The pull-up is one of the more difficult movements in freehand exercise. Most people cannot complete a standard pull-up, mainly because the upper back muscles are not usually exercised and their strength is weak.
So how should a zero-based person exercise?
1. The pull-up mainly exercises the latissimus dorsi, followed by the biceps brachii and the small muscles of the upper back. Before exercising, you should know the position and name of each muscle group in the back. When doing pull-ups, avoid over-exertion of the muscles other than the latissimus dorsi. If the teres major or biceps are over-exerted, it means that the movement is not too standard or the strength of these muscles is too weak.
2. Master the details such as contracting the scapula.
Contraction of the shoulder blades when doing pull-ups is a very important and easily overlooked detail. The contraction of the scapula mainly relies on the middle and lower trapezius muscles. Those who are too weak in the middle and lower trapezius should specially exercise the middle and lower trapezius muscles, and specifically exercise the action of contracting the scapula.
When doing pull-ups, the scapula changes from an extended state to a retracted state. In this process, the scapula drives the shoulders, the shoulders drive the elbows, and the elbows drive the body to complete the action.
Beginners can use the high pull-down machine to specifically exercise the action of contracting the scapula when they first start exercising.
Beginner pull-up program.
1. Use a low-height horizontal bar or a Smith rack or TRX belt for reverse rowing, and try to hold the bar with the forehand. Holding the bar with the backhand will cause excessive force on the biceps, but it is easier to complete the movement. When beginners exercise the latissimus dorsi in the gym, they can use backhand rowing as one of the movements to exercise the latissimus dorsi. Do 3-6 sets of 10-12 times each, and exercise 1-2 times a week.
2. Jackknife pull-ups. This movement can be thought of as something between a pull-up and a reverse row. Place your feet on a bench or higher to simulate a pull-up. The number of action groups, the number of actions per group and the number of exercises per week are the same as above. When the strength is insufficient, the number of actions in each group can be appropriately reduced, try to ensure the number of action groups, and gradually increase the number of actions in each group.
These two movements can be regarded as the basis of pull-ups. After completing these two movements in the whole group, you can basically complete a standard pull-up, and then perform the following exercises.
3. Standard pull-ups. In the process of doing pull-ups, when the body is at the highest position and the forearm is basically perpendicular to the ground, it is a standard grip at this time. If the grip is wider than this, it is a wide grip, otherwise it is a narrow grip. The high point of the pull-up is that the horizontal bar is between the chin and the collarbone. In addition to observing the range of motion in the mirror, you can also use the eyes to see a target as a standard.
Don't lean back too much when doing pull-ups, otherwise the small muscles of the upper back such as the teres major will be overworked. When exercising, the elbow is in front of the body, and the forearm is basically perpendicular to the ground. Be sure to contract the shoulder blades first, the shoulder blades drive the shoulders, and then drive the elbows to complete the action.
4. Use elastic bands and elastic ropes to assist in completing the pull-up. This method is very suitable for exercisers who have poor physical strength and cannot exercise in groups. When you first start exercising, do 3-6 groups, try to ensure that the number of each group is more than 5, and gradually increase the number of movements in each group to 12 or 15. For muscle builders, it's not necessary to do too many sets per set.
5. In addition to the exercise method of gradually increasing the number of movements, the concentric force process of the pull-up can also be divided into two parts for exercise. Pay attention to centrifugal force when exercising.
The process of centripetal force is the process of pulling the body from a low point to a high point. When exercising, the first set of movements starts from the low point and only do the first half, and the second set of movements starts from the middle and only does the second half. Do the first half first, then the second half, each doing 2-3 sets, or alternately doing 2-3 sets each. After a period of exercise, the number of movements in each set can be significantly increased.
6. After each group can do 5-6 pull-ups, if you want to quickly increase the number of exercises per group, you can use the following method.
Do 2 sets of wide-grip, narrow-grip, standard, backhand, fast, and slow pull-ups, each set of 5 or 6 times, and gradually increase to 10-12 times per set. The exercise sequence of various pull-ups can be adjusted flexibly, which is more conducive to the exerciser to improve the exercise effect. When doing backhand pull-ups, the grip between your hands is basically the same width or slightly narrower than your shoulders, but not too wide.
Another way to exercise is to skip pull-ups for a while at the gym. Do high pull-downs, barbell rows, seated rows, dumbbell rows, straight-arm presses, and other exercises that work your lats. Wait until the strength of the lats grows before specializing in pull-ups.
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