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Are Pull ups Functional?
Pull ups are a functional exercise! Today I will explain why and why your should consider adding them to your arsenal. Pull ups are a Multi-joint Compound Movement Pull ups are a multi-joint, compound movement. This means they allow natural movement patterns, and train multiple muscle groups at a time. More natural movements will more directly enhance sporting positions and activities and are probably more functional exercises from an athletic perspective. Athletes should focus primarily on free weight and body weight movements like the pull up in a complete strength and conditioning program. Pull ups require Coordination and Motor Control In Supertraining, Mel C. Siff and Yuri Verkhoshansky note that…
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Are Pull ups Overrated?
I read an article today that claimed that pull ups might actually be an overrated exercise. I actually may agree, but not for the reasons you think. Pull ups are Fantastic for Most People When programmed correctly and when performed correctly pull ups are still fantastic. When the lifter has the proper mobility and scapulo-humeral mechanics to do the movement correctly they are still great. A lifter with no related preexisting injuries, proper strength, stability and motor control should still include pull ups in their routine. However, for some populations, pull ups are not a good choice. Some People Should not do Pull ups People who can’t do pull ups…
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Why are Pull ups Difficult?
Why are pull ups so difficult? Lug your Bodyweight Well, pull ups are difficult for many reasons. First off, you need to heave most of your body weight over a bar with your upper body musculature. Vertical Hanging Second, you have to do it while hanging off a bar–which is not an easy feat in and of itself. Most people have poor grip strength and hanging off of a bar for any more than 3 seconds is hard. For those without a gymnastics background, this is a drawback in and of itself. Obesity For most people in the United States and other countries with a high rate of obesity, pulling…
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Pull ups or Push ups?
Why not do both? Pull ups or push ups? Why not both? In today’s article I am going to explain why you should do both exercises. Similarities between the two exercises These exercises share many similarities. But they are not so similar as to constitute reasonable substitutes for one another. ‘These are both exercises that strengthen the upper body. They are also both bodyweight exercises. And finally, they are both closed-chain exercises. This mean your hands (the distal body part) stays still while you move your body closer or farther from a fixed point. Both exercises are very joint friendly, and both can be progressed by the addition of extra…
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How Many Chin ups is Good for a Man or Woman?
How many pull ups is good for a man? 15 or more chin ups/pull ups is good and 20 or more chin ups/pull ups is excellent for men. For men, 20-25 pull ups or chin ups is an excellent standard. This will likely take a focus of 4-6 weight training sessions per week, for 3-6 years or longer. Working on the pull up, chin up, or related exercises at least 2-3 times per week is necessary. To reach this level of excellence, men will need to have strong sleep and recovery, stress management under control, and a stellar diet. 15-20 pull ups or chin ups in a single set is…
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Pull ups are a Compound Exercise
Are pull ups a compound exercise? Yes, pull up and chin ups are compound exercises. What is a compound exercise ? Compound exercises involve movement at more than one joint, and often train many muscle groups at one time. Isolation exercises involve movement at only one joint. Both the chin up and the pull up involve movement of the scapulo-thoracic joints, the glenohumeral joints and the elbow joints. A seated leg extension is an isolation movement. It only involves movement at the knee joint. Benefits to Compound Exercises Because the chin up and the pull up are compound exercises, they have a greater energy cost than single joint movements. Pull…
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Training for the Tactical Strength Challenge
Preparing for the Tactical Strength Challenge is a bit of a beast. The Tactical Strength Challenge Combines Strength, Muscle Endurance and Endurance What makes it so hard ? Doing well at the Tactical Strength Challenge combines three different physical qualities. You have to be strong, but you also have to have some going power with the pull ups. In addition, you have to have pretty good skill with both the deadlift and insanely good technique with the kettlebell snatch. And maybe most importantly, you have got to have pretty good anaerobic and aerobic endurance and fitness, as you are going to be working at or above anaerobic threshold on the…
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How to use Cardio to Get Stronger, Faster and Better
Cardio to get Stronger: Many bodybuilders, strength athletes and those just looking to get strong and jacked have vehemently avoided “aerobic” exercise for fear that any type of cardio training will steal their gains and make them weaker and smaller. In reality, you can use cardio to get stronger in the weight room, if you program and perform it right. The common anecdotal advice is that running or any long duration cardio will make you skinny and weak. Some strength trainees fear that cardio will steal all their gains and hamper their progress in the weight room. Will Cardio Interfere with Weight Lifting? First, I would like to note that…
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pull ups for seniors: pull up training guide for seniors
Today’s post is about pull ups for seniors. I wanted to write a pull up training guide for the over 60 crowd. Fitness Training Advice for Seniors I realize that a lot of training advice out there is tailored to young bucks, who have really good recovery and no physical ailments. Conversely, a lot of the advice given to older adults is to do easy, non-taxing stuff like practice sitting down and standing up, and standing on one leg. I don’t feel like that is really fair to older folks, and quite frankly, pretty ageist. Setting the bar (pun intended) really low by encouraging older people to play it really…
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build a home gym and train pull ups at home
You know you need to train… Have you ever wanted to build a home gym for your pull up or chin up training? Hopefully by now you are convinced on the merits of using a full body strength and conditioning program, instead of simply becoming a body weight purist. This really necessitates using some sort of commercial gym, or at the very least, a basic power lifting or cross fit gym where you have access to weights and other bare-bones equipment. But You Want to Train at Home But some of you might not want to train at a commercial gym with other people. Depending on where you train, the…
Conquer the Ultimate Bodyweight Exercise
