Sep
26
Exercise Of The Day: Pull Ups
Filed Under Exercise
Pull ups, like push ups, are another one of those exercise that people associate with army movies but not with fitness. I’m not sure why though, they’re one of the best upper body exercises ever invented. Unfortunately, unlike the push up, you do need some specialized equipment to do a pull up, namely, a pull up bar. However, enough gyms and playgrounds have these that I thought the pull up would be a good exercise to highlight for the day.
How To Do One
It’s easy. Simply grab on to the bar above you and pull yourself up slowly. That’s all there is to it.
Variations
Pull up variations are mainly around hand placement and head movement. For example, are your hands spaced far apart or close together on the bar? Are your palms facing towards you or away from you? When you move up, does the bar go behind your head or in front of it. You’ll hear some arguments from the people who love pull ups about which style is best and which is hardest. Personally, I think they all rock and which ever one you like the best is the one you should do.
What Not To Do
The trick to good pull up form is to keep your lower body still. If you’ve ever seen people who do a pull up while rocking back and forth then you’ve seen someone doing pull ups with really bad form. Swinging your lower body is a way to cheat a bit. You’re generating momentum as though you’re on a swing which helps your arms lift you up. Sorry, but that’s poor form. The point here is not to swing, it’s to pull up, so keep that lower body still.
Tips and Tricks
If you can’t even do one pull up, don’t despair. Most gyms have weight assisted pull ups that will let you gradually increase the weight. The machine basically pushes you up to some degree, which relieves your arms from the strain of pulling your entire body weight up. If you don’t have access to a machine, take a look at this great video which shows an improvised weight assist pull up using just a pull up bar and a resistance band.
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Pull ups aren’t just for people in boot camp, they’re for anyone interested in upper body strength, which I think is all of us.
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Comments
4 Responses to “Exercise Of The Day: Pull Ups”
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The swinging or “kipping” pull up is just a different exercise. It is not “bad form” if done properly and purposefully.
See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pull-up_(exercise)
Hello Dianne,
That’s true but most people who “swing” are not doing that kind of pull up. They’re simply trying to propel themselves up.
Thank you for the link though, it’s very informative.
Gal
Don’t fotgret tree branch pull-ups! Whatever the equipment, I always like to start each repetition from a dead-stop, then pull to the top, hold it for a “2″ count and lower myslef back down to a dead-stop again. Great upper body exercise — can be toxic on the shoulders if you cheat.
Hey your site is great, it helps to simplify my exercise routine. I have a find where you can find and share all kinds of health information, peoplesmd.com. It has some great information on exercise and fitness that you and your readers would really enjoy.
-Mike