How many pull/chin-ups can you do in a row?

[ScarletArrow]

So earlier this summer, while at LaPoint ski park, a ski buddy jumped up and grabbed one of the support beams on the dock and cranked out 13 pull-ups in a row. I was impressed. He had just come through cancer treatments, lost some weight, got into the gym and, of course, back to skiing. Another ski friend, by consistently going to the gym, went from zero pull-ups to 3.

 

My thought is the upper body muscles you use for pull-ups are the same when you are in a stacked position. A great pre-season workout.

[Chuck_Dickey]

10 pull-ups before each set, 2 set average. I try to hold my knees up while doing them.

[Razorskier1]

I'm stronger pulling than pushing. Always have been.

[Than_Bogan]

I think I could do 4 . Wouldn't bet much on it...

 

My arms are too long for that stuff. Oh yeah and I'm weak.

[rayn]

Doesn't do anything for my stacked position which sucks.

[BraceMaker]

IMO opposite muscles. Pull ups mostly elbow flexors, last etc.

 

I hand over hand climb rope with out legs and once you can do 15 pull ups the next 5 go pretty easy.

 

Push ups agility hips and core.

[Wish]

I do my pulling in the course. But I will say I had the best strength to weight ratio I ever had was 1.5 years outa Chemo. Also one of the best ski seasons I ever had. NOT a recommendation for weightless. In fact.....have you made your dermatologist appointment????

 

On track to having another year like that but lost the weight this time by not stuffing pie (breads/starches) in my pie hole. Strength to weight ratio matters. Will see. But leaving all the pulling to lake time.

[Skoot1123]

It's great for not wanting to be sore your first set of the year. I'll give one workout in particular credit - P90X3 Challenge. Push ups and pull ups for a half hour solid. Brutal - but I love it. Absolutely kills your arms/chest/back/core. I have been skiing better this year, but less frequently. So not sure about correlation to stacked position.

[dchristman]

I really didn't have any idea. I just read this after being out having several good IPA's (Stone Unapologetic? Un-something, not on their website) and went down to my ski handle hanging under the deck. I did 16, could probably do a few more. I can't see how it helps with the stack, but whatever helps! I"ll do more!

[Horton]

I do not do them in the summer but in the winter I do sets of 12 pull-ups and dips

[mopowpow]

I got up to 9 pull-ups last spring before I started skiing, not bad for a woman in her early 50s.... I could do more pull-ups than all of the other female trainers put together at my gym :) I used the following workout from Charles Poliquin: http://www.poliquingroup.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/1105/How_to_Radically_Improve_Your_Chin-Ups_in_16_Weeks.aspx

This was the strongest I had ever felt starting the season, great grip!

[6balls]

10-15 for one set...then I'm gassed and wouldn't get 10 the next set and lucky to get 5 in another set. Better pusher than puller unlike my big bro @razorskier1 who is opposite but no slouch either way. Can do 100 push ups or 50 plus dips (or 15 dips with two 45 lb plates chained to my weight belt)...and at one time just missed 30 reps on the bench at 225.

[kstateskier]

Bought a pull up tower several years ago and could only do 3-4 real ones without all the kicking and cheating that goes on in a pull up. These days I can easily do 3/ sets of 15+. At one time I was up to 3 sets of 20. Pull ups are a great ski/back exercise. Seems like theyre slow to come along and leave ya fast if you don't do them once or twice a week!

[6balls]

I've got a couple of gymnast sized former ski team buddies that can do pull ups til the cows come home...just silly. Amazing power to weight ratios.

[MrJones]

Horton. I will need to see video evidence of that my brother.

[Brady]

Had a family dinner at a park this last Sunday and my nephew who just started playing football at BYU called me out and we had a pull up competition. This old fat man did 10....11 short of my nephew. Grrrr!!!

[Horton]

@MrJones doubt my skiing but not my word. I have not done any on months. I will do now. CRAP.

[Horton]

@MrJones

yep. Just did 10 (slow and correct) and stopped as the tendons are not happy

[skibug]

I need better definition of a pull up/chin up. I do mine overhand and wide, not momentum assisted. 3 sets of 8-10 in the off season as part of my workouts. Palm up, close grip....different story, much easier.

[Chef23]

I used to be in the 10+ group but I hurt my shoulder and think I could do 5 or 6 now.

[bishop8950]

In a set can do about 25-30 kipping pretty quick, or about 20 strickt and slow. Skiing alone makes me strong for chin ups.

[Drago]

So, my first Pro event in Chicago (desPlains, actually), the navy had a booth with a pull -up bar challenge. Not sure of the reason for the booth, but Lucky, after he skiid, did 100 legit pull ups. Seriously.

[Nando]

As a fat old man I can still do 21-22. As a skinny high school kid I did 48 to be a gym class hero. Lucky's 100 is the feat of a god.

[Dusty]

To work back muscles better, I do pull-ups with wide grip. 20+ strict, (30+ is the goal before Sept.) Haven't skied a lot this year so can't say it helps much there but it does enhance the sore muscle recovery and makes tying my shoes a little easer on the days after skiing...

[mwetskier]

i can do one half of one if my toes can reach the ground.

[Texas6]

Pull-ups are a staple in my workout regimen and largely responsible in my opinion for my lack of ski related tendinitis. I used to get it every season and it has been a thing of the past for the last few seasons. Big tan of the pull-up

[Edbrazil]

Back in the back-back when, the standard was 15 pull-ups for the Marine Corps fitness test.

Which max'd out your score, so no need to do more.

 

That was back in the early 1960's. If my eyesight had been better, I would have been a pilot, but

I ended up serving in the reserves. Where they kept threatening to send us to Viet Nam.

 

These days, maybe I could do one or two. I'll have to give it a try.

[MrJones]

I guess this goes to technique. I do wide grip, palms down, hanging to full shoulder flexion pull ups as part of my winter work out. 3 sets of 10. I haven't done close grip, palms up, bicep pull ups in years as I struggle with biceps tendonitis. I would think that by doing palms up and short stroking a bit I could knock out a few. (Not going to try it 1 week before nationals though!)

[Than_Bogan]

@mopowpow Add you to the list of women I find in every gym who can do more than I can in pretty much every exercise...

 

But more strength always matters, even when the absolute numbers are low. So I'll keep walking up to the bench and taking off those plates that the last woman left behind!!

[jimbrake]

Real. Not kipping. And right now, with my elbow issues, more like 5 until pain is the stopper. Pull-ups are pretty easy to train for improvement. Just do 'em. I know I can get into the 12 to 15 range with a week of training. This elbow is really slowing me down right now.

 

Weight-lifters/trainers: what do you think about deadlifts, snatches, cleans and squats for skiing? Water or snow I think they are all good.

[skidawg]

I am a legend in my own mind, 20 plus not strict, not during ski season

[skierjp]

Lucky can also do pull ups one handed, try that!!!!

[lagdawg]

Real here as well can do more kipping. Right now I'm dealing with a shoulder injury so I'm only doing banded pull ups so I don't lose scapular tension in my injured shoulder. Otherwise anything hanging from a bar is out (ie Toes 2 Bar) as are push-ups, dips and bench press.

 

Funny thing is that Snatches don't bother me at all and Jerks only bother me occasionally.

 

I think that as long as I am recovering properly then any of those compound weight-lifting movements are great for my skiing. They work the whole body and I can definitely tell I'm stronger and more fit. Where I really noticed it was after big OTB jumping a couple weekends ago I never really got sore or hurt anywhere. I attribute that to my increased core strength/mobility/flexibility from performing those lifting movements. Granted I have drunk the Crossfit kool-aid so some people may discredit my comments just because of that.

[Chef23]

@lagdawg‌ I feel your shoulder issue I haven't done any real upper body work since February. I am only right now starting to do some rowing. My legs and core are pretty good but I haven't even really deadlifted seriously since then.

[Shortenit]

A year ago would do a set of 12 strict as part of my workout. Zero since shoulder injury last August. After a year of rehab with initial improvement but none in several months I'm heading to HSS in NY for 2 consults with the Giants and Jets ortho's. Need to know if surgery is a realistic option or am I going to have to live with it. Have been able to ski in a limited way but at my age I'm more concerned about long term effects. Getting older sucks enough without a disability.

[TylerR]

I do 10 as part of my warm up every day in the gym

[mopowpow]

@jimbrake, the olymic lifts are great for skiing, both water & snow. I like to do Romainian Deadlifts (slight bend in knee) to work the lower back, glutes, and hammies. Also do 'ass to the grass' or 'leave a stain' squats, deep squats are great for the lower body, you will probably need to drop the weight if currently doing 1/2 squats. I also do a lot of front squats, they recruit the core more than a back squat, and can't be cheated! When waterski season is over I spend some time doing split squats, especially with the front foot on a low bench. This helps balance out my legs and works on range of motion prior to getting into regular squats and deadlifts. I also do split squats with the back leg on a low bench.

[mopowpow]

@Than_Bogan‌, do you know when most women that lift, lift heavier when they know they can beat a guy in the gym? This mentality got me through a plateau last spring.... I was stuck at 6 pull-ups, saw a young pup struggle to do 6. I then made it to #7 on my next set, about puked, but got it! One of my clients about peed himself laughing when he figured out what I was doing...

[Than_Bogan]

@mopowpow Wow I never realized what a useful service I am providing! I can't imagine how many female lifters I have helped!!

[Chef23]

I am amazed by the number of people that can do 20+ pull ups. That is very impressive 20 is a ton of pull ups.

[kfennell]

@chef23 Yeah that is pretty impressive, the only time I've been able to do that many is when I was delivering party supplies 16 hours a day. That is the best exercise on earth! I am limited by a shoulder injury now so I cant do more then a few, but I think I could do 7-10 if I wasnt hurt.

 

Edit: I just did 4 :( I think people might be confusing chinups with pullups?

[MillerTime38]

@chef23, it is like the saying "everyone can run 38 on the internet" but substitute 20 pull ups for

 

[Chef23]

3 mile run in under 18 minutes is flying never mind doing the whole thing in under 18 minutes.

[Razorskier1]

I never do these during the season. In fact, I don't go to the gym during the season. I have two seasons -- ski season, when I do nothing but ski, and gym season, when I train to ski. Can't say that pull ups in and of themselves matter in skiing. I did find this winter that doing cross fit with Jenny LaBaw made my core much stronger and made staying stacked and quiet on the ski much more consistent.

[jimbrake]

"do you even lift, bro?"

 

If you don't know what that means, search for it on YouTube. Pretty funny.

[Klundell]

@jimbrake ^^^^ ha ha ha and I'm a huge fan of the Olympic lifts and every lift that goes with training them. They are lifts that require a tremendous amount of pulling strength, with speed, agility, flexibility, and balance. Almost sounds like waterskiing. Do some heavy triples of hang cleans without putting the bar down and some kipping pull ups and you won't even be sore on your first day of skiing after the winter.

[DefectiveDave]

I haven't tried these in years and now I remember why. Managed to get 7 while kicking like a baby on the last 2. Felt like I almost blew out my sphincter. I ski to trick myself into exercising, no more of this crap.

[jimbrake]

@klundell - do you keep training during the ski season? I try to ride two days, swim one, and ski the others. After that I'm all give out. Come October I'll hit the weight room.

[Texas6]

I cut my lifting down to 3 days a week during the ski season instead of 4-5 and I cut out heavy deadlifts. I also try to always ski prior to my workout (early morn sets). That seems to work well for me

[6balls]

I had to look up a kipping...that's no chin-up...that's a momentum game with a certain technical component and also requires strength and endurance to do a pile of 'em. Apples to apples that is a different event than chin-ups...a pulling power to weight ratio game just like dips are a pushing power to weight ratio game.