My winter training!! / Pro Ski Coach Water Ski Forum

davemac · #26 Wed, Feb 10, 2010 5:52 PM

I have a pullup bar similar to that shown in the photo that I picked up for $30 or so from local chain. As long as your door casing is trimmed in (commonly w/ 2-1/2" casing) with a few inches of drywall above it (between casing and ceiling), it works just fine. As most peeps can't do too many pullups before failure, the videos encourage "cheating" with a chair underneath. Put a leg or foot on the chair and you can relieve just the right amount of bodyweight to get the # or reps you are looking for.
If you flip that pullup bar over on the floor, you can also get some good variation of deeper push ups.

millertime · #27 Wed, Feb 10, 2010 7:00 PM

I have the pullup bar set up in my office door at work. I make it a point to walk in the office I have to do at least 10 pullups every time I walk threw the door. Some days I don't leave my office much. LOL! What I did for the door issue was to attached hardwood floor pads to the two point that rest on the door way. My wife uses these to put under stuff that set on the wood floors in the house. I guess you would get them at Lowes, Home Depot or Walley World. Then the part that rest above the door frame I put a dish towel to protect the wall some. It does a pretty good job overall.

Garn · #28 Fri, Feb 12, 2010 3:13 PM

I've been lifting weights regularly for about 15 years. I go early mornings before work and I go pretty much every day except weekends - both during the ski season and during the winter. I just can't imagine starting a day without going to the gym. I don't find it boring at all. I lift by myself. I prefer NOT to exercise with another person. It is like my time during the day when I don't have to worry about anything or think about any stresses that may be going on in my life. I just go in and do my thing and it gets me going for the rest of the day. I also run a few days each week. Apparently all this is paying off. In December I turned 50. So this month I went in for a complete, and I do mean "COMPLETE", physical. Blood work, treadmill test, colonoscopy, etc. My tests results came back and the doctor said that if he didn't know better and if he just looked at the test results, he would have thought I was a 30 year old athlete. That made me feel good.

Garn

skidream · #29 Mon, Feb 15, 2010 10:30 PM

Pl0tz wrote:
skidream wrote:
Training update!!! So I was in the gym a few weeks ago and I decided to get a little more aggressive with cable rows and F'ed my lower back up!! I think I pulled some muscles but not too sure?! Just a word to the wise, if your going to be doing rows, don't over extend your back when bending forward!! Its getting better but has made it difficult to do CORE exercises
Aww man that sucks!! have u ever done yoga?? that'd strengthen your flexibility and help prevent that from happening again. BUT if u havn't or if you have... LET IT HEAL FIRST lol :] i know yoga's been really helpin me. Only started this winter so i'll see how much it helps with my skiin next month!!!!!!!!

Yeah I have done yoga before! Pretty good workout, my local gym has some classes I will look into. Thanks

Essvar · #30 Tue, Feb 16, 2010 4:49 AM

skidream wrote:
if your going to be doing rows, don't over extend your back when bending forward!!

Not to be a gym nazi but... you really shouldn't bend forward when doing any type of rowing exercise. If on a rowing machine you should use flexion and extension of your legs, using the upper back/arms to create the motion. If you are on a seated cable row, same theory just keeping the legs slightly bent, tight lower back, using the upper back/arms to pull.

"bending forward" is typically not a beneficial motion for the lower back excluding any exercise specifically designed to target the lower back. (Romanian Dead Lift, Good Morning Exercise, Back Hypers)

Reason being, the upper back and arms are much stronger than your lower back, thus enabling you to to more weight than a "bent back" can handle.

*Flamesuit ON*

Last edited by Essvar (Tue, Feb 16, 2010 5:02 AM)

h20dawg79 · #31 Tue, Feb 16, 2010 2:56 PM

Essvar wrote:
skidream wrote:
if your going to be doing rows, don't over extend your back when bending forward!!
Not to be a gym nazi but... you really shouldn't bend forward when doing any type of rowing exercise. If on a rowing machine you should use flexion and extension of your legs, using the upper back/arms to create the motion. If you are on a seated cable row, same theory just keeping the legs slightly bent, tight lower back, using the upper back/arms to pull.

"bending forward" is typically not a beneficial motion for the lower back excluding any exercise specifically designed to target the lower back. (Romanian Dead Lift, Good Morning Exercise, Back Hypers)

Reason being, the upper back and arms are much stronger than your lower back, thus enabling you to to more weight than a "bent back" can handle.

*Flamesuit ON*

I'll help shield you from some of the heat!

I agree, the Back should only move in a range between aprrox: 90-75 deg's for those exercises. With the seated cable rows, it is most important to keep a Shoulders back & chest puffed out, slightly pinched shoulder Blades position. (very simular to a correct slalom position...) This position mandates a light enough wgt. to be able to maintain this position thoughout the full range of motion... One can go as Balls Out Hvy. as they want, provided they can still maintain the form that targets the intended muscles groups and does not employ "Momentum" to complete the movement...

Wait a min. you don't really need any "Heat Shield" on this site anyway. This site is full of a family of considerate people who seem to follow the lead of our great Leader Wade. (Who in fact leads by example, by mastering the art of Forum Etiquette and personal thread involvement) If you would still like to Flame test the quality of your suit I can sure direct to a "wanna be site" that can do it!

skidream · #32 Tue, Feb 16, 2010 5:35 PM

I completely agree that you shouldn't bend forward when doing rows and I usually don't! I was with my buddy that night and he is a competition bodybuilder and I saw him doing it so I tried it too!! When I was doing the exercise I didn't get any discomfort or pain, the next day I tried lifting a trailer and that's when I pulled it! I think the muscles were already stressed and that was just the last thing it could take! I went to the chiropractor last week and its getting a lot better, thank god!

But I agree the proper position of this exercise is: slight bent knees, body at a 90 degree angle to legs and a pulling motion to the bottom of the chest, arms in and pulling the shoulder blades together at the end and giving them a good squeeze. See pictures below: