It's week 14 and I'm finally getting a good hold on the pull-ups ! At last, no need to kipp anymore !
BTW, I just updated the pull-up page so read out for more info on how to get there and prevent injuries, it's really worth it to save your shoulders.
So I have reached 8 in a row without letting go. But I'm sure I can reach much more. How about 20 ? 30 ? 40 ? Let's set the target to 20 by the 31st of August alright ?
To be honest, I am still using the momentum and raise my leg to help me put the chin high enough when I get tired. How about you ?
Are you watching the Arrow ? That guy is a cool hero who didn't get any special superpower, he just trained super hard !
Check this out :
28/07 Mon Morning :
5*5 Pull ups
Evening :
5*5 Pull ups
1*5 Chin ups
29/07 Tue
Ares : 9.15 (New PB!)
Squat Max : 243 (New PB!)
30/07 Wed
REST
31/07 Thu Morning :
Hyperion : 22.28
Evening :
Ares : 8.51 (New PB!)
Squat Max : 251* (New PB!)
Yes, I took one extra week to finish my workout week. After a trip to Thailand where I was too busy and tired to focus on that, I'm now back in HK.
After doing the last workout, it's funny how you quickly forget how good you feel after one of those.
It's there's this lazy habit that makes you believe you feel better when not doing sport.
For this one week without sport, I actually felt much more stressed, I also felt sicker and weaker, and less confident. I was even thinking like "what's the point?" etc...
But luckily, this blog is a good reminder of why this is important, and that I have to keep on, until it really becomes a habit, something I automatically do without finding excuses.
Because, you can always find 30 min in the day right ?!
So yesterday, came back home, dinner was gonna be ready in 15 min, so I thought, "can't do my Hades, but definitely can do some Max!".
Time to get rid of my final mental limitations!
To get you inspired this week, here is the performance of Kacy Catanzaro in American Ninja Warriors : she is just AMAZING !
21/07 Mon
REST
22/07 Tue
Push up max : 47*
Pull up max : 14* (New PB!)
Squat max : 215*
OK, so last week was a bit busy, and I turned a bit lazy, but now is the time.
Despite the short time available, I need to stick to my sport in the morning.
Last week I was talking about this book I'm reading : Convict Conditioning.
Thanks to Wade's insight, I'm adjusting the pull-up.
Instead of "kipping", which means jumping and then trying to control the way down, I will rely on two other methods : Bodyweight rows, and Half Pull-ups (with assisting band).
Why ?
On different sites, Kipping is not recommended as a good step towards mastering the pull-up.
First thing to know : when hanging, your shoulders should always be "tucked in". If they are not, the weight will not be on your muscles but on the fragile joints and tendons of the shoulders. I have felt some pain in the shoulder recently, and to be on the safe side, I'm gonna work on this. How to make sure your shoulders are tucked in ?
Never extend the arm completely when hanging. At least keep a slight bend in the elbow. This will ensure your muscles on arms and back are holding the weight and the shoulders are not under pressure.
"Think of using your lats, not your biceps. All this will take is
having a friend poke you in the lats a few times right before you begin
the movement.
Pull your shoulder blades back and down."
My new pull-up style :
This week I'm gonna switch from kipping to doing either half-pullups or bodyweight rows.
Half pull-ups is like a pull-up, except you don't go lower than when you elbow makes a 90-degree angle.
Body-weight row :just see the pic below or go here. These are also very good it seems to develop the back muscles required to do a proper pull-up.
New target :
Master the freestanding handstand for at least 30 seconds.
I will start by doing the frog stand and also handstand pushups on the wall.
30/06 Mon
Hades : 26.32
01/07 Tue
REST
02/07 Wed
REST
03/07 Thu
REST
04/07 Fri
Hades : 26.59
05/07 Sat
REST
06/07 Sun
REST
07/07 Mon
Poseidon : 6.27
08/07 Tue
Aphrodite : 26.20* (New Groundbreaking PB!)
OMG ! This week I'm so late. I have got a bit lazy to get up early in the morning (and also a bit busy), but now is the time to get back on track !
