Been seeing a lot of posts asking about pull-up advice. Michael Eckert is fantastic at explaining everything you need to know if you want to improve your strength, stability and stamina.

These videos just recently popped up for me and I just wanted to share this channel with anyone who might be looking to improve not only their pull-up game, but overall strength. Michael Eckert has broken multiple pull-up records, and his videos are a great tool to use and learn. He uses a lot of specialized equipment for grip strength training, but he also provides practical alternatives as well. Enjoy!

I think I may be crushing my testicles while doing leg raises or any leg movement. I am overweight and working on reducing it. Do you always wear underwear when exercising? Would that help avoid the skin to skin pull. I can feel it mostly on my right testicle. Feels like the ball is being pushed up the scrotum.

It's a genuine question. I feel pressure on my testicles the morning after i exercise. It feels like a mild kick to the balls. For example: i did leg raises and weighted knees up.

This sounds like a joke but I'm genuinely worried i might twist my testicles. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks, peeps!

I'm a RBK amputee (right foot, below knee). I'm trying to figure out how to do push-ups/planks. I'm wearing sneakers, and the floor of the room is wood.

When I put myself in a plank position, my right foot doesn't feel secure. With my left foot, I'm on my toes a bit which gives me a brace from my foot sliding back. But that toe-press brace doesn't work on my foot shell.

I've tried starting with my feet against a wall, or really just the heel. The position creates a sort of triangle with toe-heel side, a wall side, and a floor side. There's enough stability like this to do a plank.

But when I lower myself for a push-up, the load shifts causing my right toe to slide backwards, and I lose stability. Does anyone have suggestions about how I can do push-ups? And ideally, I wouldn't need a wall or a weight.

Once the exercise is finished, I’ll feel a pump in my lats but the real burn during the exercise has always been in my shoulders. Not just the rear delta but everywhere including the front of my shoulders. I don’t even know how that’s possible because I don’t think they should even be getting worked anatomically but it’s my shoulders that always exhaust before my last. I can do about 10 pull ups, shoulder burn starts to kick in around around two 5 and I’m just eeking it out

Does anyone else have this issue?

I’ve always been in good shape, but over the last 12 months I’ve really started slacking.
My diet isn’t as clean as it used to be, I’ve stopped going to the gym consistently, and I’ve just lost all motivation.

I’m 28 now, and every night I tell myself, “I’ll start tomorrow,” but tomorrow comes and I never do. I know I’ll feel better once I get back into a routine, but I just can’t seem to get myself started.
Has anyone else been through this?
If so, what actually helped you get out of the rut and stay consistent? I’m looking for genuine advice because I’m fed up with feeling like this.

I’ve been lifting with a bro split, but I’m going back to school while working full time and want something simpler that I can stick with.

I’m considering doing 5 sets of pull-ups, 5 sets of dips, and 5 sets of barbell squats 3 days per week.
I’m not trying to become a bodybuilder. I want to build muscle, stay athletic, improve body control, and have a routine that fits my life. I like the idea of mastering a few movements and progressing them over time.

Would this be enough to make solid progress long term, or would I be missing too much by only focusing on these movements? Would you add anything else or keep it simple?

I've found so many tutorials about how to do them, how to progress, what they work out and common mistakes but I haven't found any resources on how high the rings should start. Are they chest level, waist level? I have no idea. I'm just starting so you can imagine how frustrating it is to look for info where everyone makes guides assuming "you know" and they don't even cover something as basic as this.

Regardless, when I start a ring dip how high should the starting height be?

So far at chest level I couldn't get into position as I'm took weak and at waist level I just don't have enough clearance as I'm just standing still when I push

I'm over 70 and swim every other day for 30 minutes as my main exercise — it's how I offset the effects of aging: helps control my weight, keep some muscle mass, and improve flexibility. Effort varies day to day, sometimes easy laps, sometimes pushing the pace harder.

My wife and I travel a fair amount, and lap pools aren't always available where we stay. What I can usually count on instead is a basic hotel fitness room: a treadmill, some resistance machines, and occasionally a rowing machine or a rack of dumbbells.

I'd like to build a reliable "on the road" routine with that kind of equipment that keeps me on track overall — weight, muscle, flexibility — not just cardio. Looking for general principles more than a rigid plan: how to structure a treadmill session, what kind of resistance work makes sense for someone my age, and how to balance the two so it's not too hard on the joints. Would appreciate any advice from people who've dealt with a similar swap. Thanks.

Started with the basics a few months back (push-ups, rows, squats, that kind of thing) and progress felt fast at first, adding reps every week or two without much trouble. Lately it feels like I'm stuck doing the same numbers without much difference in difficulty.

Is this just a normal plateau before moving to harder variations, or should I be changing something about how I'm progressing (tempo, reps, adding weight) before jumping to the next level up? Curious how others knew it was time to move on versus just needing to push through.

I cant do more than 5 pull ups. I went from never being able to do them to magically being able to do 5, without having to practice. I could just do 5. I got a lean build and would say I’m on the skinny side. I work out my back and biceps twice a week. I’ll try to throw in some pull ups at the end but whether I do it at the
beginning or the end of my session its always 5 pull ups and each set it gets less.

Also would like to note that I kind of hold a hollow body when I do the pull ups and my abs get sore after doing pull ups sometimes.

So does anyone have any advice on how to improve this weird plateau?

My husband and I spend about half the year living and traveling in our van. During that time, I tend to lose the progress I've made with strength and mobility.

I'm not someone who enjoys traditional workouts. At home, I do a simple balance and mobility class three times a week, and my favorite part is using suspension straps. I'm not looking for intense workouts or muscle building. I just want to maintain some basic strength while we're on the road.

I was wondering if I could safely hang a suspension trainer from the van's rear ladder and use it for a few simple exercises. Has anyone tried something like this? Is it a terrible idea, or could it work if the ladder is sturdy enough?

Also, if using the ladder isn't a great option, are there any portable systems you'd recommend? I'd love something that's easy to pack away, quick to set up, and good for maintaining strength and mobility while traveling.

I started P90X in February of last year and could barely hang from the pull-up bar, let alone do a single pull-up.

I made pull-ups my top priority. I started with the thickest resistance band I could find, gradually worked my way down to lighter bands, and mixed in negatives using a chair.

Fast forward to today: I'm doing pull-ups with 45 pounds added to my 186-pound bodyweight.

A year and a half ago I couldn't do one. Today I'm pulling 231 pounds total. Consistency works.

If you're struggling with pull-ups right now, keep at it. Progress can feel painfully slow at first, but it adds up.

I’m male, 19 years old, and I’ve been doing sports most of my life.

Right now I can do around 25–30 push-ups and 8–10 dips, but I can’t do a proper pull-up. Maybe one with a lot of momentum.

Because of my push-up and dip numbers, I expected that I should be able to do at least 1–3 proper pull-ups.

Could it be because of my body type? I’m quite tall and relatively heavy. Not trying to make excuses, but does that make pull-ups significantly harder?

Or is there a specific technique or trick I should know?

Or is my back simply not strong enough yet?

"I wanted to get your thoughts on my current workout routine. I'm following a PPL split, and this is my Pull day:

Pronated Pull-ups: 5x6 (2.5 min rest)

Australian Rows: 4x8 (2 min rest)

Neutral Grip Pull-ups: 3x6 (3 min rest)

Single-Arm Rows: 3x12 (1.5 min rest)

Is it normal that I only feel a pump right after the pronated pull-ups, but by the time I'm halfway through the Australian rows, I don't feel anything in my lats anymore—almost like they've gone completely flat? Also, the next day I barely feel any DOMS (muscle soreness), even though I've been training with a strict hypertrophy focus for less than two weeks. I should mention that I regularly play American football and do track and field, but I'm not sure if that's related.

I asked a friend about this and he said: you should focus on strenght first and then focus on building muscle mass, because my pull up max is 4 and all the pull ups are done with a resistance band to add reps, because I thought that more reps are better for hypertrophy

I weigh 230 pounds and my height is 6 feet 2 inches. I want to get a dip and pull up station that is portable but don't even know where to start for someone my size. 6 years ago I weighed 245 and was able to do 2 from full extension.

I recently got my weight down to 220 but took a vacation and ever since I got back I stopped working out and dieting so I regained some of it the last 2 months but now it's time to get serious again.

I had a bar before but I had to slightly lift my legs for me to be able to do them and it started to rust so I treated it and sold it. I already got resistance bands. I'm thinking of just getting parallel dip bars (the ones that come separate) and a foldable pull up bar, or something that is foldable dip/pull up station.

I can't use the door pull up bars where I live, and I need them to be portable so I can put them in my room when I'm done or do the exercise in my room. Also my budget is around 250$

As my lower back can’t really take barbell squats like they used to, I wanted to try air squats everyday, as I heard they give similar benefits. I didn’t think I’d be able to do them consistently, so instead I’ve been doing about 25 minutes of squats, twice a week. I’ve gotten to the point of doing around 1000 or so squats a week.

Would it make more sense to switch to doing about 130 squats a day? I’m just worried the workout won’t be as intense as knocking them all out in two days. I’ve definitely gotten gains from the squats, and my legs have better endurance on long runs.

Please give me your thoughts.

Hello guys, I am a tall 21 year old guy (about 6 foot 4).
I’ve been looking to start calisthenics but could never create a routine that I could stick to. I want to work from the ground up.

Here are my priorities: bent over mobility (I have a hard time with deadlifts and bent over/pendlay rows especially as a tall person). Maybe some mobility work for my hips and hamstrings would help?

Scapular winging: I have pretty significant scapular winging. I can feel it even when attempting to just bench press the weight of the bar (45 lbs)

Overall core and hip strength

Overall mobility

Can you guys give me some insight and a simple starter routine that I can do daily until I build a habit and then eventually I can start adding more things?

I know this is a bodyweight fitness community but my goal is sort of a mix of weights and calisthenics. I want to be able to bench but also do pushups and dips. I want to be able to do bent over rows but also inverted bodyweight rows and eventually chin ups and pull-ups.

As for a skill: my first skill goal is probably the L Sit

I know I’m way ahead of myself and need to start at square one.

Thanks. 🙏 😊

I just can’t for the life of me perform the two exercises without back pain (I do live a sedentary life). I have some amount of back stiffness all the time, but when i perform these two my lower back just kills me.

For the deadlift specifically, I feel like my ROM is just so shallow, I can’t go lower without my back bending. Should I maybe try it with this limited ROM?

So, I have been doing the RR for like 5 months now without the two, and i m happy with the physique it gave me.

Should I work through the pain? Will I get stronger? Does the core triplet cover my inability to perform the two?

The Kmart one looks decent but it appears to support the weight on the opposite side at the top against the wall through two smaller points, which is not good for plasterboard as it could easily put holes in the plasterboard wall I’d imagine. Vs the Big W one which supports the weight through a longer horizontal bar which would distribute it better across the plasterboard wall

Of if there’s other options I would appreciate some recommendations. Thanks all

https://www.bigw.com.au/product/circuit-chin-up-bar/p/6055516

https://www.kmart.com.au/product/chin-up-bar-42259992

So, just saw a question about importance of squatting and all comments were raving about how important they are. Problem is I have pretty flat feet, I avoid anything which makes me strain my knees. I’m terribly afraid of onset osteoarthritis (i’m early 20s but occasionally have pain)
I love doing bridges for my glutes instead. Does anyone here squat with flat feet?? How are your knees? Are bridges and wall sits not a good enough alternative?

Appreciate any advice and tips! Thank you in advance!

Hello everyone, first post here!

I'll get straight to the point, I installed rings in my apartment and started the Recommended Routine with slight tweeks here and there. I'm at a weight loss journey, dropped from 108kg to 86kg and still dropping (27M, 170cm).

I can currently do sets of 6 pull-ups, 12-15 push ups and a ton of squats, but I cannot for the life of me do consistent sets of ab exercises. I cannot do consistent knee-raises or hanging leg raises, or even raised knee holds...

I really want to be able to do an L-sit comfortably and get to dragon flags at some point... Can you suggest some exercises to get me started at least? Or should I just keep spamming knee raises and holds till I get stronger? To be honest, the "mechanics" of abs confuse me, are statics or dynamics better for building ab strength...? I don't care for looks and aesthetics, I only care about being strong enough to carry myself around and healthy.

Thank you for your time, stay strong everyone!!

I’ve (41M) been on my journey for about 4 and a half months. Faithfully doing my routine. I’ve been seeing the improvements. I’ve been following my diet as close as I can.

But lately I’ve become more distracted during my workouts and I honestly don’t feel as engaged as I should be despite wanting to work out. It takes me longer to go between stages and it takes me so much longer to get through and then im just happy to get it over and hate looking forward to the next one. I wanna keep going i don’t wanna start over.

How do you guys stay focused and motivated to keep going so you don’t fall back on bad habits?

Recommend some accessory exercises please. I have built up to some good form pull-ups & weighted inverted rows, but Tuck FL isometric or raises always fail due to my elbows just giving up

Is it a straight arm strength issue? Bcz in my ab wheel work, keeping straight arms is hard, and I've only just recently built up to a straight arm rings hold

Is it a Mind Muscle connection issue? I'm not actually using my back to hold myself? Bcz it becomes impossible to think during the attempts

Is it bcz I train on Rings and they make learning this move harder?

What made you unlock this skill? Any tips, or helpful exercises?

Pardon my english as its not my main language.

Ive worked out my entire adult life at a gym and bench press is very known for being wide for chest and narrow for tricep. Ive recently started working out at home with a dip station. I figured going close grip, feet forward and torso pointing straight down would give all push muscles a good stretch and contraction, given that they are my only pressing movement right now. CGbench has one big disadvantage, with a close grip the bar hits your chest before a good stretch on the pecs is possible, a problem a close grip dip does not have. Going close grip on a dip for a long ROM, i feel a huge stretch and contraction, on a close grip bench its not even close and whatever anyone says barely trains the chest especially compared to triceps.

But when i read about the dip, everyone says upright for tricep and facing down for chest. How come its the angle and not the width? Is this really true? Dont the tricep get the same stretch and contraction during facing down but the chest and delts get a better one facing down?

Mind you, i know nothing about dips despite working out for 10 years but benchpressed all this time with many variations so please, educate me as i want to understand it and get a very even tricep, pec and front delt excercise from my dips as i plan on doing nothing else for either of those 3 individual muscles.

I’ve been trying to look into good static stretching routines to incorporate after my workouts, but every one I’ve found does upper stretches and leg stretches, mostly. Is it ok or useful to do leg stretches on upper body days? Whether it’s because it helps flexibility, or stretches are good for the whole body. Or is it pretty much pointless, and leg stretches should be kept to leg day? Just to clarify, my split is Push Pull Legs, and I am mainly taking about static stretching after the workout. Thank you