Pull Ups Help!

Jesus_Rules · October 1st, 2007, 04:39 PM

I really need some help on this one, people! Ok, I am 18 and currently in high school, and I have enlisted in the US Marines (I go to boot camp July 08). When shipped to boot camp, I have to meet a certain physical fitness standard, which includes being able to: run 1.5 miles in under 13:30, do 44 crunches, and 2 pull ups. I can everything BUT the pull ups.
I need some help on exercises I can do to build the strength I need to do at least 2 pull ups (even though Id like to do more, but my focus right now is just the 2). If anyone has some information for me, my ears are open.

Oh, and just real quick: I do not have fancy training equipment, I don't belong to a gym, and I don't have the money to get the fancy equipment or belong to a gym. All I have are two 25 pound dumbell (is that how you spell them?) weights and some other hand weights (I have one where you can add on pounds). So that's what I have to work with here.

Thanks in advance, and God bless!
-C.J.

**Bocgam** · October 1st, 2007, 04:53 PM

Well, I was going to suggest starting with lat pulls, but that's going to be tough if you don't belong to a gym. You could build some good back strength rowing with your dumbbells. It wouldn't hurt to curl a little bit either.

Dumbbell Bent-over Row
Dumbbell Lying Row

You shouldn't have any trouble getting there by July.

Jesus_Rules · October 1st, 2007, 05:04 PM

Wow, Bocgam! Thanks for those little video things! Shows you exactly how to do those exercises. I'll be doing them for sure. Have any more of those little videos?
Also, I have heard that I should do pushups. Of course.

**mooshue** · October 1st, 2007, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesus_Rules

Wow, Bocgam! Thanks for those little video things! Shows you exactly how to do those exercises. I'll be doing them for sure. Have any more of those little videos?
Also, I have heard that I should do pushups. Of course.

THIS site is full of them. You can choose to look at exercises for target muscle groups or by bodypart, or by exercise name.
For pull up help, go to the store, even walmart has em, get one of those tension bungee ropes, get one strong enough to support your weight. Find a place for you to practice pullups, playground, gym, tree, etc, something also that will support your weight. Hook each end of the bungee to one side of whatever bar / tree limb you are going to be doing pull ups on. Grab the bar/limb and place one foot inside of the hanging bungee rope. The rope will give you enough push for to get you started on your pullup since you are not able to do it with your body weight alone. Do as many as you possibly can. Give your muscles a chance to rest, dont do it every day. If you are pressed for time you can try it 2 to 3 times a week, just make sure you rest them. In a few weeks youll be able to do them without the bungee.

Jesus_Rules · October 1st, 2007, 06:04 PM

Thanks for the website, Mooshue!
I know what you are talking about with the bungee rope thing. At my recruiter's office (where I go for PT twice a week), he has a pull up bar with a "pull up assister" as he calls it, haning with it. I would like to use the thing more often, but he is busy on certain days so I can't go then, and on PT days we usually focus on running and the other exercices...unfortunatley, we focus on what I don't need to work on too much.

Anyways, I need to get a cheap pull up bar from Walmart to put on the doorposts to my room.

**JoeBAR** · October 1st, 2007, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jesus_Rules

Thanks for the website, Mooshue!
I know what you are talking about with the bungee rope thing. At my recruiter's office (where I go for PT twice a week), he has a pull up bar with a "pull up assister" as he calls it, haning with it. I would like to use the thing more often, but he is busy on certain days so I can't go then, and on PT days we usually focus on running and the other exercices...unfortunatley, we focus on what I don't need to work on too much.

Anyways, I need to get a cheap pull up bar from Walmart to put on the doorposts to my room.

Since you can't currently do a single pull up, a good way to work up to it is negatives. You put a step that allows you to start at the top position (arms bent, head levelled with the bar), step off it, and fight gravity... i.e try to hold on and come down as slowly as possible.

Try both grips: narrow, palm facing you (easier) and wide, palm facing away from you (harder). You should be able to get to 2 reps palm facing you within a couple of weeks, and the other soon after

Some people have also used the following method:

leave the bar in place, and every time you pass your door, 1 rep. Whether it be a negative (use a step or jump) or a positive once you manage a rep. do a rep each time you pass the door. then 2, then ...

You'll build lats and biceps in NO time.

Have fun!

Jesus_Rules · October 1st, 2007, 06:35 PM

Thanks for that information, Joebar! I hadn't even thought about doing a negative rep before (shows you how smart I am

). But like I said, at this exact point in time, I don't readily have access to a pull up bar, so I'll have to use the dumbells and such for now.

**Hans_Rachid** · October 1st, 2007, 10:24 PM

Also, depending on how much you weigh you could reduce your body fat to weigh less and have an easier time at doing pull ups

Jesus_Rules · October 1st, 2007, 10:31 PM

@Hans Rachid- Well, I was 200 pounds back in Febuary of 06. Now I am down to 139 pounds.

So, it shouldn't really be a matter of weight too much. Simply put, I need muscle.

**wildstang** · October 1st, 2007, 11:50 PM

speaking as a former marine, i can tell you there is more to the excercise then you have listed. the run consists of 3 miles, 80 situps, and 20 pull ups is what they will try and get you too. believe me you wont have a problem gaining strength in bootcamp either. they will work the piss right out of you on a daily basis. you will be doing leg raises, sit ups, pull ups, and many more forms of excercise on a daily basis all throughout the day every day. im not trying to scare you i just want you to know theres more to it than what you think. everything they do in bootcamp is for a purpose right down to the screaming in your face even. when i was in the service the closest ive ever saw a movie come to portraying the real bootcamp was full metal jacket. watch it and you will better understand what your in for. like i said im not trying to scare you either. R.lee ermey i believe is his name was actually a real marine drill instructor so thats what made the movie so realistic. good luck!

**Insex** · October 2nd, 2007, 01:05 AM

If your goal is to do more Pull-Ups, then the best way to get better at them is to perform more Pull-Ups. It's as simple as that. I can tell you how I got better at doing Pull-Ups, then you can choose to try my method if you'd like.

A couple years ago, I was about 210 pounds and could only do about 8 Pull-Ups. Today, I'm about 220 pounds and can do 23 Pull-Ups.

I have access to a gym that has a Pull-Up bar. But that doesn't matter for you, because all you need a place to hang from and perform Pull-Ups. A good place for you would be at a local playground that has monkey bars; or a tree branch, or basketball hoop (if you can touch the rim) or a football goal post or soccer goal. What I did was perform Pull-Ups with extra weight. I have a weighbelt and a chain, so I tighten the weightbelt around my waist, hang the chain through the weightbelt, hook the chain to a weightplate, and start pumping away. First, I started off with just a 10-pound plate, then eventually moved up to 25, 35, 45-pound plates and beyond. I usually do three to four sets; the first set or two I would go to near failure (with medium weight), the last set or two I would go to failure (with heavier weight). Over time, when I would test myself to see how many Pull-Ups I can do with my own bodyweight, my body felt lighter, despite the fact that I gained weight.

There you have it. If you don't have a weightbelt and/or chain, you can just throw on a backpack and put weights inside it. Hope that helps.

**bigpurp** · October 2nd, 2007, 01:32 AM

If you don't have a pullup bar, build one.

Or go to your garage and do pullups on the rafters.

Go to an elementary school and do them on the jungle gym.

Tie a rope around a big wooden dowel and hang it from a large tree branch.

You can buy door frame pullup bars for next to nothing at just about any sporting goods store.

**JoeBAR** · October 2nd, 2007, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildstang

speaking as a former marine, i can tell you there is more to the excercise then you have listed. the run consists of 3 miles, 80 situps, and 20 pull ups is what they will try and get you too. believe me you wont have a problem gaining strength in bootcamp either. they will work the piss right out of you on a daily basis. you will be doing leg raises, sit ups, pull ups, and many more forms of excercise on a daily basis all throughout the day every day. im not trying to scare you i just want you to know theres more to it than what you think. everything they do in bootcamp is for a purpose right down to the screaming in your face even. when i was in the service the closest ive ever saw a movie come to portraying the real bootcamp was full metal jacket. watch it and you will better understand what your in for. like i said im not trying to scare you either. R.lee ermey i believe is his name was actually a real marine drill instructor so thats what made the movie so realistic. good luck!

This movie always reminded me of secondary school ... No joke!

**wildstang** · October 2nd, 2007, 11:39 AM

they actually were that hard on a person. even more so at times. some people really got singled out. i actually have my name down in history there in san diego cal. battalion high PFT of the year. it wasnt hard to do actually, it was my run time that seperated things. after boots over everybody will be able to do 80 situps 95% should be able to do 20 pull ups and of course the run everybody will complete that also. the thing i had in my favor was i ran all through j.r. high and h.s. even during football season i done both football and cross country.
in my j.r. high i was running with the varsity. god i wish i could still run like that but those days are over im to darn heavy now. although i still have the stamina.

**angelfaces** · October 2nd, 2007, 11:49 AM

and dont forget to say ur prayers when ur in the Marines Jesus, after all, God saves all

usmckang · May 7th, 2008, 01:08 AM

Just fitting 2 pull-ups before bootcamp will pave a hard road throughout bootcamp. You'll be climbing things during the confidence courses and DI's will make sure you do pull-ups after every meal and everytime you use the head. Sometimes they watch and see if you do these things and if you can only do 2 your gonna be in a whole world of hurt. I suggest you aim for doing at least 8-10. Sorry, I'm not trying to scare you, I just knew a guy at boot who scraped by the IST with 1 pull up cause his run time was great and he seemed highly motivated only to go through bootcamp miserably.

Either way, hat's off to you and good luck with the Corps.

MsMarvel · May 7th, 2008, 07:13 PM

I have to agree with "If your goal is to do more Pull-Ups, then the best way to get better at them is to perform more Pull-Ups."

I use the rafters in my garage and monkey bars at the local playgrounds. I start with doing negatives, work my way up to 1 unassisted, at this point I do 1 unassisted pull up - rest 1 minute and repeat until 24 pull ups have been completed even if I have to finish with negatives. As I progress, I decrease the rest time between each pull up until I can do full sets. I used this routine to build up to weighted pull ups and was doing sets of 10 with 25lbs until my car accident/back surgery. I have had to start all over again, right now I'm at the 1x24 but each week getting stronger and stronger.

ElCaballo · June 18th, 2008, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeBAR

Since you can't currently do a single pull up, a good way to work up to it is negatives. You put a step that allows you to start at the top position (arms bent, head levelled with the bar), step off it, and fight gravity... i.e try to hold on and come down as slowly as possible.

Try both grips: narrow, palm facing you (easier) and wide, palm facing away from you (harder). You should be able to get to 2 reps palm facing you within a couple of weeks, and the other soon after

Some people have also used the following method:

leave the bar in place, and every time you pass your door, 1 rep. Whether it be a negative (use a step or jump) or a positive once you manage a rep. do a rep each time you pass the door. then 2, then ...

You'll build lats and biceps in NO time.

Have fun!

I'm a teen as well and have a similar question.

What is the difference between palm facing away and palm facing toward you? I've noticed that palm facing away is more difficult because I can do 17 pull-ups wide-set with my palms facing away and 25 with my palms facing towards me. Can anyone provide an explanation?

**pliny_2001** · June 18th, 2008, 11:40 PM

palm away = pull-up
palm towards = chin-up

Chins use more back, less arm. So you can do more (arms won't fatigue as quickly). Train with both, as well as rows, in order to work the back completely.

J-RoC · June 23rd, 2008, 10:18 PM

Im not sure if this has been mentioned yet. Lats are obviously the major deal for pull ups but dont forget about your triceps and shoulders

with the weights you have I'd recommend:

Dumbell Kickback

Standing Dumbbell Military press