Deliberate Movement

If you struggle with pullups (or any exercise) because of grip strength - here are some things you can try!

Essentially the idea is:

1.) Find a way to still train the exercise. You can use gloves or wraps to assist your grip OR you can do easier variations.

2.) Do grip exercises afterwards. The simplest one I can think of is a passive bar hang. Both active and passive ones work (that means essentially means shoulders down or shoulders up, respectively), and you can use any angle you want.

3 more exercises that (unexpectedly) improved my life

Here are the 3 exercises types:

-"Unusual" grip training (fingertip pullups are an easy adjustment) -Toe emphasis (easy adjustment on calf raises) -Scapular exercises (done for PT reasons but the stability increased strength potential. Adding this at the top of pushups and bottom of pullups is an easy way to incorporate it. Or you can do it after your regular sets)

Here are some exercises that (unexpectedly) made my life easier!

I tried to pick ones that weren't the obvious ones, like bar hanging etc. I also didn't mention ones that reduced pain, since I feel like that's a slightly different topic.

How do some people stay fit (seemingly without effort)?

More importantly, is there anything we can learn from this that benefits us?

I talk about the role of genetics, lifestyle, and exercise intensity!

We all have talents and we can learn to leverage them to our benefit. When someone is talented and works hard, we can be inspired by what they've accomplished - especially when it pushes the boundaries of what we thought was possible! I believe that people questioned the possibility of a 400lb bench press in the early 20th century. Then a 500lb one. Nowadays, it seems like many fit people can do them with training (though they're still very impressive).

Lifestyle also plays a massive role in our fitness. Not everyone wants to optimize their eating and sleep patterns, but they definitely help for many fitness goals. Just something to consider.

And finally, some people just have an optimized and consistent exercise routine. You don't always hear about them in the gym, but they get their workouts completed in 20-30 intense minutes. This is enough to make consistent progress for many people! The previous two factors also play a role here.

There are many other factors, but these come to mind when people ask me about this

Last year I was on one of my walks and I was Struggling. I was in paaaaaain. But like. my choices were “keep going and get back to my car” or “I live in this park now” so I had to keep going. 

A lot of people work out at this park. I see bikers, hikers, joggers, runners, all sorts. I’d say 99% of them are in better shape than I am. It’s not hard; I’m not in good shape. I rarely care. I’m out there working on me. 

Maybe I just live in a really friendly part of the country (I do), but the cool thing is? I have never once felt judged or belittled by any of the super fit types out there. Usually if we make eye contact they give me a smile and an encouraging nod. On the walk in question, the one where I was struggling big big, a couple passed on bikes, and the woman called out to me, “You’re doing amazing! Great job!” 

It could’ve been seen as condescending but in that moment I knew it was NOT. In that moment it was just…another human saw someone struggling to accomplish something and gave them a few words of encouragement. No joke, her words actually helped ease some of my pain, and I think I even picked up my pace a little. That little bit of encouragement from someone who easily could’ve ignored or even mocked my fat ass for the way I was struggling to walk on a perfectly flat shaded stretch of path gave me SO MUCH energy and motivation. 

I dunno. I guess I just wanted to mention it because I still think about it, almost a year later. I still remember her. I still remember all of the uber-fits who smile at me encouragingly as I struggle along. I still remember all the nods and waves and “gorgeous day isn’t it?” that I get from other people out there at the park. I still think about the looks of commiseration I and other larger folks give to one another as we work. And it’s…nice. 

Maybe there are places where assholes mock large people who are trying to work out. I’m sure there are.

I was always frustrated how my P.E. teachers wanted all of us to go “all-or-none” and basically hurt ourselves without letting us build up from square-one like in the first gif.  Then they’d fuckin yell at us for not doing it right >:|

And remember, many exercises can be modified in this way! I did an image search for “modified pull up” and got exactly what I was looking for right away, which is this:

Doing pull ups on a lower bar, or from the straps with handles that gyms sometimes have (called the TRX - they can also be used to support yourself during squats and some balance exercises) is a lot easier than jumping straight into vertical pullups, and lets you build up that muscle with exercises that are still comfortable and safe for you, so you can do more sets of more reps.