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Fitness |
'Pulling Power' Out of the wide variety of upper body exercises you can do, I have found nothing more demanding than working on the pull up bar. It is the one exercise in the gym that 'sorts the men from the boys.' It not only takes a lot of physical strength to work on but also huge reserves of mental toughness. In my opinion it is the King of upper body exercises. Working pull ups and chin ups build awesome strength in the arms, shoulders, back and chest. It also develops great functional power which is of benefit to Combat Martial Artists particularly the grapples. Pull ups and chin ups develop the correct muscles and movements for the pulling power you need when wrestling upright or on the floor. It can also enhance grip strength essential for clinching or grappling. I highly recommend a daily regime of pull up work for those looking to increase their power and strength for the Combat Arts, MMA, Wrestling, Judo etc. if you are not already doing them add to them to your training now. You will be amazed how your strength will increase rapidly. What is the difference between a chin up and a pull up? Some people use the same generic term for both. Infact they are not the same at all. A pull up is performed with the backs of the hands facing towards you and usually but not always with a wide grip. This puts great emphasis on the lats and rear deltoids.
The chin up is performed with palms facing towards you and usually with a narrow grip for emphasis on the biceps and bracialis.
The correct form for both is to do them from a long arm grip with minimum body swing or sway. Equal work should be on the concentric (going up) and the eccentric (coming down) There are many challenging variations to the two standard exercises I have outlined. Here are some of the variations: • One palm facing you, one palm facing away • Pull up behind the neck • One arm pull ups/chin ups • Pull ups using towels or ropes flung over the bar • Staggered 3 part pull up i.e. pull up half way, hold, all the way up, hold, lower to half way, hold, lower to arms length • Sideways pull ups, bring your head either side of the bar • Jump up, grab bar, pull up, hang, drop off, jump up and repeat • Shifting grips (wide, narrow, middle)
These are some good examples. Some are harder than the others and need work, you may only be able to do a few reps of some of them but patience and perseverance is the key. I first did pull ups seriously with one of those bars that fit in the doorway and I practised everyday. I also used the monkey bars of a climbing frame in a local park and then used the conventional bars in the gym. If you really struggle to get a rep up, then some gyms are equipped with a chin up assist machine. This machine counter balances your weight and helps to perform the exercise. The more weight on the machine, the easier it is to pull yourself up. The idea is as your strength increases you gradually drop the weight until you can perform the exercise unassisted. They can be of benefit for those that really struggle but they can also be a 'haven' for the lazy asses gym user who can't draw up enough 'metal' to get on the real chinning bar. Torso and abdominal exercises You can also use the chin up bar to help develop a rock hard mid section, a well defined six pack and amazing core strength. The abdominal exercises on the bar are all really challenging and will push even the fittest of individuals. Here are a few examples of the type of exercises you can do: • Hanging from arms length, bring both knees up to the chest and lower again, you can also bring them up to either side to work the oblique muscle of the waist • As above, bring both legs up and out straight on a horizontal plane. You can either hold them there for a count or lower them up and down • You can perform alternatively one of each of the above movements • From the top position of a chin up or a pull up, you can hold and work the above movements • From hanging position, raise both feet up to touch the chin up bar and back down again for the reps or hold for a count. This is an awesome V up movement that requires great ab and lower back strength.
So you can see, the chin up bar can offer many great exercises for the upper body and torso and is well worth bringing into your exercise routine if you haven't already done so. Try the variations and also you may want to add weight to your body to increase the work and resistance. Take care if you do this, beware of muscles tears or lower back injuries. Go for it now and get 'chinning' and develop awesome pulling power and great grip strength for your grappling.
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