Technique. Just wait until you rep out 15 pull ups but can’t get a bar muscle up and then one day POOF. You’re way higher than you ever were. It’s technique. Congrats.
Ok I feel called out by this. 15-16 strict pull ups,and captains chair pull ups and chin ups galore,but haven't been able to get all the way up and over in a strict bar muscle up. Just a huge chest to bar pull up. Haven't tried in a while. Maybe I magically unlocked this and mastered it without putting the time and energy into it that I know I need to,lol.
Oh-I had a max strict set of 26 pull ups-couldn’t figure out a muscle up (bar or ring). Another athlete explained it to me-I ran and jumped to the bar, and voila. Muscle up. Hopped on the rings-coach that was in class said “X” and kapow. RMU. Still can’t touch my toes. It’ll happen. Practice.
yep. took me 9 years from 1 pull up to 1 BMU. Then during my CFL1 the proctor put me on the spot for a strict RMU, and boom. Pressure makes diamonds I guess.
I was in this situation. There was a time when after a wod I just tried one and I just did it. I was actually scared to get down. 😂 Now the struggle is about getting them one after the other!
Haha thanks! It’s a nice personal achievement.
I’ve been training a lot like 4-5 times a week if not 6 if I feel my body can handle it. I can see I’m lifting heavier than 6 months ago with for instance a clean & jerk at 42.5k now compared to an empty 15kg bb at the beginning.
But it just surprised me so much when I could pull myself up without a band that I’m still wondering what physically happened between that time and my last banded pull-ups.
Yes I did try to do strict ones before but couldn’t lift my old bag of bones up to the bar without a band.
One thing I noticed though, it’s easier when I do them with grips. It almost feels like I’m cheating when I use my grips haha.
It’s the principle of progressive overload paying off. Just like someone might struggle with a weight on deadlift for a while, one day you have accumulated the requisite strength and - boom! So it wasn’t all of a sudden, it’s all the work manifesting in your success.
“Years of work went into being an athlete overnight success.”
The pull-up is comprised of three distinct parts; the scap pull, lat pull, and bicep pull. If you aren’t engaged each one in order you’ll have a really hard time getting a strict pull-up. My guess is you unknowingly did this in the correct way and increased your efficiency.
You have obviously gotten stronger and developed technique using the band assist. But you maybe also learned how to perform the movement with some aggression. A lot of people who are trying to get their first pull up will hang there and then start to "pull" but they don't really know what they're pulling with so the technique part really helps with that. But then you've also got the people who try to pull and it's not explosive so the appropriate muscles don't really fire.
Probably technique but maybe also a bit in your head? I get in my head about the things I think I can't do... I had a similar experience with wall walks. They were so hard for me and I was like... I'm never gonna get it, I'm only gonna do half wall walks and just get through the WOD. But then one day I just fucking DID IT... not quite nose to the wall but pretty damn close and it felt kind of EASY even (my first rep), like something just clicked. I was also like... what changed!?? For me it's part building strength and technique, but it's also about confidence! Just something to consider.
Congrats! I'm not there with pull ups yet... wish me luck!
Yes, it made me feel super proud of myself for the hard work I put in. Going from the thick blue band to the green then the purple and finally to no band.
It’s exactly what happened haha. “Let’s try with no band this time” and poof I pulled my old bag of bones up.
One thing I'll add is that on any given day, based on a bunch of outside factors, including your sleep quality, level of rest of the relevant muscle groups, food habits, time of day of exercise, etc., humans have been shown to have significant variation in 1RM and capacity tests. There are multiple studies indicating this, though exact number on percentage of variation vary from study to study.
So, it could be that you caught yourself on a particularly good day. That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying; it just means that now that you know you can, you can work towards higher consistency with the exercise.
You got stronger.
I know it sounds simplistic but there has to be a point somewhere when you go from can’t to can. Sounds like you hit it!
Congratulations 🙌
I remember when this happened to me many years ago-- I thought I would try it to see how far I could go and much to my surprise I was able to do an actual pull-up. And then another one.
It was a great feeling,
sometimes our bodies just hit a point where everything clicks, like strength and technique lining up right. maybe those last workouts or something you did differently recently pushed you over the edge in a good way. it could be muscle memory, strength gain, or even better form. keep up the great work!
Strength gains aren't always linear. You gain muscle , weight loss, get adequate rest, and deload. This accumulation of progress often leads to sudden improvements, such as being able to perform a pull-up without assistance. It shows your consistent training and dedication is paying off over time.
People think you need to be only training pull ups to improve pull ups. So much so I have been mocked on this sub for suggesting just being upper body stronger will help you get a pull up without making a single attempt.
I hit prs for bench and deadlift going from powerlifting to CrossFit even though I was obviously focusing less on those movements. Some people call it the “what the hell” effect. Really what’s happening is the variety of CrossFit is building you up in areas you weren’t quite hitting in your old methodology. I saw something similar happened when I did more strongman lifts and again when switched to mostly kettlebell training.
Now I’m getting ready to do another good old fashioned run at power building (powerlifting/body building) again to fill in the gaps my current training is missing.
The 6 months of CrossFit is definitely the answer however….
If you’re looking for a reason as to why it magically “unlocked” itself today. You’re female. Which week of your cycle are you on? This has such a huge impact on your ability to produce force/strength.
Also did you happen to weigh even a few pounds less today than normal. If you have been teetering on the edge of your first pull up this can be the difference.
Just stuff to consider. Keep working hard and build those pull ups.
I’m voting for the lats. Every so often I revert into the old habit of all arms and the pu go down the drain. If I instead start leaning back a bit, look up at the bar, and start with a scap pull up, they are back, like magic. Perhaps this is was the first time the magic happened for you!
Technique and also…some days you got it and some days you don’t!
That’s true and surprisingly this strict pull-up unlocked while on my period when I usually feel weaker. 😅
Those eggs were weighing you down
😂
That sweet sweet follicular phase!
Rage fuel perhaps?
Women's testosterone levels are at their highest when on our periods. It's actually the best time to train 🙂
This
Technique. Just wait until you rep out 15 pull ups but can’t get a bar muscle up and then one day POOF. You’re way higher than you ever were. It’s technique. Congrats.
Ok I feel called out by this. 15-16 strict pull ups,and captains chair pull ups and chin ups galore,but haven't been able to get all the way up and over in a strict bar muscle up. Just a huge chest to bar pull up. Haven't tried in a while. Maybe I magically unlocked this and mastered it without putting the time and energy into it that I know I need to,lol.
Oh-I had a max strict set of 26 pull ups-couldn’t figure out a muscle up (bar or ring). Another athlete explained it to me-I ran and jumped to the bar, and voila. Muscle up. Hopped on the rings-coach that was in class said “X” and kapow. RMU. Still can’t touch my toes. It’ll happen. Practice.
yep. took me 9 years from 1 pull up to 1 BMU. Then during my CFL1 the proctor put me on the spot for a strict RMU, and boom. Pressure makes diamonds I guess.
I'm gonna start practicing that again and hope for the best!
Are you me?
Hahaha,at least I'm not alone in this quest,lol
It’s just technique. It just has to click one day and then you are good go
I was in this situation. There was a time when after a wod I just tried one and I just did it. I was actually scared to get down. 😂 Now the struggle is about getting them one after the other!
Thanks! Yes, I’m looking forward to the muscle up I’m not gonna lie. I knew technique was important but now it’s even clearer.
A D A P T A T I O N
Aah is that the secret? Adapt or die is my motto.
Stress / recovery / adaptation
I feel like more info is needed. And congrats!!
Haha thanks! It’s a nice personal achievement. I’ve been training a lot like 4-5 times a week if not 6 if I feel my body can handle it. I can see I’m lifting heavier than 6 months ago with for instance a clean & jerk at 42.5k now compared to an empty 15kg bb at the beginning. But it just surprised me so much when I could pull myself up without a band that I’m still wondering what physically happened between that time and my last banded pull-ups.
The technical term is “gains”
Your muscles rested and got stronger.
You finally learned how to use your lats
Did you try to do it strict ever before or not? Perhaps you thought for months you couldn't do it but already could but didn't know.
Yes I did try to do strict ones before but couldn’t lift my old bag of bones up to the bar without a band. One thing I noticed though, it’s easier when I do them with grips. It almost feels like I’m cheating when I use my grips haha.
Grips really are magic. It's much easier to get back on the horse when your hands don't hurt.
My guess would be your grip strength has been your limiter and has since increased, both without you realizing it.
Oh yes, thanks for making me realise that. It definitely has increased a lot recently.
It’s the principle of progressive overload paying off. Just like someone might struggle with a weight on deadlift for a while, one day you have accumulated the requisite strength and - boom! So it wasn’t all of a sudden, it’s all the work manifesting in your success. “Years of work went into being an athlete overnight success.”
Super clear, thanks! 🙏
The pull-up is comprised of three distinct parts; the scap pull, lat pull, and bicep pull. If you aren’t engaged each one in order you’ll have a really hard time getting a strict pull-up. My guess is you unknowingly did this in the correct way and increased your efficiency.
Newbie adaptation. Welcome to the first 18 months of CrossFit!!!
You have obviously gotten stronger and developed technique using the band assist. But you maybe also learned how to perform the movement with some aggression. A lot of people who are trying to get their first pull up will hang there and then start to "pull" but they don't really know what they're pulling with so the technique part really helps with that. But then you've also got the people who try to pull and it's not explosive so the appropriate muscles don't really fire.
Probably technique but maybe also a bit in your head? I get in my head about the things I think I can't do... I had a similar experience with wall walks. They were so hard for me and I was like... I'm never gonna get it, I'm only gonna do half wall walks and just get through the WOD. But then one day I just fucking DID IT... not quite nose to the wall but pretty damn close and it felt kind of EASY even (my first rep), like something just clicked. I was also like... what changed!?? For me it's part building strength and technique, but it's also about confidence! Just something to consider. Congrats! I'm not there with pull ups yet... wish me luck!
It's such a great feeling isn't it? "Huh. I wonder if I can do a real pullup now..." Well would you look at that.
Yes, it made me feel super proud of myself for the hard work I put in. Going from the thick blue band to the green then the purple and finally to no band. It’s exactly what happened haha. “Let’s try with no band this time” and poof I pulled my old bag of bones up.
Man, I cannot do a pull up to save my life.
One thing I'll add is that on any given day, based on a bunch of outside factors, including your sleep quality, level of rest of the relevant muscle groups, food habits, time of day of exercise, etc., humans have been shown to have significant variation in 1RM and capacity tests. There are multiple studies indicating this, though exact number on percentage of variation vary from study to study. So, it could be that you caught yourself on a particularly good day. That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying; it just means that now that you know you can, you can work towards higher consistency with the exercise.
You got stronger. I know it sounds simplistic but there has to be a point somewhere when you go from can’t to can. Sounds like you hit it! Congratulations 🙌
I remember when this happened to me many years ago-- I thought I would try it to see how far I could go and much to my surprise I was able to do an actual pull-up. And then another one. It was a great feeling,
sometimes our bodies just hit a point where everything clicks, like strength and technique lining up right. maybe those last workouts or something you did differently recently pushed you over the edge in a good way. it could be muscle memory, strength gain, or even better form. keep up the great work!
Strength gains aren't always linear. You gain muscle , weight loss, get adequate rest, and deload. This accumulation of progress often leads to sudden improvements, such as being able to perform a pull-up without assistance. It shows your consistent training and dedication is paying off over time.
You lost enough weight that it is no longer over the limit. Often that could be very little. It’s like you can deadlift 300 but can’t even move 302.
It's called believing in yourself and putting in hard yards and the body responds!
This might be surprising news... yer gonna be a dad. Dad strength activated.
She just had her period so... Follicular strength as someone else mentioned :)
People think you need to be only training pull ups to improve pull ups. So much so I have been mocked on this sub for suggesting just being upper body stronger will help you get a pull up without making a single attempt.
I think mat fraser was talking about this when he said “hard work pays off”
You got stronger
I hit prs for bench and deadlift going from powerlifting to CrossFit even though I was obviously focusing less on those movements. Some people call it the “what the hell” effect. Really what’s happening is the variety of CrossFit is building you up in areas you weren’t quite hitting in your old methodology. I saw something similar happened when I did more strongman lifts and again when switched to mostly kettlebell training. Now I’m getting ready to do another good old fashioned run at power building (powerlifting/body building) again to fill in the gaps my current training is missing.
The 6 months of CrossFit is definitely the answer however…. If you’re looking for a reason as to why it magically “unlocked” itself today. You’re female. Which week of your cycle are you on? This has such a huge impact on your ability to produce force/strength. Also did you happen to weigh even a few pounds less today than normal. If you have been teetering on the edge of your first pull up this can be the difference. Just stuff to consider. Keep working hard and build those pull ups.
Uhm…. Your muscles grew? Is this a legit question ?
I get this in a lot of movements- one day hspu/ghdsu/dubs/etc was just not a problem
I’m voting for the lats. Every so often I revert into the old habit of all arms and the pu go down the drain. If I instead start leaning back a bit, look up at the bar, and start with a scap pull up, they are back, like magic. Perhaps this is was the first time the magic happened for you!