Reddit reviews Perfect Fitness Pullup Assist Exercise Equipment, Red
We found 3 Reddit comments about Perfect Fitness Pullup Assist Exercise Equipment, Red. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Get Stronger and maximize your pull-up workoutImprove your Form with adjustable assistance allowing you to focus on techniqueVersatile System attaches to any pull-up bar
I got these: http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Fitness-Pullup-Exercise-Equipment/dp/B00BFCWA1E/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1373927794&sr=8-6&keywords=pull+up+assist+bands
I would highly HIGHLY recommend them. I went through 70 days of not even being able to come close to doing a pull up to being able to do about 7 with the bands. Also some people will recommend negatives and chair assist, those just were not working for me and I did not progress just doing those.
I'm 55 years old and I started the beginner routine 12 months ago. I've been biking and running for 12 years so I was in good shape aerobically, but I had no upper body strength.
I started with the beginner routine, but I went with the easiest possible options - like inclined push-ups on steps, and vertical rows where I was pretty close to standing upright.
For the inclined push-ups I started with my feet on the floor and my hands on the 5th stair step. I slowly worked up to 12 reps per set, and when I could do 3x12 I moved my hands down to the 4th step and did 8 reps per set, gradually increasing my reps to 12. I kept repeating that and now I'm up to 10 reps of regular floor push-ups.
I hung a bar in the basement for pull-ups but I've had less success with those. At the start I could do only 1 rep per set, and after two months I couldn't do more than 3 reps per set so I decided to try Grease the Groove. After a couple of weeks of GtG I developed a case of golfer's elbow tendonitis. It took 3 months of rest, therapy and self-massage to recover.
After I recovered I bought a Perfect Pullup Assist and adjusted the height so that I could do 5 pull-ups and 5 chin-ups in a set. When I can do 8 pullups and 8 chinups in a set I'm going to adjust the height to make it harder, lower my reps and keep repeating the process until I can do 5 unassisted pull-ups and chin-ups in a set.
When I started BWF I was unaware that tendons and ligaments don't grow/adapt/strengthen as fast as muscle, especially at my age. I've found that doing exercises that allow me to do 8-16 reps per set help me avoid tendon problems. I don't know if it's just me, or if it's because of my age, but my tendons seem to be my rate determining factor.
Antranik's helpful post on How to Implement a Steady State Training Cycle. has good info about exercise and stress on connective tissue.
I've got mixed feelings about the last 12 months. I'm frustrated by my slow progress, I wish I was farther along. On the other hand, my upper body is in better shape than it's ever been, and I know that this is a life long journey. After getting tendonitis doing the one exercise I pushed hard, I realize it's better to go slow, focus on the long term, and avoid injury and the resulting time off. I'm trying to see my progress in yearly improvements rather than in weekly or monthly gains.
If I can do this you can!
This is the assistance band I used to get myself up to one pull-up: http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Fitness-Pullup-Exercise-Equipment/dp/B00BFCWA1E/ Worked really well. Their instructions said that once you can do 15 with the assistance band, you're ready to do one full pull-up without it, and they were right.