I'm just wondering how a machine works at the gym I go to & I know someone here will know!!!
There is a contraption at my gym, I do not know the correct name, but you will.... It's the one that you set the weight on say 30lb & put your knees on the board,,,, The board goes down & you are left to do a pull-up.... I think the weights are there to assist you,,, Anyway that is how I have been using it!! When I started using it ,, I had to set the weight at 60.... Now I can set it at 30 w/ an extra 5lb weight on top & get 2 pull ups..... SO question is I can not do ONE pull up yet by myself, BUT THAT IS MY MAJOR GOAL !!!!! So when I get to were I do not have to add weight, Is this the point I will be able to do an unassisted pull-up.......???????????????? Thank-you for explaining!Afterburn Also Is this the route I need to go... I am doing NROL4W------- I just do this 1 time of my off days to gage where I am at in progress!
I think the machine you refer to is cleverly called the, wait for it.... THE ASSISTED PULL UP MACHINE. wow cool name. lol, Anyway the weight setting on the machine acts a counterbalance to your weight. (blah blah blah blah, basically it is just "subtracting weight" from your body weight so that you can do a pull up).
I think however, that there are better ways to go at getting to a pull up than this machine.
1. Use a lat machine (standing) (my least favorite substitute)
2. Negative (jump up/while "pulling yourself up" and lower yourself down in a controlled manner)
3. use a bench under the smith machine. Rest your calves on the bench (your are in an "L" like position) with your body weight "hanging from your arms" and pull yourself up.
4. If your train with a partner, have the give you a boost at the bottom (usually the weak point) cross you angles and bend your kness and just use your legs a bit to boost yourself at the beginning.
The reason sthat I prefer these alternatives are:
1. everyone thinks that the assisted pull up machine looks cool (and so there can often be a wait for it while someone is doing a set of 300 with 90% of their body weight being assisted)
2. It does not allow the natural range of motion that a non machine would offer
3. I would get lazy and not push (or pull myself as the case may be ) hard enough.
Hope this helps, BTW welcome to the boards!
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The assisted is an ok machine, and you do do work (assuming you do work) however the different mechanics mean that you still may not be able to do a pullup when you're no longer using the assisted.
At least incorporate other pullup training so that you slowly can do a full pullup on your own. Like... use the machine when you have a workout calling for "pullups" if you like, but on your own time training to do pullups do other exercises mentioned (except the pulldown... again, different motion. I can pull down more than my bodyweight yet can't do a pullup.)
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The assisted is an ok machine, and you do do work (assuming you do work) however the different mechanics mean that you still may not be able to do a pullup when you're no longer using the assisted.
At least incorporate other pullup training so that you slowly can do a full pullup on your own. Like... use the machine when you have a workout calling for "pullups" if you like, but on your own time training to do pullups do other exercises mentioned (except the pulldown... again, different motion. I can pull down more than my bodyweight yet can't do a pullup.)
I have that same machine in the fitness center. I used to use the pad for my knees, but I decided to just hang and do a pull up the regular way. Whenever I use the assisted, I use it for the wide grip chin ups. Now all I do is just regular pull ups without any assitance. I am 105 pounds, so it was a lot easier for me to do a pull up. My max is about 6-7. Also I have done inverted rows, which helped me with pull ups. Inverted rows is a back exercise for Upper Body Horizontal Pull and the Pulls Ups are also a back exercise for Upper Body Vertical Pull. Can you do inverted rows (bodyweight)?
To the poster: Try doing bodyweight inverted rows...
Inverted Row Progression - Knees flexed with feet on floor (easy), knees extended with feet on floor (level 2), knees extended feet elevated on bench (level 3), knees extended feet on bench with weight on chest (level 4 and so on) You can also do a side to side inverted row and maybe even a one arm inverted row, which is even harder if you do not want to use a weight on your chest once you accomplish all the levels
If you become strong enough for the inverted rows level 4, then you can try doing bodyweight pull ups. The only difference between the 2 is one is vertical and one is horizontal. The vertical is defiantly harder because you are using all your bodyweight. For the horizontal, you are using all your bodyweight, but you are not hanging so it makes it easier.
I think the machine you refer to is cleverly called the, wait for it.... THE ASSISTED PULL UP MACHINE. wow cool name. lol, Anyway the weight setting on the machine acts a counterbalance to your weight. (blah blah blah blah, basically it is just "subtracting weight" from your body weight so that you can do a pull up).
I think however, that there are better ways to go at getting to a pull up than this machine.
1. Use a lat machine (standing) (my least favorite substitute)
2. Negative (jump up/while "pulling yourself up" and lower yourself down in a controlled manner)
3. use a bench under the smith machine. Rest your calves on the bench (your are in an "L" like position) with your body weight "hanging from your arms" and pull yourself up.
4. If your train with a partner, have the give you a boost at the bottom (usually the weak point) cross you angles and bend your kness and just use your legs a bit to boost yourself at the beginning.
The reason sthat I prefer these alternatives are:
1. everyone thinks that the assisted pull up machine looks cool (and so there can often be a wait for it while someone is doing a set of 300 with 90% of their body weight being assisted)
2. It does not allow the natural range of motion that a non machine would offer
3. I would get lazy and not push (or pull myself as the case may be ) hard enough.
3. use a bench under the smith machine. Rest your calves on the bench (your are in an "L" like position) with your body weight "hanging from your arms" and pull yourself up.
Actually, the machine is called a "gravitron."
Just being picky.
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2. It does not allow the natural range of motion that a non machine would offer
that is my main objection to this machine. Even when you do pull-downs on the 'lap pull-down' machine, if your form is not right it won't help achieving the actual unassisted pull-downs. The way I built up to unassisted wide-grip pull-downs is by doing negatives and proper form lat pull-downs.
Do you have any animations/pictures of negatives and proper form lat pull downs to show? I cannot do pull ups again til feb. the gym at my JC decided to close down for the remainder of the Winter semester, so I want to use the lat pulldown like I would do a pull up so I won't use any strength on it or so I can increase the strength. My bodyweight max is 6-7 reps.
Do you have any animations/pictures of negatives and proper form lat pull downs to show? I cannot do pull ups again til feb. the gym at my JC decided to close down for the remainder of the Winter semester, so I want to use the lat pulldown like I would do a pull up so I won't use any strength on it or so I can increase the strength. My bodyweight max is 6-7 reps.
When you do a pull/up chinup you stop when your head gets above the bar, i dont see why that should change with a lat-pulldown.
Maybe I shouldn't talk, I cheat the shit out of every single lat pulldown that I do. Since ive started doing this my back development has gone up a notch, as well as my pullup strength. The 'right way' for someone else may not be the right way for you.
THANKS GUYS & GALS !!!!! Looks like I have a lot to work on & no more cheching progress on the * gravotron* aka APUM !! wow ,, I am so glad I asked, I would have been doing it all wrong! AB
I don't think you were doing it "all wrong"... it's certainly a valid exercise... just not the optimal way to go about getting to your goal of being able to do pullups.
Too often people get into good/bad right/wrong dichotomies and not realize that most things aren't "bad" or "wrong" so much as matching technique to your goals... there's the optimal plans and the sub-optimal plans.
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pull up question
Also Is this the route I need to go... I am doing NROL4W------- I just do this 1 time of my off days to gage where I am at in progress!
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