Thursday, January 07, 2010
Chin-ups are hard
Turns out chin-ups are hard. I can't even do a single one unassisted, which makes it very hard to even start a program to train myself to do 25 of them in a row.But I still want to do this. I want to improve my upper body strength to match the strength I've built up in my legs from running.
Where to begin if I can't even get to the starting point?
Here's where I start:
I began tonight. I'm going to do the simple, use-your-legs and hang-there-as-long-as-you-can exercises every Tuesday and Thursday until I can do at least one unassisted chin-up. I have no idea how long it will take me but I'll re-evaluate in three weeks.
Three weeks puts me in the middle of my Hundred Pushups plan. I know pushups work a different set of muscles but it's all upper body to me. And hopefully that will help me a bit with running.
Or at least help me look good in a shirt. Broad shoulders are always a good thing, right?
Labels: exercise
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Today was "testing day" @ our gym, which included chinups. Last time, I couldn't even get my chin up high enough to do one. Today I didn't do more than one, but I was able to hold a chinup position for more than 10 seconds and I consider that a major accomplishment. Next time? Two in a row!
If you're doing it right, it'll help your core, too. It's a great multi-joimt workout.
In my experience, the best thing you can do to get to your pull-up (chin-up) goal is lose weight. It's one of those things where strength to weight ratio makes all the difference in the world.
In my experience, the best thing you can do to get to your pull-up (chin-up) goal is lose weight. It's one of those things where strength to weight ratio makes all the difference in the world.
@Mizd: Congrats! That is definitely progress!
@Blorch: My core is a big pile of mush, so any improvement there will go to good use. And I'm working on the weight loss, too. Again. Still.
@Blorch: My core is a big pile of mush, so any improvement there will go to good use. And I'm working on the weight loss, too. Again. Still.
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