Lifters

[Non Stop Dancer]

Yeah, pull ups are an absolute shitter. Sounds like you've tried all the obvious routes to being able to do them. I go through periods of doing them and when I'm in a routine I can do 11 underhand or neutral grip ones in a single go, or about 8 overhand ones which are just a different beast. Haven't done any for a few weeks though and reckon I'd do well to do 8 straight off the bat. Have you tried doing them with the aid of a band? Not done so myself but maybe that's worth a crack? The only other thing I can think of to recommend is to realise it's your lats doing the lifting rather than your arms, which may help you with engaging the right muscles. Also, tighten up the rest of your body as much as possible, e.g squeeze the glutes, tighten your core, which will eliminate energy leaks.

[Non Stop Dancer]

Haha, given all the elaborate techniques I've tried in the past, I think just a bit of huffing and puffing and wriggling around might actually be my next strategy. When you say "palms facing", isn't that what's otherwise known as "chin-ups"? I can do three or four of them from a dead hang...

Just keep doing those if I were you and don't worry too much about the overhand ones. Maybe you're just not biomechanically optimised for it. I know I'm not.

[CornyCrunch]

Alright everyone, been lurking here for long long time but couldn't resist the urge to get involved in a chat about lifting.

I've been doing strength training for about 3.5 years, in my late 30s now. Dicked about in my late teens / early 20s in a shit council run gym but only the last few years taken it 'seriously'. I'm a big advocate for strength training, it's really seen me through some dark times. When everything else is shit you can go to the gym, load up the bar and all you have to worry about is getting it from A to B.

I highly recommend following a program to progressively overload the weights you're using, as that's key to getting stronger. I can link some tried and tested routines if anyone wants?

I think someone mentioned it but using bands for pull ups is a good way to progress on them.
The big main lifts are as much about skill as strength imo, you have to learn the movements as you add weight to them. I have quite bad knees as well but with knee sleeves on and good technique I can low bar squat 115kg x 8 at about 90kg bodyweight. Not impressive in the grand scheme of things but it's good for me! (That's all that matters!) Low bar squat has really helped to almost eliminate knee pain while squatting for me.

Sorry I can't tag the relevant person now I'm writing this but please don't neglect your legs and lower body just because your knees hurt when you squat. There's a ton of variations for you to try that should put almost no pressure on your knees at all - Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, lunges etc. Just give me a shout if you want more advice, although your physio should be more help. Cheers :)

[Voltan (Man of Steel)]

Am I too old? Only started proper weightlifting a few years ago, late twenties

No way are you too old. I started aimlessly pissing about with weights in my late teens and have been doing so ever since (in my fifties now). I started to follow a more structured workout routine and was at my strongest in my mid-forties (nothing special - about 140kg bench press, which I was actually pretty happy with) so you've got plenty of mileage left in you.