Thursday, July 9, 2009

Pull-ups (again)

I tried. I swing wildly when I jump up. I can't hold my own weight at the bottom of the negative. John came in & held my feet. It felt like he was really holding me at the bottom. Eh. I tried & will do it again next week.

I love doing straight sets. I feel so strong. Those crazy giant sets kick my ass in an entirely different way. I love them, too, but prefer straight sets.

John & I are taking a couple of days off from work. It's a much needed break for us. We're going to a Camden River Sharks game tomorrow night & Mexican Restaurant on Saturday (we haven't decided where yet). A little mini vacation before he starts his new job.

6 comments:

Wennndy said...

When you come up we'll work on the pullups and how to spot you on them. It's really easy. I spot people all the time, even if they outweigh me by 80+ pounds. It usually only takes a few ounces of help. :)

And remember: you don't have to do them with your palms facing out. Those are really hard to start with. I'm cool with you doing them with your palms facing IN, or better, facing each other.

Deb said...

I woke up this morning thinking (yes, really my first thought), "I'm not engaging my lats." It doesn't matter if I hold my hands facing in or out (I don't have any other option); I'm not engaging my lats. I'm using my arms. I don't think I'm engaging my lats when I do pull-downs either. Something to pay more attention to next week.

stacey said...

Enjoy your mini vacation.

Doin the Math said...

Engaging your lats will definitely help. Use a bench/chair/large dog to stand on and grab the bar. Hold yourself at the top (step off of the chair/bench/large dog), as if you just pulled up. Work on finding your lats there. You should find them pretty easy in that position. Then lower slowly down, getting the negative. The first time I did negatives, I could only do about two with any control. Then I would drop like a rock to the bottom, even trying to do the negative. You will build up fast!

Mini vaca sounds wonderful!! :)

Wennndy said...

Also, instead of pulling yourself UP, think about drawing your elbows to your sides. That makes a big diff.

Doin the Math said...

Ooooo, love that idea, Wendy. I'm going to try that next time!

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