Why Women Can’t Do Pull-Ups

NY Times ^ | OCTOBER 25, 2012 | TARA PARKER-POPE

[neverdem]

While the pull-up has been used by everyone from middle-school gym teachers to Marine drill instructors to measure fitness, the fact is that many fit people, particularly women, can't do even one. To perform a pull-up, you place your hands on a raised bar using an overhand grip, arms fully extended and feet off the floor. (The same exercise, performed with an underhand grip, is often called a chin-up.) Using the muscles in your arms and back, you pull yourself up until your chin passes the bar. Then the body is lowered until the arms are straight, and the exercise is repeated. The Marines say a male recruit should be able to do at least 3 pull-ups or chin-ups, but women are not required to do them. In school, 14-year-old boys can earn the highest...

[R. Scott]

They did add a lot of buoyancy to the chest area.

[Scotswife]

Former level 10 here.

Your post brought back great memories of whooping the boys fannies in gym classes.

Ahhhh....those were the days.

Rope climbing races were always fun too. LOL.

[Future Snake Eater]

Nope, they sure can't.

[Gay State Conservative]

I've never been able to a single Marine Corps pullup...although I never put any real effort in learning to do so.I could do plenty of Army pullups,however...as well as pushups,which Sergent King often invited us to do about 44 years ago.

[JRios1968]

Seems the thread has hit a

[SeaHawkFan]

Volleyball - best spectator sport ever invented.

I ref volleyball. Without a doubt, the best looking women athletes.

[LearsFool]

I saw girl once who did 47 pullups. She could actually do more but she was embarrassing us guys and thought better of it.

Good to know there's at least one woman out there with some smarts.

[Vendome]

She was hot as hell too.

We dated for a few months. Fun, fun, fun and soft like a woman should be.

[tnlibertarian]

My wife wants in on the secret to corralling the toddler.

Chicken wire.

[stayathomemom]

I remember reading that women’s arms bend out more at the elbow than men’s and consequently, they have a mechanical disadvantage when it comes to doing pull ups. Anybody out there ever hear of that?

[hattend]

YPIWWP

Your Post Is Worthless Without Pictures.

C’mon, somebody had to say it.

/letch

[tophat9000]

Why Women Can’t Do Pull-Ups?

I don't know..

Maybe because sometime there boobs get in their way?...

(However I bet "push up's" are a piece of cake)

[hattend]

I don’t find that sexy at all.

She’ll be crippled in mid life.

Have the reduction (or implant removal) surgery now, honey!

[fini]

You just nailed it. Your body adapts. If you run a lot, you can run a lot, but it doesn't mean it can carry over to another activity. Certain people are naturally suited for certain activities, but with a lot of practice, your body can still achieve a level of performance that other people do not currently have. I saw a lot of highly skilled runners have a hard time carrying a full combat load, and vice versa. Exceptions prove the rule.

The sexes are different and they are built to do different things. If it was different there wouldn't be "girls teams" and "boys teams." This also carries over to mental abilities. My wife can remember every person she has ever met and I have a hard time remembering who I met five minutes ago. Guess what? The skill of remembering names is a female trait.

[Erasmus]

Volleyball - best spectator sport ever invented.

Umm, you left out jello wrestling.

[Erasmus]

The skill of remembering names is a female trait.

Something every husband does well to remember.

≤}B^)

[Titan Magroyne]

Back in boot camp, I always maxed the arm hang (70 seconds, IIRC). Tho in the best shape of my life at that time, I dunno if I coulda done a single pullup.

I could float like a mutha tho.

These days I *excel* at buoyancy!

[nevergore]

My son was also a gymnast for a period of time...made it to Level 2 (Boy’s are backwards from girls levels, same as a level 9)

He was Georgia State Champion for all around....

Then he grew and switched to football....he played Division 1 football at college here in the south....

Physical fitness has always been a part of our family’s lifestyle....

Can’t brag on one kid and not the others :^)

[going hot]

The female body is the perfect design

No need for another word on the subject.

[GOYAKLA]

“A nut without the right bolt is useless! The same is true for the reverse! “
This bolt found the right nut and we are both happy.