Pull-ups are one of my all-time favourite exercises! A devastating upper-body compound movement which works a number of larger muscle groups at the same time (back, shoulders, & arms), and personally speaking, gets my heart-rate racing! I like to think it’s the torso-equivalent of squats, which are an epic lower-body compound builder! There are a range of options, from ‘Wide Grip’ for more Lat targeting, ‘Narrow Grip’ for greater bicep bias, negatives, ‘reverse grip’, assisted… They’re all tough to do, but don’t require expensive machinery and could well be the ultimate bodyweight exercise! Click MORE for the ‘How To’…
HOW TO?
Aim to hold the bar with an overhand grip with your arms roughly the distance of your shoulders.
HOW TO?
Aim to hold the bar with an overhand grip with your arms roughly the distance of your shoulders.
1. Start by hanging from the bar.
2. Then slowly start pulling yourself upwards to the end position which is where your chest almost touches the bar. Your chin is then above the bar itself. Often you’ll hear people say ‘chest up’ or ‘open up your chest’. It’s easy to hunch your shoulders in this position so focus instead on bringing your shoulders down and back, and lead with your chest as you pull yourself up.
3. Also avoid arching or swinging your legs back and forth or side to side. It’s better to perform this exercise slowly and in a controlled manner as opposed to ‘jumping up’ relying on momentum, with technique suffering as a result.
4. Finally, slowly lower yourself to the initial starting position, and repeat to failure