Pull Ups
Pull ups are one of the best upper body movements you can do. They help fix and prevent shoulder problems, facilitate good posture, build a powerful and sexy back (who doesn’t want a sexy back….screw Timberlake) and work every major pulling and most pushing muscle in your body.
Can’t do a pull up? Try these tips:
1. Think about pulling your elbows to your side. A pull up is not about pulling yourself up, it’s about pulling your elbows down.
2. Work on negatives first. Hold yourself up with your chin over the bar, count to ten (don’t be a pussy, its one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, not 12345…), slowly lower yourself to half way, count to ten, then hold it as long as you can in the position. That’s one rep, perform 2-3 of those for 3-4 sets. Once it gets easy add external weight. When you have added roughly 15% of your body weight externally, you should be able to do a pull up. Why 15%? Not sure, it’s just a number that I have found works for a large majority of my clients to get them to do a pull up.
3. Work on your grip strength. Most women (and some men who have pansy grips) lack the forearm strength to hold themselves up. If you can’t hold onto the bar, how can you be expected to pull yourself up? My favorite grip strengthening exercises are plate pinches, kettle bell holds for time and anything with a sledge hammer. Google those if you want to find out exercises. Did you think this was gonna be easy?
4. Work on your chin up strength. Perform the same negative build up as for the pull ups. However, because the chin up is easier than the pull up you will be able to increase your pull up strength by increasing your chin up strength.
5. Do pull ups. Do them. Grab a bar and try and pull yourself up. People tell me all the time that they can’t do a pull up. I ask them if they have tried and they reply not since i was in High School. DUH!
“Ashes to ashes,
Dust to dust,
If you don’t take it out and use it,
It’s going to rust.”
Do some pull ups. If you can’t get any, that’s fine. But at the very least, every time you go into the gym try and do as many as you can before and after your work out. One set balls out. The body is a wonderful thing. It will adapt. Even if you can just pull yourself an inch off the ground, that is enough to challenge your body. Do that every day you go in, and soon you will be able to get half way up…and half way up is half way down…and well….that’s half a pull up! See, you’re almost there!
Pull. Yourself. Up. NOW.
