Run-Down Forums

[Anselm Murphy]

Since you are all into fitness and stuff you might know about this:
My P.E. teacher has said anyone who can do a one armer pull up will get £50!
(I mean a proper one, not where u can hold onto your arm)
Any ideas how to go about training for this?
Right now i do about 4-5 sets a day of 20-22 pull ups (my maximum)
Im beginning to think this isnt possible, but ive seen some guy do it in a martial arts film.
Any ideas?
Also, im trying to do a one armed press up using only 2 fingers like Bruce Lee, but its really hard. Right now i can do about 5 using 3 fingers, but i cant even hold myself up on 2.
How could i train for this?

Thanks for your help, I apprecitate it!

[paulsceltic]

My P.E teacher said that it would take about 6-12months to train for this and dont just practice that same exercise u should buy those lil hand muscle tencers and do that for abou 20mins a day.how did u do in that bleeb test cos i done mine recently aswell.

[Distance_Guru]

For the one arm pull up try doing negatives. That would be where you either have some one lift you or stand on a chair and get into the finish position and then as slowly as you can lower yourself using one arm. Once you can do that pretty well, try to stop and hold yourself in place at a couple of points on the way down. For the push ups put something under you to take some of the weight off your fingers. Start out with a wooden box or a stack of books or better yet a soccer or basketball positioned under your waist, then use it like the fulcrum on a teter totter. As your fingers get stronger you can move the fulcrum farther and farther back.

_________________
Time is the fire in which we burn

[Dan]

Also, to do something with just one arm, you need to develop good balance and body control. I'm not sure what exercises would be best, but you'll want to work on general strengthening, especially throughout the torso.

Dan

[training2run]

As The DG says, probably the best way (perhaps the only way), to get on the road to a "true" one arm chin, is begining with negatives.

Performing one arm push-ups are not quite as difficult as chins, primarily because you can achieve balance by shifting your body over the working hand.

To see a nice example of one arm push-ups, watch "Rocky" doing it as a part of his training routine.

"Rocky," by the way, is a great psyching-up film to watch the few days before a major endurance contest. So are "The Karate Kid," and "Sparticus." Mad Dog Mike www.training2run.com

[Anselm Murphy]

Rocky is what got me started on the whole running/fitness thing in the first place! I love those films ( 1-3 at least ) When I went running for the first times, trying to improve on my 8min 1500m (ahem), I did it while listening to the rocky theme and Eye of the Tiger! I love those.

I can do the one are press ups like Rocky does easily - over 10
A one arm pull up is totally different! It is so hard. I know its possible, but it would require loads of training, and in the end - whats the point? Bit of a stupid thing to do now I look back on it!
I did manage to do the 2 finger press up though, its not as hard. Its more about taking the pain of holding yourself up on 2 fingers than it is about strength.

[Paul]

One group of athletes that used to really work on their one arm pullup strength, and maybe still do, are pole vaulters. I remember Dennis Phillips could do a one arm pullup. Dan, that name should ring a bell!!

Paul

[Dan]

I've never met him in person, but I know who he is and have spoken to him on the phone a couple of times. Does that count for extra credit points?



Dan

[training2run]

...doing one arm chins while talking on the phone .

One arm chins, if you hold onto your wrist with the other hand aren't too difficult (if you are 19 years old)...but I have never actually seen (in person) someone do them just with one hand free.

Maybe a way to learn would be to go up holding onto your wrist, then holding on only lightly for the negative, resisting as you go down (listening to your tendons pop ). Mad Dog Mike www.training2run.com

[Paul]

I'm looking for the extra credit emoticon, but I can't find it!! Dan, maybe you need to add a professor emoticon, so when someone makes an especially witty remark, you can click on it. How about the emoticon of higher learning.

In all seriousness, those were heady times for OSU track and field, as you alluded to in your Beaver Power thread. Willie Turner, Fosbury, Radetich, Terry Thompson, Phillips, et al. Terry Thompson reminds me of Bucher today. He used to take the entire summer off to commercially fish on the coast. He still lives there, I believe. Radetich lives in Philomath still, I last heard. He may be the only guy to straddle and flop over 7 feet.

Paul

[Dan]

[Paul]

Amazing that a number of those guys never left the area. OSU was a real throwback in those days (late 60's, early 70's). On other campuses, fraternities and sororities were selling off their buildings because no one was joining anymore. At OSU, those institutions remained strong. I read an article in the newspaper just last week that the family that made all their money in timber is ending their Philomath college scholarship program.

Mike, I witnessed 3 guys at OSU in 1968 who did a true one arm pullup. It was awesome!! One of the characteristics of pole vaulters in those days was their rather thin lower bodies and big upper bodies, not unlike gymnasts, only bigger in stature. I am assuming there are some similarities today, also.

Paul

[training2run]

Paul and the Group: Shall we see who can perform a one-arm chin by this time next year .

Better yet, shall we see who can perform half of a one-arm chin by this time next year . I'm game, if all y'all are. Mad Dog Mike www.training2run.com

[Guest]

When you hold onto your wrist with the other hand, that makes it loads easier - I can do about 5 of those.
Its definitely do-able though. A guy at school who is the same ages as me (1 and almost exactly the same height and weight (5,7 62kg) can nearly do it. He can pull himself up about half of the way, which looks quite impressive. He says his older brother can actually do it too. We are pretty equal in strength -we both bench press about the same, can do the same amount of normal pull-ups, but I can't even bend my arm a tiny bit with one arm, and he can nearly do it!

[Anselm Murphy]

that last post was from me, I forgot to put my name on it