I am unable to do regular pull ups so I have been using a chair infront of me and have been resting one leg on the chair. I am not sure what the proper way to use the chair is. I am resting most of my weight on the one leg that is on the chair/ but i still feel like I am getting a workout and can only do about 12 pullups while using a chair. If anyone knows the proper way to modify the pullups with a chair please help me! =) thanks

I pretty much do the same thing, using the chair a lot to get up, and fighting gravity on my way down. I'm on week 3 and already see an increase in the number I can do with the chair. From what I have read from others, just do the best you can with the chair, using it displace your weight until you think you don't need it anymore.

When you build up the strength, do some without the chair, when you can do no more, grab the chair and do some more assisted.

i had the same concern, thanks for posting a response. feels weird with the chair, but know it will help.

keep up the good work guys!! I'm starting week 2 tomorrow!

In the beginning, put your foot on the seat of the chair, and use your leg to help push you up as you do the pullups. As you get better, put your foot on the back of the chair, to decrease the assistance you can give yourself. You can also move the chair farther away so that you don't get as much leverage when you assist yourself. However, be careful that you are not angling your body to reach the chair. Your upper body should be going straight up and down. If it's not, the chair is too far way for you right now. This happened to me, and I moved the chair closer, but consciously used my leg less.

Right now (Round 2) I use the chair back of a fold-up chair, but I'm not really using the leg to assist me, I'm just eliminating the weight of my leg from the bodyweight that I have to pull up. I am now able to do 1 chinup and 1 close-grip pullup unassisted.

Sometimes when I only have one leg on the chair I feel like half my body seems to be working harder than the only half. Like my lat and shoulder on the opposite side is pulling harder. Does anyone have this prob? Obviously I correct it by switching my feet around on the second set, but still kinda awkward.

i personally never needed the chair, but I will say dont use the chair as a crutch not to work hard. Not assuming you are doing this but you will get mediocore results with mediocore effort.
Use your foot just enough to get your body to that point you can pull your self up. Most people struggle until their elbows are almost 90 degrees.

I would have to say i do the chair assisted to for right now..i can only do a few without and i want to get as much out of the program as possible so i do a lot of the chair assisted versions also. Whats the worse that can happen? We all become really strong? I look foward to that outcome.

GOod luck everyone!!


BRING IT!!

you know its weird, i had the same concern about this time last week (im now at the end of my 3rd week) and i told myself i would just do the assisted pullups with the chair.

anyway i have my pullup bar in my room, and if if its one of my non-resistance days i'll try and do one or two just for fun.

so on tuesday i did this, and i found myself being able to do 3 pullups, when a week earlier i could bearly pump out 1.

what im considering doing now is doing as many pullups as I can without the chair, and then using chair after I can't pull myself up without one anymore. that way, we feel the burn from the regular pullups and then jump into a set of assisted pullups.

im no expert, there are people here that are lightyears ahead of me, but i'm thinking that this will get you better and faster results, instead of just relying on the chair each time, let your body do some hard work first, do your best without the chair and then use the chair after that.

I've been using the chair as well. I alternate feet and sometime have to use both legs on the chair. I stop with the exercise when I realize that I am useing my legs more than arms to push myself up!
I noticed that in the workouts with Dreya, she starts without and then adds the chair as she needs it. So I think we are ok using this technique as well!

Something I have noticed with using a chair. If you do not keep your upper body straight you are not effectively using your back, you will be, in fact, using your arms instead. In my standard size doorway I have one of those bars that just goes inbetween the frame, not outside the frame like the p90x bar. I noticed as I used a chiar for support, I wasn't engaging my back completely. More wieght was being transfered to my arms instead. I ordered the p90x bar off ebay and will be using that soon. I think having the bar on the outside of the frame makes a huge difference. I'll report back once I get the new bar installed.

I have noticed that if you use a chair, as instructed in the Workout videos, with just the foot placed on the chair it is easier then doing this. Placing your calf onto the chair. It might hurt, but it helps you want to relieve the pain on your leg. Its harder too because not too much weight is depended on your leg.