It's going to take FOREVER for a full pull up isn't it

[CuriousRunner]

51 and a half years. I've been lifting heavy for 2 years twice a week. (Running 3 times a week.) 18 months I was working with a PT at a little private gym with no machines. So anything working towards a pull up was body weight.

I now see a PT at a full on gym and use the assisted pull up machine.

I weigh 64 kg. This morning my pull ups were 1 x 12, 55kg then 2 x 12 x 50kg.

I know progress is slow. (Other exercises move a bit faster). But I'm going to be 100 before I can do a full body weight pull up aren't it?!!!

I assumed she'd done the maths and that she was lifting 55kg of her weight but maybe not

I weigh 64 kg. This morning my pull ups were 1 x 12, 55kg then 2 x 12 x 50kg.

My PT gets me doing lat pull downs (my PB is 55kgs) and band assisted pull ups.

He also advised me that on the assisted pull up machine I should work towards 3 sets of 5 at 25 kgs assist, and that at that point, I'll be getting close to a full pull up. But I don't train them enough! I can manage 5 sets of 3 reps at 25 kilos, but not quite 5 reps ...

Oh, and I weigh somewhere between 70 and 73 kilos. And lift very heavy for my age (66, DL at 10 kilos ...) I've been training seriously with a PT for 7 years now. So I think it is to do partly with lean body weight and strength. And also I think pull ups are quite different from the classic compound lifts.

I’m 51, 60kg and can do around 8 for my first set (then it drops!). Working towards a solid 10 but it’s slow yards. I didn’t even know this was something I wanted to do until I gave it a try about 14 months ago and discovered I could actually pull myself fully up…..not sure who was more shocked, me or my PT 😂 But it’s taken a long time and a lot of work to build it up from there, and I have a lot of friends who are still working towards that first pull.

Lots of good advice on here already, esp wrt using resistance bands, scap pulls and similar. I’d say the same: for best results, I’d use a range of these exercises on a regular basis, esp lat pull downs and shoulder raises to go with the rest of it. I do use the pull up machine occasionally but I’m really not a fan - it doesn’t properly mimic the real thing. You’re better off working on negative pulls with a real bar. And don’t forget to work on your abs, too: core engagement makes a big difference.

Most of all, at the risk of sounding like a total tree hugging hippy, it’s the process and journey that count, not the end result. Stick at it!!

Good luck!

It took me over two years to do an unassisted pull up. I used bands with decreasing resistance and practiced a minimum of twice a week. I try to do them 2/3 times a week otherwise my ability starts reducing very quickly! I aim for 4 sets of 3 reps with good form… and that’s three years in!

My 20-something daughters are ex gymnasts and can do dozens of them😅 I am 105 kg and can do it with 55 offset, so 50 of my own weight. I have just started doing gym a few months ago and last week tried assisted pull ups. I am not particularly strong at all. I am not sure why a previous poster says it does not mimic a pull up how can it not? You are literally doing a pull up but with some of your weight cancelled out

I’ve been training for approx 6 months now. I’m a climber, not a weight lifter.

The other day my 11yr old… also a climber just casually did 3 pull ups using 3 fingers on each hand! 😅

I started in October and can now do 1 pull up or 5 chin ups. I’m working with a PT, and we only do back to work towards pull ups. We do rack pulls, cable rows (sitting and standing), lat pull downs, the assisted pull up machine and other back stuff. It’s slow. I’m 50. Chin ups more about biceps, pull ups are harder as mostly back.

This is a really interesting thread for weedy old me. 😄 Are there any exercises I could do at home to work on pull ups?

I have a pull up bar outside my kitchen (side door) and have elastic for assisted pull up.

Unfortunately I don't think there's anywhere I could put a pull up bar at home. What are the best non-equipment exercises to do?

@ThePure , about frequency...I've had that suggestion too (doing a few every time you pass a bar) but for me it doesn't work. I have a bar at home and did try for a bit but not being warmed up/in the pull up mindset meant they felt awful and creaky and hard - it actually demoralised me. It might work better in the gym as you would be warmed up anyway - so in between other exercises do a few, but my gym is a bit crowded for that. I think for most women, pull ups are too hard to do in that way, at least until you have multiple reps.

I am on 5 sets of 6 now (long rests), and train them twice a week so am properly rested and warmed up (general mobility then scapular pull ups) and they feel quite smooth. This is a big jump as I used to do a pyramid or ladder - so 1, 2 etc which meant the first few sets helped me warm up.

Someone asked below why the assist machine isn't the best progression - it is not the same path to the bar, the grip is different which means you recruit different muscles, and most importantly you are kneeling or standing, not hanging. Strict pull ups require whole body tension and the position of your body matters. I've had instructors who win national comps and none of them recommend it other than at the very start or after injury - there are better progressions (negs, bands, holds, lat pull down).

I can do a pull up (49, overweight) but I have never managed it on the assisted machine. The position is wonky for me, the bar is too big for my hands and they feel too far apart. If you can find somewhere to put a bar up at home and put a big resistance band on it, do a couple of reps whenever you pass, it really helps.

ETA: I hardly ever use weights, almost all body weight, plus a lot of kayaking, which uses similar muscle groups. If I walk past scaffolding with kayaking friends, everything stops while they get some reps in/show off.