The Perfect Pull Up

Below is a short video on how to do the perfect pull up and chin up.  Anyone else remember the Presidential Fitness test in middle school?  Man, I HATED that thing.  Let’s drag the most unathletic, string bean (read me) out in front of everyone else and see just how weak he really is.  Ugh.  The only part of the contest I even close to 50% was the shuttle run since I was in basketball and figured out that if you clean off your shoes before you run, you can stop exactly on the line.  Everyone else was sliding around like they were trying to be human dust mops on the floor.

Guess which exercise I hated the most?  Pull ups.  You had to do them in front of EVERYONE so there was nowhere to hide.  I got up there and just hung from the bar as the gym teacher told me to GO!  Well, I was pulling and I swear to you that my elbows did not bend at all.  The gym teacher told me to start again and I said that I was pulling.  After the third time of him telling me to start the exercise I just let go of the bar.  Oh, the good times.

Rant Almost Over

That stupid test is worthless.  You want to have kids HATE exercise really fast, that is your ticket.  I have not seen one President do it either.  You should teach kids HOW to move and HOW to do the darn test and maybe have them PRACTICE it a few times first.   Ok, back to today’s lesson.

Why Bother With Pull Ups?

• They are a great developer of the back muscles (you know, those on the opposite side of your chest you crazy 3 day a week bench nut!)
• Muscles like to be balanced and many time that stall in your bench press is actually from your body attempted to not let you get too far out of whack.  Start to balance it out with some pull ups and you will be rocking.
• Pullups and Chins can be done almost anywhere too!  No more excuses

What You Will Learn

• A cool neurologic “hack” to dramatically increase your pull ups.
• What perfect form looks like
• Options if you can’t do a full pull up

Testimonial Time

Here is what Gail has to say about it.  Gail first came to see me at the very end of August to work on her pull ups for the Tactical Strength Challenge (TSC).  We did a Z-Health movement session and some pull up practice.  Here is her exact email sent on Sept 1.

September 1, 2009

From: Gail Jensen

To: Mike T Nelson

Training continues to go well though I can still do only 1 pullup (of course, I was on vacation for a week-I did work out one day at the Gold’s Gym in San Juan-they are still pretty old school-not a kettlebell on the premises!). I keep trying to convince myself that pullups are easy and I visualize myself doing 2 or more. I also do the chicken neck prior to each pullup. I hope I can soon move beyond this “plateau” I seem to be facing. It helps to train with a partner, too.

Fast forward only 4 weeks and Gail cranks off 6 at the Tactical Strength Challenge.  Check the stats for yourself below

TSC Results Fall 2009

First off, I need to send a huge congrats to Gail as she did all the work; I just provided her a few tips that I show in the video below.

Perfect Pull-Up Video:

Techniques, Tips and Neuro Hacks to Increased Performance

Contest Time (read How to Win a FREE T-Shirt)

Ok, here is the deal.  I am so confident that if you do perfect practice pull ups as above along with some neck mobility (as shown) above that you will increase your pull up numbers in record time I will put a T-shirt on it from my friends at Protein Factory again.

Details

• Contest starts today and ends exactly 45 days from now, but you need your numbers in the comments section below within 6 days from today
• Go find a pull up bar and do your initial numbers today if you don’t have them.
• Use the techniques above and follow them to a T.   Do perfect reps only!
• Get as much volume (read practice) in as you can without any pain.  Do chins, pulls up, neutral grip, etc.
• Report your numbers back here in the comments section by Wed Oct 28 at 5pm CST to be in the contest.  No exceptions
• The one that shows the most improvement (measured by number of reps) wins the Protein Factory T-shirt shipped to them on me (sorry to my international friends, USA only for the T-shirt since customs is a big pain but if you win outside the US I will think of something for ya).

Its Go Time!

What are you waiting for.  Send this on to as many friends as you want.  You have only 6 days to enter your comments below with your starting reps to be in the contest.  I would love to see at least 20 people in the contest.  It is FREE, you may win a free T-shirt from Protein Factory, I will provide answers to your questions below, and your bench will probably even go up!

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

Happy July 4 to everyone in the USA.   To my foreign friends, it is just another day.  Either way, I trust you had a great weekend.

Jodie and I along with my parents and sister went to see the latest Cirque De Soleil Kooza on July 4 outside here in Minnesota.  WOW, is all I can say.  If you get the chance, you MUST see them-amazing performance and I will have more details soon.

Tactical Strength Challenge Fall 2009

Check those calendars and  the Tactical Strength Challenge is about only 8 weeks away!  Wow, time is flying by.

Are you ready?

Do you have a plan to be ready in 8 weeks?

Heck, are you even going to SHOW UP?

Your goals need deadlines and you need to be held accountable (that goes for me too).

Who is holding you accountable?

I will be there and I want to see all of you there too.

If you need a plan, drop me a line at michaelTnelson@yahoo.com and I will set you up.

Using some great techniques I picked up (thanks Frankie), I went from 39 reps with the 32 kg KB for the 5 min snatch test to only 4 weeks later cranking out 75 in 5 minutes.  I had managed to fall in a broomball game and bruise my sciatic nerve in mid January and was unable to do any snatches for about 6 weeks.

That is almost DOUBLE in 4 weeks and I can show YOU how to sky rocket your numbers too.  There is nothing special about me, just some well applied knowledge.

You would be shocked to learn that other than a few test days, my max number of snatches with the 32kg was about 8-10 reps at a time per hand.

Enter the Assisted Pullup

The common question is “What if I can’t do even one pull-up?”   No worries, as B-Rad, Adam T Glass, Mark Wilson, Myself and friends are here to the rescue with an exclusive video on some options for you.

Technique Note

Keep a nice tall/long spine and no crazy chicken maneuvers at the top just to get your darn chin to the bar.  Bring your body to the bar.  If you need another cue, think of bringing your elbows to your waist.   I would rather have athletes only go to the top of their head, eyes, nose and then chin rather than do some crazy-ass neck cranking at the top.

Find out what we really do with our free time…..

Rock on

Mike T Nelson

Ok, so I thought I was a smart monkey and finally figuring out how to embed video in a new player, but there still seem to be a few glitches.  Grrrrrrr.   I also managed to vaporize a comment that was left too–bugger.  I feel like I am trying to learn a foreign language, but I will get this thing figured out.  Thanks for your patience on this and we will be rockin’ soon!

Below is a killer grip video from the one and only extreme human Adam T Glass.  This is some secret inside footage from the post Tactical Strength Challenge seminar that Adam did at B-Rad’s torture chamber (aka Kinetic Edge in Woodbury Minnesota).  If you are looking for a simple way to increase your pull up grip, check this out!

The key is to grip the bar tight with ONE hand and don’t spin around
like a top under the bar.  Overload can be added, but work to add time
first.

Rock on!

Mike T Nelson