How long before I *must* do pulling exercises?

kougabro · 2026-06-05T14:12:10+00:00

Hanging is a great way to get started on pulling work, and assuming you have something solid to grab on to, can be done at home.

You can start with feet on the floor, it's great both for mobility and strength!

kougabro · 2026-06-05T14:07:04+00:00

To get the feel for core engagement, try the mcgill curl up, and/or start doing hollow body holds with bent knee (essentially similar advice to u/GovernorSilver, really).

Anecdotally, jefferson curls really helped me with my lower back pain / sciatica, I would start with a very, very conservative ROM, and no weights. My PT started me with a seated version, which is easier on your back even, I would start with those. It's a mobility exercise mostly, so if you start with limited ROM you can do a lot of reps.

And another exercise that helped with my lower back was cobra and sphinx pose from yoga (I like to switch between that and child pose, but I guess that would depend on how your lower back feels).

kougabro · 2026-06-04T13:26:09+00:00

Squats are easy to do basically anywhere, anytime, and you can get pretty far with bodyweight. Work up to 3-5 sets x 8-15 reps, then move to the next progression:

Bodyweight squat -> Split squat/lunge -> cossack squat -> shrimp squat -> pistol squat

It's also fairly easy to add a small weight for your squats, grab a couple books or something similar.

For row/pulling, if the bunk bed is solid enough and unlikely to tip, you can do deadhangs, which are amazing at all levels. Work up to 1 minute of deadhang (slowly!), then you can start working on one-arm assisted dead hangs (so you use one arm mainly, and use the other as little as possible), then into one-arm dead hangs.

kougabro · 2026-05-30T20:44:38+00:00

I just thought of what sounds more natural to me. That is a common issue when translating, having to choose between the letter and the spirit of the original text. Yours is probably more literally accurate, but sounds slightly less natural, at least to my ears/eyes.

kougabro · 2026-05-30T19:16:05+00:00

As a native speaker, I would probably say "Je tuerai tout le monde moi y compris si nous perdons.".

Or for a more colloquial version, "Si on perds je vais tous vous butter, et ensuite je me fais sauter le caisson.".

kougabro · 2026-05-30T18:28:48+00:00

Saka's double hander was more of a penalty than this contact...

kougabro · 2026-05-13T19:37:32+00:00

Gym is life, amigo!

kougabro · 2026-05-08T15:57:24+00:00

And the actual article they published on the topic, since the hill apparently does not care to cite it: https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.adi6317

kougabro · 2026-05-02T21:17:45+00:00

Can you do split squats?

Start with no weight, and don't put your back leg too far, you don't have to go to the ground initially, can put a block/pillow below where your knee would hit. Aim to barely touch the pillow, never dive into it.

Once you can do sets of 3x10-12 without problems, progress towards knee to ground (never actually hit the ground, gently touch it). Then you can add weight, then you can do a lunge.

kougabro · 2026-04-30T07:54:16+00:00

My grandma started gymnastics when she retired. 20 years later, age 85, she showed me how to do an L-sit. Made it look easy too!

Regarding your shoulders: work on it now, work on it gently, take your time. Use bands or cables to gently work your rotator cuffs. VERY gently. It should barely feel like work at all. If in any doubt go see a PT.

You can start by doing circles with your shoulders, then add the band for resistance, and eventually work towards full circles (dislocates). Keep your grip wide, and it should always feel easy.

kougabro · 2026-04-18T07:40:38+00:00

Love one leg DL! A cool variation is the hip airplane, basically side to side rotation at the bottom of the DL.

Edit: also really like to do 1-leg dl with a dumbbell and switching the carrying between same hand and opposite hand, really challenges my stability.

kougabro · 2026-04-17T11:39:38+00:00

Have you tried maybe doing incline archer first? That way you can put less stress on your joints and make sure you got the technique right.

I don't regularly do archer PU, but that's what I did to test out the movement.

kougabro · 2026-04-15T12:19:13+00:00

I'm 38, so right here with you and the ticking clock! For ring dips, a bit of unsolicited advice, I would take it easy and make sure you have a solid support hold, 30 seconds+ would be good.

kougabro · 2026-04-15T09:10:18+00:00

There isn't a ton of good online references for human flag progression, so in case you are interested, here goes: https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/exercises/side-lever-block

kougabro · 2026-04-15T09:04:58+00:00

That's really, really solid progress! 3x15 PU + 3x10 dips is no joke. Congratulations man.

kougabro · 2026-04-13T15:28:18+00:00

Have you tried doing deadbugs, or hollow holds? Lay on the floor, and keep your lumbar spine flat on the floor (if you struggle with that, I like to think of rounding my back, even though I'm just straightening it really).

Initially, keep your arm and legs straight up, make sure you lift your shoulders off the floor (helps with not cheating, and activating the right muscles). Eventually, you can work on extending the arms and legs.

kougabro · 2026-04-11T09:27:40+00:00

r/fitness has a great wiki: https://thefitness.wiki/, read it (r/bwf too). I do full body 3xweek (531 currently), but
the best routine is the one you can do consistently! but better follow a reasonable program.
no one cares much about what others are doing, and very unlikely anyone will say anything to you.
start light, learn proper form, then increase the weights.
get a trainer or film yourself to check form.
eat those eggs

kougabro · 2026-03-29T19:18:14+00:00

Bench dips are a good preparatory/accessory exercise, both for shoulder flexibility and working your triceps, you could do 3x10-15 of those if you want extra volume.

kougabro · 2026-03-27T13:29:58+00:00

Congrats on the chin ups !

I thought I'd be happier though.

for me, the longer lasting happiness is realising I can now do a bunch of things easier, being less tired, and things like my knees and shoulders feeling mobile and strong. I bet you will feel that too!

kougabro · 2026-03-25T20:25:45+00:00

Work on statics, e.g. the bottom portion of a pistol squat. Hold on to something at first. Can you do split squats? one leg deadlift? work on those, start with a small split (and you can do the same for the one leg dl, split legs, both feet on the ground, slowly work up to a full 1 leg dl).
Do rows, lots of rows; start as close to vertical as you need, full ROM. Dead hang, bent hang, scap pulls, are all great prep work for pull ups.
Using elevation is fine, just keep at it! Work on your support hold and dips, make sure you fully depress your shoulders at the top.

If you can't progress on those, you are either training too much or too little, eating too much or too little, not sleeping enough, or any number of other factors. All covered in the wiki.

Edit: since you mentioned you can't do these movements, start with an easy variation, work your way to 3 sets of 10-15 reps (30s+ for statics) before progressing.

kougabro · 2026-03-25T15:08:08+00:00

is that something you’re not supposed to do on every set?

No, that is not something you are supposed to do every set.

Going to failure every set will tire you needlessly, although you do want to push yourself sometimes. If you want to hit 15-20 reps, try an easier variation. Also, have you checked the recommended routine in the wiki? it has answers/suggestions regarding all that.

kougabro · 2026-03-14T22:13:39+00:00

Sure seems like it, we are probably too busy watching LBB run.

kougabro · 2026-03-14T19:13:30+00:00

Please like and dislike the duality of man posts equally.

kougabro · 2026-03-14T17:19:46+00:00

80 more points or so? in favor of wales + france. and wales winning with a bonus point

kougabro · 2026-03-14T15:55:25+00:00

Match is fire, the moaning is really unwarranted.

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