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Old 02-17-09, 09:09 AM  
Castella
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Perfect PullUp Question-Ab Straps

I got a Perfect PullUp on sale at Target and I pretty much love it!

Last night I tried out the ab straps. I wasn't expecting the swing factor (I was swinging back and forth while doing my ab exercises). I could sort of control it by touching my toes to the floor in between each lift. DH said I should go slower to minimize the swinging motion, but I don't think that's an option with moves like bicycling.

I don't want the swing to add momentum to my movement and detract from my effort. Do other people use the ab straps? Do you like them? I did like being able to do more before my arms got tired.
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Old 02-17-09, 09:34 AM  
leslie w
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Did you notice your triceps get a workout too? I bought the straps last week and my abs have been talking to me lately! I find this type of training much harder on my abs than floor work.

Yeah, I also have to put my feet down between exercises to keep from swinging. It doesn't help that my bar also swings because I have the PP hanging from the rafters in my basement, so it's not fixed. I think once I get the technique down and my abs get stronger I'll swing less. I never tried the bike manuever but thanks for the idea!

BTW, are you doing any other exercises besides the ones that came with the chart?
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Old 02-17-09, 11:07 AM  
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You definitely need to slow down to take momentum out of the equation. You'll swing a little, but if you are really noticing it, you aren't pulling with your abs - you are swinging. I'd stop doing the more advanced moves (e.g., bicycle) until you can isolate your abs and do the other moves without having to put your toe down to stop the swing. And go SLOW.

I love my Perfect Pull-Up bar - it's great. The ab straps are a great addition.
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Old 02-17-09, 11:10 AM  
Castella
 
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I did the ones that come with the card, and my goal is to work up to doing all the exercises on P90X+ Abs. That's where the bicycle comes from. I think Tony has the "kids" do a bicycle pedalling forward, then backward. I need to review the DVD and see al the crazy things they do. There's a lot of leg lifting and one where you lift your bent legs (kind of like the oblique lift) and then circle your legs around. Right now, no matter what I do, it all feels like a workout!

I keep wondering about hanging upside down from the ab straps (put my legs through the straps) and doing pullup crunches that way. In theory, the bar and straps can support my weight, so it should work. But I know it wasn't designed to work that way. I'm also not sure that I'd ever be able to get down again!

Before someone tells me not to do it, I really don't have ANY intention of hanging upside down from the bar.
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Old 02-17-09, 11:37 AM  
Helen S
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I have the ab straps and P90X+ Abs+. Before the straps, my hands gave out before my abs. My pull-up bar has ridges. So I ended up doing a lot of the hanging stuff on the floor. Now, I love the straps because it is so much harder to do hanging abs than floor abs. Plus I hate floor abs.

ETA - I haven't done P90X+ Abs since the 2nd week of my CLX rotation. However, I don't recall a lot of swinging. Since my pull-up bar is part of a big weight system, I'm not close to the TV (I can hear it but can't see how fast they are going). So they might be doing ab exercises faster than I am. I would go at your own pace to prevent momentum and let your abs control the movement.
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Old 02-17-09, 04:00 PM  
leslie w
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Are you saying that P90X+ has ab work using the pullup bar? If so I may consider getting them for that alone!

Not to mention they've been on my wish list for a long time!
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Old 02-17-09, 04:13 PM  
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Leslie,

Oh, yeah! It's awesome - a LOT of the ab work is done using the pull-up bar. The X+ series is quite fabulous, actually. I love the TotalBody+ workout - it's perfect for me when I'm "in season."
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Old 02-17-09, 04:38 PM  
Helen S
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mspina
Leslie,

Oh, yeah! It's awesome - a LOT of the ab work is done using the pull-up bar. The X+ series is quite fabulous, actually. I love the TotalBody+ workout - it's perfect for me when I'm "in season."
Leslie,

I agree with Michelle. Total Body+ is my favorite weight workout. It's near perfection to me.

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Old 02-17-09, 06:15 PM  
Kathryn
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Helen S
Total Body+ is my favorite weight workout. It's near perfection to me.
I LOVE that workout as well.
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Old 02-17-09, 08:24 PM  
Castella
 
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I love the P90X+ abs workout (and I usually hate ab workouts). So, yes, you MUST purchase it for that alone!

I don't swing when I hang from the bar itself. But I do need to build strength in the core, so I'll start slow and and go from there.

I really love the Perfect Pullup . The ab straps are a great addition and the bar itself is perfect for me, since it can be moved to 3 levels.
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