I have been able to do 4 pull-ups with a neutral grip. This is the first time in my life that I have been able to do any pull-ups. I had more strength and lower weight in my 20s but I had bad technique. I now realize I was just going arms and not getting the back into it. It was really hard for me to engage the back and shoulders. Took a lot of just training the starting phase or muscle engagement and timing.
It was a project that I have been working on for this year. I have been dieting and exercising with weight training. I lost about 10 lbs to go from just over 200 pounds to 190 lbs. If I was at my 20-29 year old self I would be 165-170 lbs with more muscle and less fat. First get to 180 in a few months while maintaining muscle and building strength.
I did not train and engage back and scapular muscles. Youtube videos have helped.
I Worked on 30 second and then minute hangs and back – shoulder engagement for a few months. For me my weakness was grip strength, back strength and engaging the back and shoulders at the right time.
The hangs helped my grip. I needed the grip strength and endurance to have the time to perform pullups.
I think better technique and more back and shoulder work and more practice with at home pull up bar can get to 6 in a few weeks. Maybe grind to 8-10 by Christmas.
One other difference in my training over the last few months was actually pushing to real failure in repetitions.
Pushing harder increased strength more and built more mind and body connection.
Get the breathing, focus and nervous system and muscles firing in coordination.
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February I got a DEXA scan & it was 35%. Worse my abdominal region was 49%. I am strong & have trained since I was 16. 58 now. But I ate very sumptuously for too long.
My blood pressure was high. Osteoarthritis & beginning prostate issues.
Time to take action on the spot that same day. Immediately began PSMF and VLC.
I started Losartan which it seems I am sensitive to as my BP dropped to normal in 2-3 days.
Recently I also began Tadalafil 5mg for the prostate symptoms but it has sexual and exercise benefits. Losartan also has great cardio exercise benefits.
Now I am 25% bodyfat & have lost 45 lbs. I intend to continue to 20% maybe by December.
Then I begin eating carbohydrates again as I have been ketogenic much of the last 7 months. I will also increase training volume and have a slight calorie surplus to volumize and grow muscle.
The goal 14% at 100kg. No drugs. This process has not been fun. I have been in deep calorie deficit & glycogen depletion for many months. I can only workout if I take strong preworkout supplements. I dont use caffeine.
Now for the sub 25% phase I will take BHB ketones as I am beginning to notice my brain is needing energy. This phase required intermittent full fasts as my body has adapted to the PSMF which I continue. Also more cardio which will be long nature hikes. I lift weights 4-5 days per week.
Now that I am at a lower bodyfat & have done this for months I have one carb refeed meal per week.
I go to Dennies & have 3 stacked pancakes with bacon, bananas and maple syrup.
I do dead hangs daily as I have DDD osteoarthritis in my slumbar spine. The MRI was ugly. Many advanced bone spurs so dead hangs open up those disks.
You will find pullups from the dead hane are way more difficualt & if you are able to do will declare that the only real pullup.
Losartan also reduces telomeres shortening
I’ve been doing deadhangs 2-3X/day for about a year now. I can do 3-4 underhanded chin-ups on the bar in my doorframe, but no overhand pull-ups. It’s not grip strength. My shoulders give out before my grip does and I can do back and forth 30’X2 (60′) farmer’s walk with two 44lb dumbbells in my apartment followed immediately by 10-15 shrugs, without losing my grip. The ab stuff is a piece of cake, legs straight or knees to chest. It’s my shoulders that give out. I’m starting to try to force my shoulders down when I hang but it feels unnatural and shortens my hang to 15 seconds instead of my normal 40 seconds.
I weigh 172lbs and at 5’10 I have to curl my knees to get my feet off the ground with the bar as high as it will go in my 7′ doorframe. I’m 68 now too, which matters a lot.
I do the deadhang as much to open my spine which is typically stiff when I first get out of bed and from sitting too long at the computer.
Thanks for the inspirational video. I’ll keep at it, though I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do a full pull-up; I’m not sure I ever was.
i can dead hang 3 minutes
Good job 👏, thx for sharing something different than science
your welcome
Awesome, dude! Can you share if any peptides are included in your process?
There is a use-case for locally hosted AI here.
Cameras feeding through PoE to an llm tuned to assess form.
Similar to golf swing analysis.
Taking your own health span outcome into your own hands is powerful.