You, Too, Can Rock a Chin-Up

Last week, I wrote about my new-found ability to do a chin-up. Ever since, I've received a number of emails asking a simple question: HOW DID YOU DO THAT?! Mind you, it's a single chin-up. But, regardless, I'm quite proud of it. So, though I'm certainly no strongwoman worthy of instructing how to perform such a feat, I do have some tips to offer. Tips that might get you closer to nudging your own chin above the bar. Or tips that might simply help you develop better upper-body strength.

We all need to start somewhere, right?


Hi. Let's be honest for a moment.

If you're anything like me (and I think many of you are, or you wouldn't keep reading) . . . you need to focus more on strengthening your upper-half. For years and years, I ran. I ran some more. I did spin classes. I walked. I ran some more. Though I did yoga from time to time, I didn't focus much on my arm strength. Ever. Or my core strength for that matter (that's a topic for another day -- Stephen has some excellent workouts that I've been neglecting).

In high school, part of those dreaded Presidential Fitness Tests involved doing a pull-up. Or maybe it was a chin-up, I can't really remember. It's irrelevant because I would never even try it. Not even the bar hang. Wow, as I wrote those sentences, I just realized that for such an over-achieving dork, I was a difficult student in gym class! And here's a fun fact: The only detention I ever received resulted from my attitude in gym class one day.

Phew. I feel . . . lighter having told you my troubled past!


Well, you're about to be schooled. So, take note!

A chin-up . . .

• is performed with an under-handed grip. 
• You start with your palms facing you. 
• The action works your biceps more. 
• Generally, it's an easier way to lift your body.

A pull-up . . .

• is performed with an overhand grip. 
• You start with your palms facing away from you. 
• The action works more on your back versus your biceps. 
• You guessed it, this is much harder.

Now that you know all there is to know. You can get yourself a bar and do one. It's that easy!

WRONG.

Yes. You may want to go out there and see what you can do. Test your "starting ability" . . . so go ahead. If you don't have your own at-home bar (you can get one here), head to the gym. A playground. Anywhere you can find something solid to hang from.

Test yourself. (It's more than OK to fail miserably.)

If you just hang there for a second . . . and then leave hanging again, but this time it's your head in shame (like I did so many times), follow these tips. My method isn't scientific. It isn't clinically proven. It's not even particularly formal in any way. But it's how I magically found myself on the positive side of the bar last week. And every day since.

(((Yeah. I've been doing chin-ups every day now. Not more than one. But one on several occasions per day. Averaging around 4 to 5 each day. I'm not bragging. I'm just letting you know that even the most hopeless of you has, well, HOPE. You really can do it with some practice and determination!)))


1.) Start on the ground. What I used to do instead of the bar in high school was the alternative test for arm strength: Push-ups. I was fierce at them. 25 was the target to hit. And I hit 25 every year. During college, I tried to maintain my ability to do 25 push-ups. And I did practice them off and on. I'd do a couple sets every day for several weeks. Then forget about it for months. Then start up again.

After college, I upped my practice and they became a regular habit. But I never really pushed past the 25 mark. Within the past year or two, I decided to change that. I began the intense, 6-week 100 push-ups program. I never finished it. I didn't even follow the workouts for a terribly long period of time. What it DID get me doing is 3 sets of push-ups in a row. I did what felt OK for my body, and this summer I was up to doing 3 sets -- 50, 65, and 45. One night per week, I'd just do as many as I humanly could. I got up to 80.


If you can't imagine doing a single push-up, don't worry. But I do I suggest starting with your arm strength on the ground versus skipping to the bar. Check out the One Hundred Push-Ups site and build your strength. Take some yoga classes and really focus on the arm strength poses. Get comfortable working your arms. Lifting, even.

Once you're more comfortable, move along and try step 2.


2.) Think negatively. Not about your ability to progress. I'm talking NEGATIVE chin-ups. They work the same muscles, just in a different, more manageable way. Before you know it, your arms will be buff. Capable. Eager.

• Hang for 30 seconds (or more, if you can) like you just pulled yourself up (so in the top position with your chin above the bar). Stand on a chair or, if you have an at-home bar, jump to get into position.
• Then slowly lower yourself down. S.L.O.W.L.Y.
• Do this five times. Twice a day (or more, if you feel comfortable).

IMPORTANT: Lower yourself in a slow and controlled way. You're building strength. As I mentioned above, you use the same muscles on the way down that you use on the way up. This will help teach you muscles how to coordinate with each other.


3.) Forge ahead. When you feel comfortable with your level of strength. Or perhaps if you're just feeling crazy one day . . . try to do a chin-up again. Maybe it won't happen at first. So, you can keep following up with steps 1 and 2. But keep trying. Don't hurt yourself and, of course, listen to the signals your arms are giving you. But try again. And again. And one more time.

The day I did the magical chin-up . . . I didn't know that would be the day to changed everything. I tried it once because Stephen had set the bar up in our kitchen hallway. FAIL. I tried again on my way to bake something. FAIL #2. And then I tried again on my way inside after a run. That's when it all clicked.

I did it! Woah. I. DID. IT!

Since I was able to do it the one time, I've kept trying. I still do my push-ups, but now several times a day, I'll try do to a chin-up. Sometimes I do it, sometimes I don't. But with each time my chin rises above the bar, I'm getting stronger. More able. I'm gaining more confidence, too. And it feels great.


4.) Think holistically. I attribute my ability -- in part -- to my general fitness. Without running, my body wouldn't be as toned overall. My core strength wouldn't be there either. Even though I need to work on it quite a bit. When I do my chin-ups, I can feel my whole body working. Not just my arms. Just something to keep in mind.

One last tip: I don't know if it's endorphins or what . . . but I seem to have more success trying chin-ups after a run. I'll come inside and try right away, while my head is still buzzing from all that activity. Usually I can do one. If I've just gotten up from a couch session, not so much. It may be pure coincidence, but it's worth a try.

As far as moving past just one, I don't have the ability yet. I'm going to keep trying my several times a day method. I'll still incorporate the negative chin-ups. And I'll even just try to do two. A couple times a day. Just try. If you have any tips and/or experiences to share, we'd love to hear 'em. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Marathon Training, Part II and Our At-Home Gym

Hi. So, it's been a while since I've talked running and fitness. I've talked about my feelings and disappointments. But it's time to get busy. And by that, I mean: ONTO MARATHON TRAINING, PART II.

Originally I planned to follow Hal Higdon's Senior Marathon plan after Wineglass. But we all know how THAT race went. As well as how I came to accept my D(id) N(ot) F(inish) standing. Simply put, though, when coming up with my schedule, I had to face the facts: My muscles didn't undergo the trauma of the marathon . . . so my training need not scale back so dramatically.

What am I doing exactly?


(((Please keep in mind that I've already completed a full training plan for the marathon this season. I would never try to run the distance with only 7 weeks of preparation!)))

This is a schedule I crafted using various plans on Hal's site. The mileage is slightly scaled back because I don't want to burn out from all this distance-heavy training. What I didn't include in this chart is the cross-training I'm planning to do. I'm doing more yoga. At least one day per week. I'm doing mini spin sessions at least 15 minutes in length twice a week (after shorter runs). Oh! Each Tuesday run will be a Vibrams run to keep my feet strong and healthy.

I'm also working my way back up to 50+ push-ups (I'm up to 3 sets of 40) and chin-ups.

Yeah. That's right. CHIN-UPs! Earlier in the summer I mentioned it was a goal of mine to do one chin-up. FINALLY I'm able to do one. Just one, though. But I've done that one on several occasions now. I'm slowly trying to work my way up to 10. Hello, negatives. You're my new best friends.

To get in all this yoga, cross-training, and upper-body stuff, you'd think we'd need to join a gym. Right? Not so much. We found a way to take our downstairs areas from this . . .



To THIS . . .


What IS that exactly? Well, it's a bar. That you can connect to any doorway (in other words, it's removable when we DON'T want to feel like we're living in a gym). Perfect for doing chin-ups and pull-ups. Stephen found it at TJ Max this weekend for -- drum roll, please -- $20.



See it now?

Worth.
Every.
Penny.


Stephen, of course, does 50 pull-ups, putting my efforts to shame. But there's tons of space now to follow my workout with a round (or two) of push-ups. Yoga. Even our spinning bike has a clear path to roll and fit snugly in front of the TV for a quick sweat session.


(Not looking so thrilled there.) Usually we watch short shows like Better off Ted, Arrested Development, The Office, and The I.T. Crowd. But we'd love some great spinning DVD suggestions. I'm also thinking about getting some workout DVDs like Jillian Michaels' 30-day Shred everyone's been talking about.

Here's a tip: If you have your own spinner, it's a great idea to put an old yoga mat under it if you have wood floors. It protects from scrapes and sweat!

There. That's better!


For those of you who may not remember, we snagged our spinning bike for $475 at a local sports shop. So, that plus the $20 for the pull-up bar equals just about $500. And that's, well, WAY less than a gym membership for two. All in the comfort of our own home. (Seriously, people, we're notorious for having a gym membership that we never, EVER use!) We also have a few other items, like some 5 pound weights and a kettle bell. For the most part, our strength training is all using our body as the weight.

Does anyone else gym-it at home? As the weather gets colder out, we have genuinely considered joining a real gym. However, we both like running even in the cold. And none of the gym around here are anything to write home about. We'll see. Someday I'd like to get into swimming . . . at least for now, we're not planning to build an indoor pool addition on our house.


Let us know your thoughts -- as well as if you have tips for keeping everything sweet and fresh smelling after major sweat sessions near your dining room table! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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New Fitness Goal: Chin-Up

Strength training has never, ever been my favorite thing to do. To avoid it, I do yoga. But lately, I haven't been doing any at all. Alright. So, I do push-ups. I was doing a ton of them too. I even got up to doing 80 at a time -- until I got busy. I think it's been over a week since I've cranked out my usual sets.

Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty weak. I'm also feeling somewhat unmotivated. Like I need a new goal. You may remember me mentioning in a previous post (Zero Dollar Strength Training) that I'd like to do pull-ups. Even just one would be great!

So, last night I set out to do just that. And look!


I totally rocked it -- look at me go!!! OK, no. I'm completely lying. COMPLETELY LYING, PEOPLE! I tried so very hard to do just one chin-up (because as I learned recently -- a pull-up uses an over-handed grip, chin-up is under-handed) . . . and I failed miserably. It's SO HARD!

But instead of letting that get me down. Instead of viewing my lack of ability as some sort of weakness (well, quite literally it is a weakness that is keeping me from doing a chin-up, but you know what I mean) -- I took it as a challenge. I made it a start to something. Instead of freaking out and walking home with my head hanging in shame, I did a negative chin-up. It's a building block to being able to do the real thing. You just start from the top position and slowly (in a very controlled way, using your muscles) lower yourself to the ground.


I did three repeats of the negative chin-up. Today, I hope to do five. And my goal by the end of the summer is to do a single chin-up successfully. I realize this goal may seem small, but -- at least for me -- this feat seems unimaginable!

Have you recently set any new fitness goals? What are they? And if you can do chin-ups and pull-ups like a pro, please, please, please share with me your secret to success! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaner [at] gmail [dot] com.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!!

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