Thank you for visiting my blog on pull up workouts. I am a 31 year old male, who enjoys fitness training and exercise. I am also a 1st Dan Judo black belt, and assistant coach striving to reach 2nd Dan. I recently became a father and spare time for exercise is now more limited, therefore my workouts need to be fast, explosive, and time efficient. The pull-up is a core staple of my exercise regime.What is a Pull up?
Pull ups are 'a closed-chain bodyweight movement where the body is suspended by the arms, gripping something, and pulled up with muscular effort. As this happens, the wrists remain in neutral (straight, neither flexed or extended) position, the elbows flex and the shoulder adducts and/or extends to bring the elbows to or sometimes behind the torso' (source wikepedia)
Best see the video:
Why do Pull ups?
- Pullups are one of the most beneficial overall muscle and strength developers. The pull up exercise (also called a chin up) is a simple body weight exercise for building upper body, back and core strength. It is often overlooked/neglected in favour of pumping iron. Don't let this be you, as the the importance of incorporating this exercise into your routine cannot be emphasised enough. Done well and with a systematic exercise routine it really can be the ultimate challenge, whilst achieving a great physique.
- A pull-up is a compound, pull-type exercise which works a large number of muscles in your back, shoulders, and arms (biceps) at the same time. An added benefit is that it works the abs as well as burning fat. Bonus!
- Standard exercise for special forces and elite organization fitness testing
- Improves grip strength significantly
- An essential part of athletic training (including martial arts, MMA)
- Lat pull down is no comparison
- Develop a V-shaped back
- My favourite = impress your mates!!
Pull up bars - Which shall i use?
What you need is a firmly fixed horizontal pull up bar, high enough for your own height and strong enough to support your weight. If, you are a member of the gym, it won't be a problem as they usually have a pull up bar installed. However, if you are a home workout enthusiast who hates the gym (i hate queuing for equipment) you have three options:
1) Door Frame Pull up Bar (see below for example)
Pull up Station (see below for example)
Wall Mounted Pull up Bar (This is the pull up bar I have: UK only)
Personally i have only tried the later. I found and use a great wall mounted pull up bar, which i bought at a very reasonable price. However, if you hate DIY a door frame bar should suffice, if you can't afford a pull up station.
There is always the local park as well if you can find a suitable frame.
Pull up Variations
Once you are more confident with the standard pull-up (shoulder width) there a number of variations. Below are the main ones:
Wide Grip Pullups - Changing the grip width alters pull up performance significantly. A wider grip really works the lat muscles on the back.
Close grip Pullups - Places greater emphasis on the arms, shoulders, and chest
Chin ups (under hand grip pullups) - Palm facing in this time. This one really helps build the biceps. You may find this easier than normal pull ups if you do a lot of bicep curls. This is my favourite along with the standard pull-up.
Behind the neck pull ups - The chin is dropped. The goal of the pull-up is to touch the bar with the back of the neck. Really works the upper back and shoulders. One to avoid if you have a history of shoulder problems.
Weighted Pull ups - Weight is added using a dipping belt, or grasping a dumbbell with the feet, or weight vest/shorts. I would not consider this until you can do at least 10 pull ups straight or more, and feel that you have hit a plateau. In terms of home workouts i think that a weighted vest is the most practical.
Pull Up Challenges
If you can do 8 to 10 reps for three sets, then you are doing very well.
If you are beginner this will take a while, but if you persist you should see regular improvements (See next section). As a beginner go to a gym that has an assisted pull ups machine. You can adjust the weight that you are lifting so that as you improve you need less and less assistance. It's working the exact same muscles, in the exact same range of movement as a full pull up.
You can also work your back muscles by doing pull downs on a Lat machine, bent over rows with dumbbells, or a barbell.
More advanced - May be you can already do 10 pull ups straight, pretty good considering many people struggle with a couple. However, the new milestone is 20 pull ups believe it or not. This is becoming quite a You Tube phenomena.
Integrating a pull up workout into a full body workout circuit
How to do more Pull ups? Take the challenge
Integrating a pull up workout into a full body workout circuit
15 minute blast - A great workout for people with busy schedules.
Set 1: Perform each exercise below for 1 minute, with 10 sec transition time (allows you time to record your number of reps)
- Burpee
- Pull ups
- Squats
- Push ups
- Box Jumps (or power jumps on the spot)
Then rest for 2 minutes, and rehydrate (more if needed)
Repeat 2 more sets of this workout trying to match your scores in the first set.
Once you have a bench mark you can work on beating your score.
If you try this workout please let me know how you got on/your scores by commenting on this blog. I found the pull ups really hard going when mixed in with the cardio!
If you enjoyed this pull up workout and are interested in a structured fitness program visit: Challenge Workouts.com. Rather than getting caught up in fancy gym routines, you really can achieve a much more practical and higher state of fitness simply by using your own body weight.
If you enjoyed this pull up workout and are interested in a structured fitness program visit: Challenge Workouts.com. Rather than getting caught up in fancy gym routines, you really can achieve a much more practical and higher state of fitness simply by using your own body weight.
I thought i was in good shape, especially in terms of doing pull ups and press ups, however
There's a woman - in her 40's - who can KICK my butt and many men's rears in a
push-up and pull-up challenge. Her name's Shawna Kaminski and she can help anyone - from beginners to advanced athletes improve the number of pushups and pullups that they
can do. She has training tips and SIMPLE little technique changes that will give you almost immediate improvements.
So no matter if you still struggle to do your 1st pullup or pushup, or if you want to do 25 pullups straight, she can help.
After all, she can do more than 25 pullups and 100 pushups - straight, with no rest - herself. She's a machine and she'll help you become a pushup and pullup machine too. I'm still embarking on the journey but following her tips i am certainly going in the right direction. You can to! Check out the video below:
Find out her bodyweight workout secrets visit the Ultimate Pull up Challenge
A pull-up is a compound, pull-type exercise which works a large number of muscles in your back, shoulders, and arms at the same ti
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Why do pull ups
