I hope that you are all having a great start to your May so far and are staying warm (especially in areas that have been getting snow at a very unusual time)!
A very happy coincidence happened this weekend and I wanted to share with everyone ANOTHER awesome celebration. On April 30, 2016 I took a video of my chin-up and pull-up progress. On Sunday, April 30, I asked my husband to take some video of my chin-up and pull-up progress without even realizing that it was literally one year later. How crazy is that??!! I decided that it was a sign that I should share this awesome progress with you all.
Check out my progress videos:
April 30, 2016:
April 30, 2017:
(If you missed my first Transformation Tuesday post, you can check that out HERE.)
You can tell that my form is a lot better in the more recent video and I have the stamina to do three sets of three for both chin-ups and pull-ups now using the pull-up assist. In the past I was lucky to get one rep of each using the assist.
I'm still trying to progress to actually being able to do a full chin-up and pull-up without using the assist, but I still have a lot further to go. This is definitely where it tests my mental stamina because I can easily psych myself out. Here are a few tips that I have for anyone who wants to master these movements:
- Invest in a pull-up assist band - This has been CRUCIAL in me getting started on this adventure. It helps me to work on my form while also starting to build the correct muscles that will help me get to the point that I'm doing this on my own. We have the P90X Chin-up Max because it was what Dick's Sporting Goods had and love it!
- Work on Negative Pull-ups and Chin-ups - This is when you stop at the top of your pull-up or chin-up and then as slow as possible, lower yourself down. I typically put a chair right by our bar, get into the position, tense my muscles and then lower myself down. When I first started, I almost dropped to the ground...try not to do that. LOL.
- Increase your Lifting Weight - You can't expect to lift your body weight if you continue to use light weights and resistance bands during your workouts. Increase your weight gradually. I started at 5 lb weights, moved up to 8 and then 10 and now I'm lifting 12 lbs for my bicep curls. Slow and steady wins the race.
- Don't Compare Yourself - If you're at the gym and you see a ton of other people doing pull-ups and chin-ups easily, don't let yourself get psyched out. You need to focus on yourself and your own journey instead of comparing yourself. The more you compare yourself the higher chance you have of giving up...remember, everyone had to start somewhere.
- Stay Consistent & Don't.Give.Up - Remember, practice makes perfect. You can't get better at something you don't work at in some degree. Work on strengthening yourself with weights, body weight exercise and practicing the pull-up/chin-up and you'll get there. It's going to take time so don't give up...please, it's such an amazing feeling when you start seeing the strives you're making over time.
Does anyone have any other tips or tricks? Are there any physical exercises that you're pushing yourself towards?
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