Why can't I do a chin-up?
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From: Jason on 3 Mar 2006 09:50 I have been trying to do chin-ups for a couple of months now. I have a chin-up bar mounted to the top of my bedroom door frame. Right now, here's what I can do: If I begin by hanging from the bar (with my feet off the ground), I can pull myself up just a little bit, until my elbows make an angle of about 135-150 degrees. But that's it. I simply can't get any higher. But if I begin with my feet on the ground (so that my elbows make an angle of about 120-135 degrees), then I can pull myself up completely. So I can do both "halves" of the chin-up, but I can't do the whole thing in one smooth motion. Why? I have thought of two possible explanations. Do either of these make sense? Or is it likely something else? 1. Maybe muscles in the shoulders and back play a larger role in the beginning of the chin-up, and my shoulders and back are not yet strong enough to complete the first half of the chin-up. 2. After I have pulled myself up a little from the hanging position, maybe the orientation of my body (specifically, I think, my shoulders) is not the same as it is when I am grasping the bar with my feet on the floor. With my body/shoulders in the latter orientation, I can pull myself up easily; but in the former orientation, I cannot. Sometimes, when I start from hanging and pull myself up a little, I feel like if I could just "twist" my shoulders a little, then I could complete the chin-up. Can anyone help me understand this? Does it sound like I'm doing something wrong? Or does this sound normal?
From: Steve Freides on 3 Mar 2006 12:04 "Jason" <swanson.jason(a)gmail.com> wrote in message news:1141397416.973274.123500(a)v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com... >I have been trying to do chin-ups for a couple of months now. I have a > chin-up bar mounted to the top of my bedroom door frame. Right now, > here's what I can do: > > If I begin by hanging from the bar (with my feet off the ground), I > can > pull myself up just a little bit, until my elbows make an angle of > about 135-150 degrees. But that's it. I simply can't get any higher. > > But if I begin with my feet on the ground (so that my elbows make an > angle of about 120-135 degrees), then I can pull myself up completely. > > So I can do both "halves" of the chin-up, but I can't do the whole > thing in one smooth motion. Why? I have thought of two possible > explanations. Do either of these make sense? Or is it likely something > else? > > 1. Maybe muscles in the shoulders and back play a larger role in the > beginning of the chin-up, and my shoulders and back are not yet strong > enough to complete the first half of the chin-up. > > 2. After I have pulled myself up a little from the hanging position, > maybe the orientation of my body (specifically, I think, my shoulders) > is not the same as it is when I am grasping the bar with my feet on > the > floor. With my body/shoulders in the latter orientation, I can pull > myself up easily; but in the former orientation, I cannot. Sometimes, > when I start from hanging and pull myself up a little, I feel like if > I > could just "twist" my shoulders a little, then I could complete the > chin-up. > > Can anyone help me understand this? Does it sound like I'm doing > something wrong? Or does this sound normal? Jason, a simple but effective training plan for you. Jump up to the top position, pause briefly, then lower yourself completely under control all the way to the bottom. The slower you can lower yourself, the better. As you improve, look for your weak spots and try to go slower through them - even lower relatively quickly to your weak spots, pause or move very slowly through the weak spots, then allow yourself to go faster but still under control to the bottom. When you can perform 3 or 4 full-range negatives in a row this way - each time, let go at the bottom, jump up to the top using a step or whatever else you need - you will be able to perform a single full-range pullup. -S- http://www.kbnj.com
From: jhanson on 3 Mar 2006 12:06 On Fri, 3 Mar 2006 12:04:52 -0500, "Steve Freides" <steve(a)fridayscomputer.com> wrote: >Jason, a simple but effective training plan for you... ....would be NOT to listen to a tiny ballerina.
From: John Black on 3 Mar 2006 16:11 In article <1141397416.973274.123500(a)v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com>, swanson.jason(a)gmail.com says... > I have been trying to do chin-ups for a couple of months now. I have a > chin-up bar mounted to the top of my bedroom door frame. Right now, > here's what I can do: > > If I begin by hanging from the bar (with my feet off the ground), I can > pull myself up just a little bit, until my elbows make an angle of > about 135-150 degrees. But that's it. I simply can't get any higher. > > But if I begin with my feet on the ground (so that my elbows make an > angle of about 120-135 degrees), then I can pull myself up completely. > > So I can do both "halves" of the chin-up, but I can't do the whole > thing in one smooth motion. Why? I have thought of two possible > explanations. Do either of these make sense? Or is it likely something > else? > > 1. Maybe muscles in the shoulders and back play a larger role in the > beginning of the chin-up, and my shoulders and back are not yet strong > enough to complete the first half of the chin-up. > > 2. After I have pulled myself up a little from the hanging position, > maybe the orientation of my body (specifically, I think, my shoulders) > is not the same as it is when I am grasping the bar with my feet on the > floor. With my body/shoulders in the latter orientation, I can pull > myself up easily; but in the former orientation, I cannot. Sometimes, > when I start from hanging and pull myself up a little, I feel like if I > could just "twist" my shoulders a little, then I could complete the > chin-up. > > Can anyone help me understand this? Does it sound like I'm doing > something wrong? Or does this sound normal? Not to get personal but are you overweight? Makes it much tougher since you are pulling up your whole body. John Black
From: Jason on 3 Mar 2006 23:15
Thank you to everyone who gave legitimate replies. However, I am still hoping that someone can address my questions about the mechanics of the chin-up. Is it true that back and shoulder muscles play a larger role in the beginning of a chin-up? And is it true that the shoulders go through a twisting or rotating motion during a (correctly performed) chin-up? |