The Student Room Group

Respectable Number of Pull-ups?

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Original post by Gwenuin
Too many rubbish statistics here...

I am pretty fit, 17 years old, but I am definitely not that strong. I have only just started going to the gym/working out, and my record after about a month is now 26 chin ups (although tbh I probably lose form after about 20).


I'd like to see a video of that... Also you call yourself 'pretty fit' but 'just started working out'?
Original post by Schrödingers Cat
Yes but the weight can go up to a lot. Most vests can be adjusted, it's just more comfortable and easier to wear a vest for running, pull ups, push ups, dips etc.

How do you find using a belt?


Its fine I guess. Just annoying when you move around with the weight when you're not doing a set / walking about by the pullup bar with it . But doing the pullups itself with the belt is comfortable.
Reply 42
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Gwenuin
8
Original post by zyzzyspirit
I'd like to see a video of that... Also you call yourself 'pretty fit' but 'just started working out'?


I do lots of hillwalking and long distance cycling. Fit does not mean you have large muscles. Some of the fittest athletes (marathon runners etc) look like they would snap if they tried weightlifting.
Original post by Gwenuin
Too many rubbish statistics here...

I am pretty fit, 17 years old, but I am definitely not that strong. I have only just started going to the gym/working out, and my record after about a month is now 26 chin ups (although tbh I probably lose form after about 20). Admittedly these are chin ups (palms facing inwards not outwards) so perhaps these are far easier but to my knowledge there isn't much difference between palms in and palms out. I did 16 chin ups this morning just to wake myself up (I do every morning with a bar in my doorway) and I have friends who can do 40+ (buff guy though) so all these statistics about "0.01% of the male population" are absolute nonsense.


In the least offensive way possible, I'm inclined to believe you aren't doing your chin ups with a full range of motion (i.e. so that your elbow is fully flexed at the top and fully open at the bottom).

Pull ups are significantly but not massively harder than chin ups, but I also find that ROM makes a bigger difference to pull ups.
Original post by Gwenuin
I do lots of hillwalking and long distance cycling. Fit does not mean you have large muscles. Some of the fittest athletes (marathon runners etc) look like they would snap if they tried weightlifting.


Marathon runners and competitive weight lifters are equally fit, but in different areas. Cardiovascular fitness is important, but so too is physical strength, stamina, flexibility and speed. Total fitness is an average of all these variables.

And let's get something straight about athletic body fat percentage. A person (especially men) can be too lean even if their body fat percentage falls in a safe range. Some men get to 8% body fat (a safe percentage for most age groups), but suddenly start to suffer from respiratory infections. Their immune system gets too weak, and they're catching colds and flu's way more easily than they would had they been at, say, 12%, which is regarded as safe for just about everybody. Others can handle the 8% body fat number very well.

Same goes for marathon runners. If you take an individual who has a naturally large musculature - big bones with naturally, well-developed muscles - and force them into a long distance running programme without weight training and with very little protein in their diets,they'll get lean, but not for long, and at a price. Their bodies are not designed for that lifestyle, and they'll get sick from an infectious respiratory ailment, that is if their knees, joints and bones were not damaged enough to sideline them first.
Original post by Schrödingers Cat
Yes but the weight can go up to a lot. Most vests can be adjusted, it's just more comfortable and easier to wear a vest for running, pull ups, push ups, dips etc.

How do you find using a belt?


Any vest I've seen is uncomfortable for those bodyweight exercises and bad for your joints when you run anyway.
Original post by SmashConcept
Any vest I've seen is uncomfortable for those bodyweight exercises and bad for your joints when you run anyway.


Seen? So you've never worn one? Wouldn't actually use it for running tbh
Reply 47
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Mr JB
2
tree fiddy.
Original post by Schrödingers Cat
Seen? So you've never worn one? Wouldn't actually use it for running tbh

Yes, I wore a couple. That's how I found out they were unwieldy.
Original post by Implication
In the least offensive way possible, I'm inclined to believe you aren't doing your chin ups with a full range of motion (i.e. so that your elbow is fully flexed at the top and fully open at the bottom).

Pull ups are significantly but not massively harder than chin ups, but I also find that ROM makes a bigger difference to pull ups.



Chin ups are significantly easier, I could crack out 30 without too much trouble. Main difference is the width of grip

Original post by SmashConcept
Yes, I wore a couple. That's how I found out they were unwieldy.


What brand did you use? How heavy were they?
Original post by Schrödingers Cat

What brand did you use? How heavy were they?

I don't know, I'll see if I can find it at the gym tomorrow maybe. The one at my gym is 20 kg I think. I don't remember any details about the first time I used one. I think I've only used two. Maybe I've only used one.
Original post by Gwenuin
I do lots of hillwalking and long distance cycling. Fit does not mean you have large muscles. Some of the fittest athletes (marathon runners etc) look like they would snap if they tried weightlifting.


Long distance cycling doesn't exactly help your chin-up strength, does it?

There's just no way you could do 26 chins after a couple months of training.
Original post by SmashConcept
I don't know, I'll see if I can find it at the gym tomorrow maybe. The one at my gym is 20 kg I think. I don't remember any details about the first time I used one. I think I've only used two. Maybe I've only used one.


Thanks :smile:
It depends, a proper pull up is arm straight, elbows locked, to chin above bar and held for at least a second.

You see people doing 15 - 20 pull ups at the gym but realistically they'd be doing 5-8 if using proper form.
So id say 10-12 would be a good number
Reply 54
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Gwenuin
8
Original post by zyzzyspirit
Long distance cycling doesn't exactly help your chin-up strength, does it?

There's just no way you could do 26 chins after a couple months of training.


That was the point I was making... I am not a strong guy, but I'm definitely not overweight and unfit. tbh my form is probably awful, I am not an experienced gym-goer so it would not all surprise me if my chin ups were considered not up to standard
Abit bro sciency. I can only do 5 tops but can squat 1.5xbw and run a 3h41 marathon.. I think im in good shape.
Reply 56
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AMG44
16
Original post by Prince_fancybum
It depends, a proper pull up is arm straight, elbows locked, to chin above bar and held for at least a second.

You see people doing 15 - 20 pull ups at the gym but realistically they'd be doing 5-8 if using proper form.
So id say 10-12 would be a good number


Point exactly, most people don't go all the way down to a dead hang and when they do go into a dead hang they have to swing to do the first part of the movement.
.01% is not one percent. 1% is one percent. .01% is one hundredth of one percent.
Original post by Gwenuin
Too many rubbish statistics here...

I am pretty fit, 17 years old, but I am definitely not that strong. I have only just started going to the gym/working out, and my record after about a month is now 26 chin ups (although tbh I probably lose form after about 20). Admittedly these are chin ups (palms facing inwards not outwards) so perhaps these are far easier but to my knowledge there isn't much difference between palms in and palms out. I did 16 chin ups this morning just to wake myself up (I do every morning with a bar in my doorway) and I have friends who can do 40+ (buff guy though) so all these statistics about "0.01% of the male population" are absolute nonsense.


Big difference between pull ups and chin ups, it isn't just reversing the grip. Also, I doubt a newbie can crank out 26 chin ups after a month, but I could be wrong.
I'm quite impressed with myself if I can do 2 :wink:

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