Ben Willenbring

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80 pound weighted chin up on gymnastics rings

As part of my ongoing feats of dad strength, I attempted a 1-RM weighted chin-up with 80 lbs – the approximate weight of my two nephews Eli and Baz.


1-RM weighted chin-up

Here’s 80 pounds. https://youtu.be/WUzyCs0afvw

Why You should do the Weighted chin-Up

  • They are challenging

  • They’re fun, and mixing things up is important

  • They’re useful – pulling strength and gripping strength is highly transferrable to functional activities like moving furniture, construction, grappling, or soldiering

  • They save time – they engage a very large muscle group (your lats) while also hitting the little ones (biceps, abs). So you can stop doing 12 types of bicep and wrist curls 🤦🏽.

My history with the weighted chin-up

I’ve been using this as a foundational strength benchmark for at least 15 years, and love doing them. As of 8/14/2021, I’ve been rehabbing my back and posterior chain for about 3 weeks, and am looking forward to closing in on my record of 110 lbs, which I pulled once when I was at a body weight of 165 lbs.

Other Things that Strengthen Grips

  • Ring muscle ups

  • Rope climbing

  • Frenchies

  • Farmer’s Walks

  • Filling sandbags, laying brick, or even just stacking bricks

  • Jiu Jitsu / Judo / Wrestling