To ask you for alternatives to chin/pull ups? All muscle evaporating since gym closure!!

[MrEzraGoldberg]

I'm walking every day and doing stretches at home, but one thing I've noticed is that since not going to the gym and therefore not doing assisted pull ups, I've lost a lot of muscle around the chest and shoulders, particularly the bit at the front that connects the chest to shoulders (don't know the technical term!). Have also lost any lats I had...

I'm no gym bunny, am overweight and found pull ups incredibly hard (even with a heap of assistance!) but there's no doubt they were keeping a bit of muscle ticking over in the upper body.

Can anyone suggest a good alternative to pull ups?

Thank you

Press ups and other body weight exercises should help

You can use a chair to make pull ups easier.
Plank.
Dips.

Cobra push ups - transition through downwards dog to cobra.
Elevated pusj ups.
Dog leads could be used as a TRX trainer - hook the over a closed door as a suspension device.
Check out Athean -X he has loads of bodt weight exerciseds.

Very laggy sorry for typos
Also bear crawls, commando rolls - get ups.

www.facebook.com/AngelaGarganoFitness/videos/239538047089029/

I've been doing this...definitely feel it in the lats

( I'm a personal trainer)

I do very pathetic press ups and weed the garden, is best I can do.

I swear one of the children never mind the cats would walk on me if I did that floor crawling thing in the video.

Have to be very careful due to dodgy shoulders.

Ok, you can do horizontal pulls (Rows) holding on to either side of your table.
A cheap suspension trainer will solve this for you, they seem to still be in stock on amazon.

Bands are good for bent over rows of all kinds, and can also be used for lat raises (you may be referring to your delts above, either that or your pecs, which will respond to push ups of any kind), as indeed can two cans of soup.

Don’t worry though, you can’t lose your muscle this quickly! You’re probably experiencing a lack of fullness in the muscle, which will return with strength training.
Walk, do resistance work if you can - any activity is good, and your muscles will return quickly once you start again.

(I’m studying to be a personal trainer)

Very interested in this too OP, I'm I was working towards an unassisted chin up but have nowhere to do them now!

My DH (qualified personal trainer) suggested hooking a band around the staircase Do you have a band? Or were you doing them on the machine?

Kipping Handstand push-ups - if you go on YouTube there are tons of videos to help. Scaling wise, a sturdy raised platform for your bed to reduce the distance you have to lower/push while you build your strength
Great for core and shoulders.

Push presses with dumbbells - if you don’t have heavy weights, increase the reps.

Pushups

Thanks for all your suggestions, will be doing them all! Haven't dared have a crack at the crawling thing yet, Brainwashed but look forward to some hilarity tomorrow when I find I simply can't move...

RandomAmanda - I was doing them on an assisted pull up machine, where you can alter the weights to suit your ability (or lack of). I don't have a staircase as I'm in a flat and don't fancy hanging off the balcony (long way down).

I do, however, have some resistance bands and a suspension trainer that I have yet to work out where/how to use. Probably over a door.

I saw a guy doing pull ups under a table once as an alternative, he made it look simple. I was tempted to try it, but I just fucking know I'd end up wearing the table

Might be worth a try if you have a sturdy table and more courage than me OP.

If you have a broomstick and chairs - inverted rows for volume are good. Vary your grip. Tie rags to it as extra holds for grip strength.

My table is unsuitable for broomstick activity, sadly, as it's got a central stand rather than four legs. Not even sure my chairs are going to be suitable, but I'll give it a go. Determined to put some effort in to an upper body workout tomorrow motivates self with bag of Maltesers

Search YouTube/Google body weight exercises as a lot of them don't need and equipment.

Press ups are good for strength training for the upper body; I've been doing them each day during the lockdown, along with other strength and conditioning exercises using body weight and/or a resistance band.

EatingIsMyHobby (love that name!) I've started to do press ups too, though not full ones as I've never been able to! On my knees but getting as close to the ground as possible. It's so hard! Sometimes I sacrifice depth for more reps - I alternate.

Today is the day when I attempt to fashion some kind of routine. I can no longer move my ample bosom just by clenching my chest muscles.