h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Timing my man.

I'm currently on a mission to do a pull up.

I can bench press 10 kg more than my body weight (114 kg yesterday) and I can deadlift or squat much more than that. But I can't do a solitary pull up. This must change.

I like the article, all very true and good and also I hope and inspiration

(my real goal is to deadlift 200 kg mind you but that's another story)

Awesome - good luck.

I wrote this because I took a dare to get from zero to 15 pull-ups in 364 days. And I'm a terrific dweeb and total nerd.

Right now I'm at nine pull-ups and doing great. If you have any questions or want some stock motivational speech, just ask.

Will do

Right now I'm at the hang stage where I can just barely move myself. I had a wry smile on my face as I read your take on this point in the proceedings

I think your Tip number 1 in the article is my main problem sadly. Since I've dropped about 20 lbs in the gym over the last year or so, I'm not sure there's much more I can do on that front in the short term though.

20 lb in a year is pretty impressive - my little sister will want to know how you managed it. It's a problem I'm glad not to have: I can't seem to gain or lose weight no matter how much I try.

But from your description, you sound pretty strong. And since pull-ups is just super-hard weight lifting... Possibly it's just in the wrong muscles. Reverse pull-ups and the exercises mentioned might help that.

It took me a month to get beyond helpless dangling and more than 2 months to get to my first pull-up, and I almost gave up around a dozen times. But then things started moving fast.

And, as someone pointed out somewhere, if someone can do a number of pullups at their current weight, and then they drop a large percentage of weight, they can do many more pull-ups at their new weight.

Well being far too fat to begin with helps

I'm four-five stone heavier even now than I was at 18 years of age (18 years ago! )

The other secret was to beat it *really* hard down the gym. My workouts (before I started weight lifting a few months back) were typically up to 1500 Calories per session, five days a week. That's hard work - you have to build up to this also, you need to get fit.


Yes, the pull up doesn't really use the big muscle groups like chest, back and legs so it is indeed using the wrong muscles.
Having said that I used to be pretty good at pull ups in another decade when I was four stone lighter...

I'll take you on in an arm wrestle, just don't ask for a pull competition

I'm doing conversions here... I gather stones are an impressive bit of weight. Hm.
But there is no way my sister is burning 1500 calories per session! There goes that, huh? But I'm in awe - those must have been workouts designed by the devil. If you package your determination, you could probably retail it to un-motivated students and workers.

Which muscles are used for arm wrestling?
Note to self: play tug-o-war sometime soon.
You'd crush me at pulling anyway, seeing as I'm a 8.5 stone female. Pull-ups are all relative. You could probably do a dozen pull-ups at my weight.

Just wanted to say, this entry is excellent. I am rubbish at getting enough excercise, but even for lazy people like me, this entry is excellent. There, said it.

vp

Ah, yes I think an arm wrestle would be a little unfair in that case

It took me a good six months to reach that level of Calorie burning and it does depend on you actually believing what the aerobics machines read-outs tell you.
Since I'm 251 lbs (better?) then as they ask your weight before you start then this is taken into account in the Calorie count. It takes more energy to shift a dollop my size than it does yours I guess so actualy Calorie count isn't necessarily relevant unless you account for body mass too.

1 stone = 14 lbs (6.4 kg)

I actually left the stage of helpless dangling this morning - I mangaged a whole half-pull up

Hey Orcus... 251 lbs is.... uh oh... 251/14... 17.9 umm, x6.4? aaa, 112 kilos? Al that excercise, by the sounds of it it must all be muscle these days.

*strikes a pose*

Well, the midriff still needs some work

Arm wrestling by the way requires good forearms, biceps and deltoids (shoulders) I would say.

Thanks, vogonpoet.

I have to agree - if you can do half a pull-up on 240 lb, (exactly 2x my weight) then you must be terrifically strong. We will not compete in any shape, form, or fashion.

Still around?

I did my 200 kg deadlift last week

Still not really managed a pull up yet though

And rereading this thread I've gained 12 lbs in weight since I last posted . That is bulk though, I can deadlift 440 lbs and squat 165 kg (~360 lb) so it aint all lard

Ah that'll be then, never could get the hang of these smileys...

No huh?

I guess you have to sacrifice some Dx when you're pimping your St stats so much...

Something like that

You know it's just taken me 3 hours to actually get your post properly.

Not role played for too long obviously.

I am of course on a strict diet of Royal Jelly for gym purposes

440...
*Note to self: don't start up with Orcus in dark alleyways*

Indeed- Orcus sounds like he needs a smiley

Yes, I was quite pleased with 200K
I've done a 190 K (418 lb) squat too now.

To put it in perspective though, the world deadlift record is around 450 kg or more than twice what I can lift. My next target is now twice bodyweight which is another 40 kg on top of what I've already done.

And...

last week I finally managed a pull up! Just the one, but it's a start