin-ups. These are a little bit easier as chin-ups put the biceps in a stronger line of pull. Most people are stronger doing chin-ups than pull-ups. Notice how her chest comes all the way up to the bar and she straightens her arms all the way down before pulling back up again.
Use the same progression to go into pull-ups (palms facing away from you). Vary the hand position to mix up the width of your grip to target your back from different angles. There are a lot of fun variations to pull-ups as well. Here is one of them.
I’m still working on these explosive pull-ups so that I can get higher and gain more control on the way down.
Train consistently and be kind to yourself if you don’t get it right away. Grab a buddy and train together. Make it fun and enjoy the pull-up journey. I think it’s totally worth it in the end.
Until next time… cheers!
