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| my back :: courtesy of Chris Dufey |
I think my obsession with amazing backs started when I watched Linda Hamilton in Terminator smash out pull ups like they were going out of fashion. Linda, in that movie, is bloody awesome and her body is incredible!
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| linda just being awesome |
So 12 months ago I told myself I was going to train my body so that I could do pull ups. The other day I did two drop-sets of unassisted pull-ups; 7, 5, 3 reps. That day was a good day!
A pull up is a compound exercise meaning it works a number of muscle groups at the one time. The pull up works that many muscles it's not funny; the primary target muscles are the latissimus dorsi but also getting an awesome work out are your trapezius muscles, biceps, teres major and rhomboids which are part of your shoulder muscles, your abdominal muscles and your pelvic floor.
The best piece of advice I could give you when trying to progress your pull ups is to not give up! They are challenging, frustrating and at times you will feel like you aren't getting anywhere. Just commit to incorporating pull-ups into your work out schedule once a week and I promise you will see progress and feel stronger.
And the best way to get started is to jump on the assisted pull up machine. Looks scary, it's not! The assisted machine works on a bit of a pully system so that you have weight that counteracts your own body weight. The more weight you have above the pin the easier the pull up will be. This is a great way to progress your pull ups as the stronger you get the more weight you can take off from the weight stack.
Here is a really great piece of equipment to help you with your pull up progression; the resistance -band. Thank you to Phil and his client Tammy for being in my photo. Phil had Tammy do full pull-ups with the assistance of the band.
Another good way to progress your pull up is to jump on the pull up bar. Jump up so that your chin is above the bar and then slowly lower your body down until you arms are fully extended. This way you are working your back muscles through the eccentric (lengthening of the muscle) park of the exercise and missing the concentric (shortening on the muscle). Aim for real control throughout the half movement increasing the time it takes you to lower yourself to ensure progression.
Another awesome benefit of a pull up is that there are heaps of variations to really help you progress and get the most from each work out.
The reverse/supinated grip, where palms are facing your face, places more emphasis on your bi-ceps therefore making it the easiest variation of the pull up or chin-up, as they are also known.
The narrow/neutral grip for me is the middle of the road exercise. Palms facing inwards with the power being taken more evenly from your back muscles and your bi-ceps.
The most common and, what I think, popular pull up is the wide, overhand/pronate grip. This is also the hardest pull up as you aren't using the strength from your bi-cep to help you through the movement. I struggle with a wide grip and am still only sitting at about 2 reps. My new goal is to increase my number of reps with my wide grip pull ups.
What ever equipment you use and which ever grip you are doing on the day make sure when you are performing your pull-ups that you do not let your body sway back and forth to gain momentum. This can take work away the stress you are putting your muscles under and it can lead to injury. The best way to prevent this is by contracting your abs and keeping them tight throughout your whole set.
Don't give up...keep pulling!
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