One Slow Towel Pull Up With Some Lateral Movement

I hardly do any pull ups, so decided to try to do just one slow wide pull up (with some lateral movement thrown in) using two towels. The next day I felt it in quite a few muscles, especially in my hands, upper arms, chest, upper back and deltoids, so it must be good for something (I do train those muscles a lot with ring exercises). Maybe somebody else feels challenged and wants to do it too, so here is a video:

FritzMB you are 71 years of age?! Really? That's very impressive. And inspiring.

Cody Hahn

That is impressive!

Frits, you motivate me so much.

Thanks guys. Motivation and an excellent program, like BtGB, is all what it takes. Including coach Sommer, this Forum and its fantastic moderators.

If you dont mind, what does your training history look like, Fritz?

Bhg1987 said:

If you dont mind, what does your training history look like, Fritz?

I don’t mind at all, even if I have told the story about a year and a half ago on this same Forum.

I staid fit most of my working life as a typical weekend warrior (rowing, x-country skiing, running, weight training). At 60, I started climbing again, thanks to indoor climbing halls available nearby. Got very sick at 63 (couldn’t walk more than 100 yards before having to sit down), which gave me a lot of reasons to want to get my health and fitness back, but once there I could not decide that I was “backâ€, so I kept going (you probably know the feeling: “Always more, always betterâ€). When I was 69, I discovered this Forum, bought the book plus rings and started being more diligent about progressions. I am still pretty haphazard (and undisciplined) in my programming, but even so keep surprising myself with the progress that I can make (very slowly, but progress it is). That is all there is to it. There are probably thousands of stories like that, quite a few of them more poignant than mine. Even so, it makes me feel very happy indeed if people get motivated by seeing that age (and other handicaps) should not limit you.

FritsMB said:

There are probably thousands of stories like that, quite a few of them more poignant than mine.

Not from people aged 71!

FritsMB said:

I don’t mind at all, even if I have told the story about a year and a half ago on this same Forum.

I staid fit most of my working life as a typical weekend warrior (rowing, x-country skiing, running, weight training). At 60, I started climbing again, thanks to indoor climbing halls available nearby. Got very sick at 63 (couldn’t walk more than 100 yards before having to sit down), which gave me a lot of reasons to want to get my health and fitness back, but once there I could not decide that I was “backâ€, so I kept going (you probably know the feeling: “Always more, always betterâ€). When I was 69, I discovered this Forum, bought the book plus rings and started being more diligent about progressions. I am still pretty haphazard (and undisciplined) in my programming, but even so keep surprising myself with the progress that I can make (very slowly, but progress it is). That is all there is to it. There are probably thousands of stories like that, quite a few of them more poignant than mine. Even so, it makes me feel very happy indeed if people get motivated by seeing that age (and other handicaps) should not limit you.

That is quite an inspiring story and proof that growing older does not necessarily equate growing weaker.

Frits is a great living example of what science has shown for quite a while:

Young muscle and old muscle respond nearly identically to exercise.

Young muscle is stronger and more elastic (harder to injure) so younger guys will have much more success with high intensity, low rep training and older guys (in the 60+ group) have to be a bit more careful but in terms of muscular response to exercise there is very little difference between a 25 year old and a 65 year old. The 65 year old can still get quite strong, and possess physical abilities beyond what you'll see in the average college guy. Don't ever let your age be a barrier to your success!

The other big difference is that older people really do need to get a full 30 grams of protein in a single sitting in order to get effective results from it. 15 grams produces half the protein synthesis that 30 grams does in young people, but in old people 15 grams doesn't do anything at all. In my opinion this is important to know for our older members!

That is very interesting information, Joshua. I have tried to find some good info on what aging does to athletic potential and ability, but haven’t found much more than the usual “loreâ€. For example, I have never read anything about the fact that you need more protein for muscle growth when you get older. My personal experience seems to confirm what you say. Having read through your dietary recommendations, I did start to eat more protein shortly after my workout and it seems to work (totally subjective observation, of course). Having followed the discussions on individual progress on this Forum now for about three years, I can tentatively conclude that, compared to a pretty good athlete in his twenties, it takes me about three to four times times longer to gain the necessary strength and (neuromuscular) coordination to learn a new GB move (e.g. something as simple as the tucked planche). So, I need three to four times more patience, which for me is the most difficult part. Of course, when you grow older you become more aware that is a loosing battle you are fighting, but, hey, life is beautiful if you can forget for a moment about your own mortality. So, why not create that moment whenever you can. Tucked planche, here I come.

FritsMB, you give me hope

At 57, I started following a GB plan about two months ago, and have just begun to explore adjusting things such as diet, eating scheduling, and workout frequency and intensity. For me, recovery seems to be the biggest limiting factor. I'd be interested to hear what works for you in that area.

PaulR. Yes, recovery is key and so is scheduling your workload. In my case, I used to want to do too much, too often. Took a while to discover that you should build up slowly (hence six week cycles). By now, I have learned to go by how I feel. Helping a program (for example the 6 week SSC schedule) helps a lot, because it becomes easier to determine that you have a good day, versus a bad day. If it is a bad day, I always try to do something (during my scheduled workout days), even if it is only one third or even less than the plan. Also, I have learned to plan my workout load based on what I can do on a good day; not based on what somebody else tells me I should be doing. Experiment with your workload and rest time, so you develop a sense of what work load you can handle and how much rest you need. What helps me too, is working out at a set time (e.g. 10 o'clock in the morning), because I can plan my meals and rest around my workout. Nowadays, I have one rest day each week, but may take another one if I have not recovered. Every three months or so I take three to four days off for regeneration. I hope this helps a bit.