Author Archives: AmandaW

goals, Health/Fitness

The Pull-Up Saga Continues! (Includes advice!)

(First off, no, that’s not a photo of me. Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels.)

So, some people are probably tired of hearing about my continual inability to do even one pull-up. Trust me, I’m more tired of talking about it. 😉

But I think I’ve finally hit upon the formula that works (at least for me) so I wanted to share it.

Short version, do more sets.

Really, I should have realized this sooner, because the basic formula for weight lifting is:

Training Volume = Sets x Reps x Weight

Now, I am aware that there is plenty of debate about the best ways to play with those numbers. But I’m just sharing my experience and what works best for me. 🙂

First of all, I can’t do much weight, so there’s not a lot of wiggle room there. 😉 So that leaves sets/reps.

And actually, even as I’ve gotten stronger and been able to pull more weight, it works better for me to do less weight (to a point) more times.
(This article by Nerd Fitness is my favourite article about getting that first pull-up, and I’ve read a *bunch*. They recommend doing 3 sets/day, 3 times/week. That’s where I started, but I’ve found that I make faster progress doing more sets/day, especially when I’m not able to do very many reps (sometimes I progressed faster than I really should have). The main problem with this method is most of us have to go to work, and we probably don’t have the opportunity to do these exercises several times during our work day. On days when you’re home (or maybe you work from home!) it’s relatively easy to just do a few extra sets (assuming you have a pull-up bar), since each set only takes a couple of minutes. (If you don’t have a pull-up bar at home, I recommend getting one! My husband & I got one from Amazon several years ago and I think it was less than $30. This one, but unfortunately it’s not currently available.))

I’ve been following the guidelines in that article, but also making it my own to a certain extent. I’ve been doing a mix (off-and-on) of assisted pull-ups (with resistance bands) and negatives. (See this post for more info.)

My two main takeaways from that article by Nerd Fitness have been:
1. keep doing your current routine until you can do 5-8 reps/set
2. negatives should NOT be “all out”. Holding them for 3 seconds is good. (As I was getting stronger, my negatives were getting slower and slower, but I was never able to do *more* of them in a set. This seems REALLY obvious now, but I didn’t realize it until I reread that article.)

I have reread (or at least skimmed through) that article *several* times through this adventure, and I frequently notice things that I hadn’t picked up before.

It’s also great to mix things up. When you stop seeing progress, switch from assisted pull-ups to negatives, or vice versa.

Okay, that’s all the advice I have for now! I hope you are seeing progress towards whatever fitness goals you’re currently working towards. And again, if you’d like some extra support, please contact me!

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Goal Setting, Health/Fitness

Training

I post this, not to say how great I am, but as encouragement to all of you. I think sometimes we focus too much on the end goal, and not enough on the process that got us there.

I have completed 2 half-marathons. I have also trained for 2 half-marathons.

Which one of those sentences is more impressive? Running/walking 13.1 miles on the day of the race, or all the miles that led up to that?

Obviously, for a long time I focused on the races. My goal for my second one was to cut my time by about half an hour (wanted to be under 3 hours). I ended up cutting it by 25 minutes which I decided was close enough. 😉

Then I asked myself if I was actually in better shape for the second one, or did I just pace better, push myself harder, . . . the questions go on.

(And yes, to anyone who knows anything about racing, I know that people run *marathons* in less time than it took me for a half. I know it’s not an impressive time. But I finished. TWICE.)

Now I’ve realized that although of course it’s nice to have a medal and a brag-worthy finishing time, it says a lot about me that I put in all those training miles over the months beforehand.

I stuck with it, and that’s something to be proud of.

2018 ~ I know I’m not *quite* over the finish line here, but it shows my time.
2019~ I had read an article about great finish line photos, so I was trying for an awesome jump over the finish line. I think the camera missed it. 😛
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Health/Fitness

Healthy Holiday Hosting

I know I’m late posting for *this* holiday season (2019), although some of you might still have parties planned. BUT, these tips apply year ’round to other types of parties also.

So, as the title suggests, this post won’t necessarily help you as a party *guest*, but as a host you can help your guests out by promoting a healthier atmosphere at your own parties, and hopefully start some new trends. (Also, so many articles have been written for party *guests*, but I haven’t seen much advice to *hosts* on how to make parties healthier.)

pssst . . . Maybe you should send this post to your friends who love to host. 😉

Let’s just get something obvious out of the way: offer healthy appetizers. These can be *in addition* to your other appetizers. I’m not trying to take the fun and the great food out of your celebrations! Have your brownies, cookies, candy or whatever other food you love to serve, but please also have some fruits, veggies, etc for people who would like something healthier.

I know someone who is a FANTASTIC hostess and has some GREAT parties, and she will usually have a large platter with cheese, crackers, and fruit, and it’s delicious and healthy and beautiful and is great to snack on.

But here’s an idea that’s a little unusual. If your party involves a meal, don’t just offer appetizers beforehand, offer the first course. I have been at too many parties where I eat too many appetizers because I’m hungry (oh, and here’s one tip for guests: don’t come hungry. Eat a light, healthy meal before you come, so you’re not hungry. Then you can slow down and enjoy a smaller amount of whatever holiday foods you desire) and then when it’s time to eat the main meal, I’m not really hungry anymore. I don’t mind as much if the appetizers were my favourite part, but sometimes I don’t even like the appetizers *that* much but I eat too many of them because I get so hungry because dinner is delayed.

Has that happened to you? Or is it just me? You were smart and ate something before you came. But they told you dinner was being served at a certain time, but now it’s not ready, and so you’re all waiting . . . and waiting.

Which brings me back to my main point: if you have something that can be served earlier, like a salad, please go ahead and serve that. Maybe just set it out with the appetizers. If people want to wait and have their salad with the rest of the meal, they can (assuming there’s any left 😉 ) but if people are ready for “real” food instead of appetizers, they can start on the salad.

Think of it this way: if you were a party guest that was trying to eat healthier, what would you like to see at a party? And then do that. 🙂

Do you have any other great tips? Let me know in the comments!

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Goal Setting

My Thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions

Why wait to start accomplishing your goals? I like to use this time of year to evaluate what goals I can accomplish *before* the new year starts.

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions, because I say “start now! Why wait?” But this year I probably will, because I have a few big goals (like getting my first pull-up!) that I won’t be able to accomplish by 12/31/2019, but maybe I can by this time next year (or earlier! Don’t put things off thinking “I have the whole year!”).

I also like to make shorter term goals, like things I want to accomplish by my birthday or another significant event.

But there are things I *can* accomplish in the next almost-two-weeks, like books I’ve been meaning to finish, or even smaller tasks like texting friends I’ve been meaning to get in touch with. I want to start the next year (and decade!) with a clean slate.

So let’s view January 1 as a fresh start. Who’s with me?

 

If you liked this post, you may also like Is It Time to Freshen Up Your Goals?

And if you would like some help achieving your goals, Contact Me

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Health/Fitness

Some Thoughts on Calorie Counting

Calorie counting can be easy, maybe even fun, and can allow you to eat the foods you love (yes, really!) and still lose weight.

This is not something I do all the time, but maybe once or twice a year for a few days to a week when I need a check-up.

I use the Fitbit app, primarily because I have a Fitbit tracker and the Fitbit Aria 2 Scale so then everything is in one app, but I also think it is easy to use.

When you keep track of your calories, you make some surprising discoveries. The first time I calorie counted (for a nutrition class in college) I discovered just how many calories are in a Costco muffin. If you have an app that also tracks exercise (like with Fitbit and many others) you might also be surprised to see how *few* calories you burn from your workout, especially compared to the amount of calories in something you’re contemplating eating. 😉

It may sound restrictive, but it’s so much easier these days will all the apps that are out there (even if you don’t have a Fitbit tracker, you can still use the app to track your calories if you want), and I find that tracking my calories in/out allows me to eat whatever I want (in moderation) and still lose weight. Filling up on fruits and/or veggies is a great way to quiet hunger without adding too many calories. And then I can have ice cream, chocolate, or any other fun food that I want! As long as I have a small enough portion. 🙂

Don’t get hung up on perfectionism. 😉 If I’m eating something out of a package, it’s SO easy to track it in an app. You can just scan the barcode, double check the info (especially the serving size) and save it. But what if I actually *made* the food, and my recipe doesn’t have nutrition info? A tip I learned from a friend was, just guesstimate it. 🙂 The apps have databases built in, and if you made spaghetti sauce, for instance, just pick an option that’s already there, rather than trying to make a custom option. [Although, I have done that if I have the time and it’s something that I think I’ll be eating a lot. For instance, one time I made my salad like I normally would, except I measured everything. Then, when I made a salad again, I could just use the info that I saved from the time I measured.]

Although calorie counting can be a lot of work, when I’m consistent about it, I feel good, I don’t feel deprived (again, I eat what I want, just in moderation) and I lose weight healthfully.

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Goal Setting

Is It Time to Freshen Up Your Goals?

Lately I’ve been thinking about goals. When you reach a goal, what do you do?

I don’t recommend necessarily increasing the same goal (such as “I cut 2 minutes off my 5K time, now I’ll cut 5 minutes off!”). For one thing, as you get in better and better shape, you start to plateau, and reaching those goals will become harder and harder.

Instead, focus on something else. For instance, “Okay, I’m eating a salad every day. Now I need to add more exercise.” OR “I’ve been doing a lot of cardio, now I need to work on flexibility.” Or maybe your new goal doesn’t even have to be fitness related. “I want to focus on reducing stress” or “spending more time with close friends”.

What you DON’T want to do is to stop growing, reaching, learning, and trying.

What are your current goals? Remember, I’m here if you want to talk about how we can work together on those. 🙂

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Healthy Recipes I Really Like

In no particular order, here is a random assortment of healthy recipes that I like (and bonus, all of these are easy recipes too!):

Overnight Oats: This particular recipe is good, although I think I prefer without the lemon. One great thing about this idea is that once you’ve got the basics down, you can really vary it with different fruits, different spices/flavours, etc.

Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentils: This is so easy and good. 🙂 I make this pretty often, plus I freeze several servings and it’s one of my favorite things to take to work for lunch.

Crock-Pot Vegetarian Chili: This is just a super easy super basic chili recipe, and when I make it it’s pretty boring because I leave out the extra seasonings and just depend on the onions and what’s in the canned chili beans. (But I’m actually thinking I might have made it TOO boring now. 😉 ) I have a very low tolerance for hot/spicy foods, which is why I started making my own chili. Also, in my quest to decrease my consumption of animal products, I find that it’s easier to use less sour cream in my chili if it’s milder. 🙂

Zucchini Noodles (AKA Zoodles): Although this isn’t really a “recipe”, their 3rd method is the best/easiest way to cook these. You just put your sauce and your zoodles all in the same pan and cook them together.
Bonus: you only get one pan dirty. 🙂 I’m a big fan of using zoodles, because it’s an easy way to swap some carbs for an extra serving of veggies.

What are YOUR favorite recipes?

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Body Hygge

Hygge (pronounced hue-guh). It’s a word that’s been popular lately. It’s defined as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture).”

Hygge is usually used to refer to soft blankets, flowers, candlelight, etc. But what if we applied it to how we view our bodies?

In How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life, author Signe Johansen postulates that maybe people worry less about what their body looks like in a culture where strength is important to get you through a hard winter, and where there’s a lot less of the year for parading around in skimpy clothing.

That really got me thinking. I wish I could say that I no longer care what my body looks like, but that would be a lie. 😉 BUT, through my journey of discovering my love for exercise, I’ve realized a few things:

#1 It’s much easier to gain strength than to lose fat. Assuming of course that you are the average, sedentary individual, and you don’t have a specific disease/disability preventing you, you can workout and not worry too much about what you eat, and you WILL gain muscle/strength. Aerobic exercise in particular is still helping your heart, whether you’re losing weight or not. If you are working out, you *will* be stronger AND healthier, whether or not you look any different on the outside.

#2 Working out makes you feel AMAZING. I know, I know, you’ve tried it and that’s not how it made you feel. 😉 It can take a few tries sometimes. Find something you enjoy. But the endorphin rush is real. Besides, working out boosts your self-esteem. I used to think it was just me. I noticed that when I worked out, I felt better about myself. Kind of like “I may be overweight, but I workout“. 😉 BUT, it’s been studied, and it turns out I wasn’t the only one!! Plus, aerobic exercise has proven benefits in regards to anxiety and depression.

#3 It helps to have different goals. For instance, when I was training for my half marathon, I was also (irregularly) working on strengthening my core. When I finished my half marathon and spent more time on overall body strengthening, I started to notice that my core was (finally) getting stronger. Things like core strength can improve really slowly, but I had been so focused on my running that I was able to work on my core without overthinking it and getting discouraged. I have several goals that I work on at the same time, and when it seems like I’m not making any progress on one, I’ll often find that I’m finally making progress on another.

The bottom line is, eat and move to *be healthy* and to *feel good*, and stop worrying about what you look like for swimsuit season. 😉

Have some goals you need help with? Or need help even knowing where to start? Maybe I can help! 🙂

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Health/Fitness

Reviews ~ At home workout programs: Fitbit Coach, BOD, Aaptiv, Daily Burn

NOTE: Originally published here on March 13, 2018

If you’ve been following my blog at all, you know that I’ve been really into running lately. But I still like to mix it up, especially if it’s really raining. So, I’ve been on the search for a good at home workout program. Here are four programs I’ve tried, and my thoughts on each. These all offered free trials, so you could try them all yourself. BUT, if you don’t feel like signing up for multiple websites/apps, maybe I can save you some time and trouble. 😉

**If you don’t feel like reading all of this, scroll down to my “Conclusion”. 🙂

Fitbit Coach (used to be Fitstar) ~ ($40/year, about $3.33/month or there’s a monthly version for about $8/month) This was the first one I tried (back when it was still called Fitstar), because it was associated with Fitbit. As a Fitbit user, I do appreciate the integration, although it’s not necessary. [You do NOT need to own a Fitbit. (But if you do want to own one, I really like the model I currently have.)] When you start out, you answer some questions to figure out your fitness level, and for me, it was pretty accurate. 🙂 It will also ask you after every exercise if it was too hard, just right, or too easy, but I’m not sure they actually use all that data as much as they sort of imply that they do. But either way, it worked for me. You choose a program based on your goals, and Fitbit Coach chooses workouts for you. Eventually you’ll end up with one you’ve already done, but there are quite a few. That was one thing I really appreciated was the variety. I had a free trial of this, I think for a month, and I consistently worked out 3 times/week during that whole period (which was a BIG deal for me). The website (I haven’t really used the app, because I prefer to watch the workouts on a bigger screen, but I assume it works the same way) really “incentivizes” you, by giving you a “Momentum” rating. If you do your workouts consistently, your “Momentum” goes up, but if you take a break, it starts to go back down. That might sound silly to some, but for someone who wasn’t in the habit of exercising, it was a big help. 🙂 When my free trial ended, I tried jumping around on YouTube watching free workout videos, but it was hard to find ones that were my level, and I didn’t have the “Momentum” to keep me motivated. 😉 But seriously, with Fitbit Coach it’s a lot easier to find the type of workout I want to do. Since I’ve been back into working out, I’ve gone back to using Fitbit Coach when I want an indoor workout on a rainy day. I really like the workouts. I’m still using the free version (since my trial ran out) so there are only a handful of the workouts I can do, but since I’m mostly running outside, that’s been enough variety for me. I’m seriously considering signing up again though, because I do really like it. It’s a bummer that you have to commit for a year, but for the price, I still think it’s a really good deal.

[UPDATE 6/29/18: I upgraded a couple days ago, and I’m loving it EVEN MORE. I’m trying “Get Strong” whereas last time I was doing “Get Lean” and it even had me work on assisted pullups, which I was already planning to do but I thought I’d have to do them on my own. My only disappointment is the music, but if you’re more familiar with current popular music you’d probably like it more. I’ve just been playing YouTube in the background.

Also, I don’t know how often they add new workouts, but I noticed they added some HIIT workouts and I think some other new ones, so I’m excited for even more variety. 🙂 They also have audio workouts which I look forward to trying soon.]

There are also some audio coaching programs for running (available on the app only) but they aren’t available on the free version so I haven’t tried them.

There is a separate app, Fitstar Yoga, which you have to pay for separately. I’ve never tried that one (partially because you have to use it on your phone/tablet), but the prices are about the same.

I can’t tell if Fitbit Coach still offers free trials. But you can use the free version. If you sign up for Premium, use this referral code and we each get a free month! Code: SRPRCL (Looks like they’re partnering with Ebates right now too, so you might want to sign up for that if you haven’t already. 😉 )

Beachbody On Demand ~ (About $8-$13/month, depending on length of commitment)

I enjoyed doing these workouts. But I think this would be better if you’re looking to start a whole new fitness regime, including a new diet. This website offers nutrition advice, which most of the other programs here do not offer, and they also sell supplements.

Although you can jump around, it seems sort of designed that you pick one program (which might be designed for a month, six weeks, etc) and you get the workouts and the diet plan for that program.

For me, I just want to log on and do a workout now and then, and for that, I think I’d do something else, both for the price and the format of the website.

BUT, the workouts were fun, and this is still surprisingly reasonably priced (unless you buy the supplements, then you’d be spending more money), so I think it could be a great fit for some people.

If you’re interested in giving BOD a try, drop me a message and I’ll get you connected with a great coach!

Customer Service Note: I accidentally cancelled *after* my trial ended, and I was worried that I was going to get charged a lot of money, but they refunded it automatically, without me even asking (I was just a day late or something). 🙂 That really impressed me, and is a point in their favor for me possibly signing up someday. 🙂

Aaptiv ~ (about $9-$15/month, depending on length of commitment) This one is actually different from the others, because it’s strictly audio, not video workouts. I was excited to use it for outdoor runs. First of all, I wish there was text in the description telling you exactly what you’d be doing. (There IS for Fitbit Coach!!) I started with a “beginner” workout, but quickly learned that it was WAY too easy. Then I tried an “intermediate” workout, and at first I was frustrated because I thought it was getting too hard, but I actually did it, and ended up with a personal best on my pace! So, overall I liked it, but not enough that I would pay for it. Also, I didn’t like that you can’t pick the music. There are different genres to choose from, sure, but you can’t listen to your own music and just have the talking track be separate. The first one I did was “pop”, which I thought I would like, but I didn’t, but then for the intermediate run I tried “country”, which I actually ended up liking.

What I would *really* like (and maybe someone already makes this), is something that would actually connect to your GPS tracker and be based off of your pace, not just perceived effort. I have several running apps that track my pace, obviously, and will announce it to you every mile or so, or you can look at your device, but I mean something that will help you calculate a goal pace, and then instead of just coaching you to jog and then run and then jog and then run, it could say “now maintain this pace, now maintain this pace”. I don’t know, maybe I’m overthinking it. 😉 ANOTHER feature I’d really like, is if something like this let you input what your training goal is, like if you have an event coming up, and what your deadline is, and then help you develop a training plan. Oh wait, I think MapMyRun might do that, but it didn’t have a free trial. :-/

Customer Service Note: I was having a technical problem with one of the workouts and the customer service people were quick to respond with a solution. 🙂 One tip though, they state on their website that you need to cancel your trial at least 48 hours in advance, because it might take that long for them to process it, and they state that they will *not* offer refunds. I barely cancelled in time.

Daily Burn ~ (About $10-$20/month, depending on length of commitment AND level of service) I expected to like Daily Burn the best, because it has SO many workouts available, and the ads made it look really cool. 😉 Plus, it was the most expensive, so I figured there must be some reason to justify that. Daily Burn does have more *types* of workouts: Abs Core, Barre, Cardio Strength, Dance, Kettlebell, Kickboxing, Mobility, Pilates, Strength, and Yoga. And they have something like 1,000 workouts with a new one posted daily. But I was disappointed in trying to find something at my level. Beginner seemed about right, but when I searched for beginner cardio, there’s 30 workouts (which is pretty good) but I don’t have weights, so when I limit it by no equipment needed, it narrows it down to 16, (which is still a pretty good number, but) most of which are only about 10 minutes long. I thought about trying to string some of the 10 minute ones together, but they’re by the same instructor and after trying a couple of her videos for a couple minutes each I just didn’t really like her style. I finally found one I liked, and I plan to continue trying new ones until my trial runs out, but it’s just not even close to worth it to me for the price. Also, in the commercial, it shows a questionnaire that looks like it’s supposed to help you find videos that are right for you, but I haven’t been able to find that.

I tried a yoga video too, and it was okay, but I actually prefer this one that I’ve been doing on YouTube. So, again, if you just really crave variety, I guess this is the one for you, but for me it was almost overwhelming just *how much* there was to choose from. 😉

They’ve also recently added audio workouts, including a few for outdoor running (there are also several other categories). The first thing I noticed when comparing these to Aaptiv, is that they aren’t categorized by music genre. The one I ended up trying was just sort of generic electronic workout music. I think these types of workouts just aren’t my thing, but they’re a new feature on Daily Burn, and they’re only included in the Premium membership.

Conclusion

Fitbit Coach is actually my favourite, by far! I’m surprised to say that. It honestly has NOTHING to do with how much I love my Fitbit tracker. I just really prefer the style of the workouts, the variety, AND the price.

Fave features of Fitbit Coach:

#1 It found workouts for me that were appropriate to my fitness level. This was huge for me. After starting and stopping workout programs numerous times, and feeling bad about myself for not being up to what I considered an appropriate level for my age, having a workout program that fit me was very exciting. 🙂 For instance, I don’t have much core strength, and the workouts would include exercises such as pushups against a wall. Not just an instructor saying “you can adapt this by doing such-and-such”. The person in the video is actually doing push-ups against a wall. 🙂 I just feel like I can’t tell you how happy it made me to see that.

The rest of the things aren’t such a big deal. It just has a lot of nice features. It comes with some music, but you can pick genres and can even turn that off (sometimes I just listen to my own music) but if you do use their music, it will automatically lower the volume when the instructor is talking.

Here’s a screenshot of some of the features I like:

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It’s kind of hard to describe what the workouts are like, but instead of the typical (I would say pretty much universal) style where there’s a room full of people and an instructor and it’s like a workout class that’s been filmed, this is little clips of different exercises spliced together. It’s calmer, although still peppy (and again, you get to pick your own music). You choose a male coach or a female coach, and you hear their voice intermittently during the workouts, but on the screen it’s just one person at a time going through the workouts. Oh, that reminds me of another fave feature:

Every time you do an exercise, it’s exactly the same. After watching enough workout videos, you start to realize that there are only so many exercises. 😉 But, every instructor tends to demonstrate them a bit differently, and there are variations. But with this, every time when I’m supposed to do “Star Skaters” it’s the same clip of the same person doing it. One of my main objections to most workout programs is that the choreography is a little complicated, and I feel like I’m tripping over my own feet, or doing exercises incorrectly and risking injury. But with this, I really learn the exercises, but unlike watching the same workout video again and again, there’s variety, because it’s different exercises in a different order. Like I said, it’s those individual clips spliced together, with a voiceover by a coach, so there’s a bunch of combinations. It’s the only program I’ve seen like this.

There are SO many more things I could say about Fitbit Coach, but I really think you need to just try it for yourself. 🙂

I’m sorry for the length of this post, I’m just really passionate about this program. 🙂

Too long, didn’t read? Try Fitbit Coach! And if you sign up for Premium, use this referral code to get a free month! Code: SRPRCL (Looks like they’re partnering with Ebates right now too, so you might want to sign up for that if you haven’t already. 😉 )

If you know of one (or more!) online programs that I’ve missed, please let me know in the comments!

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Routines I’ve Tried for Getting That First Pull-Up (Still Waiting, but Making Progress)

So, as I’ve said before, I still am not able to do my first pull-up.

But I have learned some things along the way.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be able to do a pull-up (or a chin-up, I’d be happy with either, but I’m starting with pull-ups). Several years ago my husband bought one of those pull-up bars that fits in a doorway. He was using it a lot, but I got discouraged because I couldn’t do one and didn’t know how to start trying.

Assisted Pull-ups with a Chair:

Then a friend shared a trick with me. She told me to put a chair under the pull up bar, and use my legs as much (or as little) as I needed.

I was excited to try it, since when you do that you get through the whole range of motion. I started with 10 reps (1 rep being a pull up and letting yourself back down. I tried to go down slowly so that I was working my arms in both directions.) I was doing that about every other day.

Negative Pull-ups:

Similar to my friend’s idea with the chair, except you just climb up to the pull-up bar and then lower yourself down as slowly as possible. Although this is a great method, if you’re just starting out (like I was) I recommend keeping a foot on the chair (or using resistance bands) so that you’re not just free-falling. 😉

I think negatives work the best for me. I saw a video online that mentioned that doing negatives really just makes you better at negatives, which makes sense, but I *am* able to pull myself up farther, even though my progress might be slow.

Assisted Pull-ups with Resistance Bands:

So, I got super excited about this because it seemed so cool to be able to actually pull myself up, even if it was with help. But then *after* purchasing them, I did some *more* reading, and resistance bands have disadvantages because the “help” isn’t even (more help when the band is stretched more at the bottom, less help as you get up towards the pull-up bar), plus there can be momentum from the band kind of snapping back into its unstretched position.

But, I went ahead and tried them. But honestly, I don’t think I gained much/any strength using them. I think negatives work better for me. But I also think I might go back to them sometimes, because using them would be better than not doing anything, and it gets discouraging when I’m not seeing improvement.

Other Exercises:

I haven’t actually tried this, mostly because I like to keep things simple. But there’s a lot of info out there on the web if you want to try exercises like ring rows to build up the muscles you need for pull-ups.

My Routine:

This has evolved as I’ve continued to read and try things, but basically this is what I did/do with most of the methods I discussed, unless stated otherwise:

Do as many reps as I can
Break for 2 minutes
Repeat until I can’t do any more
The whole process takes less than 10 minutes (although I guess it could take longer if you’re stronger)

I currently use negatives, and so where I used to several pull-ups if I was using the resistance band, now I only do 1 negative before resting for 2 minutes. But that’s if I do a REALLY good negative. REALLY slow. If I don’t try as hard I could do more. So it’s something you have to figure out for yourself.

However, I found that I wasn’t making progress any more with that, so I decided to do that 2-3x/day (which is hard if you’re at work all day and don’t have access to a pull-up bar). Then I still wasn’t making progress, so I decided to do it 3-5x/day, but that hasn’t been working, because of logistical reasons (like being away from my bar) and just flat not wanting to do that. 😉 So . . . I’m still figuring it out.

What’s your favorite method? Do you have any tips? Do you want to join me on this journey? Let’s chat in the comments! 🙂

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