How do you do pull-ups? Pull-ups are a functional bodyweight exercisethat is ideal forbuilding holistic upper body strength. And yet, they're generally known as one of those hard-to-learn exercises that can be tricky for beginners to perform.
Despite popular misconceptions, it is possible for anyone to master pull-ups, even those without muscular and strong arms and backs ! You just need to know where and how to start. In this article, we explain how to do a pull-up properly, thepossible variationsand the keys to progress quickly!
How to do pull-ups? The Basic Movement
Detail of the exercise
How do you do pull-ups with the proper movement form ? There are a few tips and tricks that not only make performing a pull-up easier, but also ensure you get the full benefits of this powerful exercise.
Here's how to perform a pull-up with correct technique:
- Start by standing directly under a pull-up bar. If you can't reach the bar while standing on the floor, you can place a box under your feet and stand on it instead.
- Place your hands in an overhead grip (palms facing you) with your hands slightly further apart than your shoulders. Once your hands are holding the bar, you're in your starting position.
- Inhale, then exhale. Lift your feet off the floor or box to hold on to the bar and engage your core by drawing your belly button toward your spine. Pull your shoulders back and down.
- Engage your arm and back muscles, bend your elbows and lift your upper body toward the bar until your chin is above the bar. You can imagine bringing your elbows towards your hips if that makes the movement easier.
- At the top of the movement, inhale. Next, extend your elbows and lower your body back to the starting position. When moving, avoid swinging your legs or shrugging your shoulders. You want to make sure your shoulder blades stay back and down throughout the exercise.
Why it's hard
This move may not be possible for you yet, and that's absolutely okay! If you can't perform a full pull-up right off the bat, you can do exercises to build up your strength gradually, until you get there!
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Pull-ups require you to lift your whole body with only your arms and shoulders, hence the daunting challenge. You also need to make sure you have the correct form and technique to activate the right muscles at the right timet. So don't be discouraged: there are plenty of ways to pull off successful pull-ups, no matter what strength level you're starting from!
How to Do Pull Ups: The Benefits
What are the benefits of pull-ups? Pull-ups offer many benefits to your physical health, frombuilding muscle to improving your quality of life.
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After explaining to you how to do pull-ups, here are their advantages:
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Build Holistic Upper Body Strength : Because pull-ups engage many muscles in one motion, they're known as a compound exercise. Compound exercises mimic natural movement and help improve coordination. They also train the nervous system and muscle tissue at the same time, as opposed to isolation exercises.
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Low Impact Movement : If you find it difficult to perform high impact exercises due to joint pain or injury, pull ups are a low impact exercise that will help build strength and build your strength. get in shape without putting extra pressure on your joints.
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Improve your overall physical health: Resistance training has been shown to significantly improve overall health, as it is linked to better physical performance, from walking speed to movement control and ability cognitive.
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Better Mental Health and Mood: Getting stronger and fitter is proven to help improve your mood and mental health. Strength training has been found to improve symptoms of anxiety, depression, sleep and fatigue, and cognition in older adults.
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Tone Your Upper Body : Building muscle in your upper body has the added effect of toning and sculpting those muscles. When you do pull-ups regularly, you also help strengthen the muscles in your arms, back, and shoulders, toning them for a beautiful upper body.
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How to do pull-ups? Progression tracks
Variants of movement
Assisted pull-ups with a resistance band
If you can't perform the full pull-up movement, use a resistance band. Start by looping the resistance band around the pull-up bar so that one end is secured around the bar and place your foot through the loop at the bottom.
You can then perform the movement normally, but the The elastic helps reduce resistance and allows you to pull your body up. The thicker the resistance band, the easier the movement will be. Once you know the pull with a certain thickness of band, gradually start using thinner bands each time you train. Eventually, you should be able to master the move without any help!
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Isometric wedges
An isometric grip on the pull-up bar involves jumping at the top of the movement so that your head is above the bar and your chest is against it, rather than pulling yourself down high. Once you're there, hold the bar in that position for as long as you can. Repeat this three times as part of your weight training program.
Gradually increase your reps until you gain confidence and improve your arm strength.This is a great move for beginners because you can chain reps and get comfortable with pull-ups
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Negative pulls
To do a negative pull, place your hands in an overhand grip just wider than shoulder width apart. Use a sturdy box or chair to jump at the top of the pull-up motion so your chest touches the bar.
Next, slowly lower your body until you reach the starting position of the pull-up motion. This move still works the strength of the same muscles as pull-ups, but is easier to perform for beginners. You can add negative pull-ups to your exercise routine by performing them in three sets of 12, making sure to pause between each set.
The suitable weight training accessory
How to do pull-ups and progress more and more? If you've already mastered the basic movements of pull-ups and feel comfortable, there is an ideal accessory to continue to gain strength and endurance: the Weighted Vest military load 50kg™! There may come a time when your bodyweight will no longer be enough to allow you to become more powerful.
The weighted vest can help you take off: with its additional load between 5 and 50kg, you will be able to really challenge yourself and become stronger. Very resistant and comfortable, this weighted vest has been designed with the best materials: Oxford fabric and a Velcro support system. The size of the vest adapts to all body types and is suitable for all athletes.
Specially designed for intense efforts, your training sessions at home will gain intensity. No more light and simple bodyweight workouts. Take it to the next level with this weighted vest to do your pull-ups.
In summary: How to do pull-ups?
So, how do you do pull-ups? You have step-by-step movement detail for proper execution form. Not only will it allow you to gain strength by optimizing muscular work, but it will also protect your health and your joints.
The benefits are multiple: develop holistic upper body strength, train with low impact movement, enjoy better mental health and mood, improve health and tone your upper body. To progress, start by performing assisted pull-ups, use isometric wedges or do negative pull-ups. And for the bravest among you, there's the Military Load 50kg™ Weighted Vest to blast your physical performance. Now you know how to do pull-ups!
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