How to Train Pull-Ups

What are pull-ups and what do they consist of?

Pull-ups are directly related to the body weight of the person who performs it, since it must be lifted while practicing any of the exercise variants. In them, the force that is focused mainly on the part of the hands and arms that are responsible for lifting the body above the bar of the machine is used. To be able to perform pull-ups correctly, you have to do a previous training that prepares and strengthens the back, biceps, forearms, shoulders and the core set. When these are well trained it will be much easier to do pull-ups.

You can start by practicing the lowering of the bar in a calm way, so that all the muscles involved get used to it, and they get used to the effort. Then you can include the chest pulls, or the oars, as well as the plastic rubber. The practice must be progressive, from less to more, you can increase the series and reduce the rest, in this way the muscles and fibers will adapt to the exercise, and it will cost less effort to do them.

What muscles are worked doing pull-ups?

It is said to be multi-articular since when it is practiced it involves different types of joints and muscles, on the one hand, the pectorals, the abdominal part and part of the back area. Specifically, the muscles that are worked are:

• The pectorals major and minor.
• The rhomboid.
• The deltoids.
• Trapeze.
• infraspinatus
• The spinal erector.
• The upper part of the scapulae.
• Biceps and gills.
• The long brace.
• The external oblique.
• The long palm

Tips for training pull-ups

1. Avoid having the body in tension during the exercise, especially the part of the legs that should always be relaxed.
2. The grip on the bar must be done with force and placing the hands correctly, without leaving space that could damage the wrists, arms or forearms, when the weight of the body is raised.
3. A technique to ensure that the grip on the bar is adequate is to protect them with sponges or some tape, or for the person to wear sports gloves.
4. One aspect to take into account is mental strength, which is basic, since there must be concentration and positive motivation to be well focused on the exercise and execute it correctly.
5. To know what is the correct number of pull-ups that the person is capable of performing. First you must try the series that you can do, if they are two or three, when the number of repetitions is clear, they are divided into two and rests are made between series and series. He starts doing those two or three times a week and progressively reduces the rest time.
6. It is a highly recommended exercise to improve posture and prevent back pain. With the repetition of pull-ups, hunched backs are corrected.
7. It is a way of practicing exercise for those who do not have much time in their daily routine, due to family and work obligations that arise and prevent alternating sport with life.

Types of pull-up exercises on gym machines:

1. Rubber band pull-up.

How is it performed?

• Place the rubber band on the bar of the machine and tie a knot so that it hangs from it.
• Place your bent knee on top of the rubber.
• Grab the bar with your palms facing outwards; they should be parallel to your shoulders.
• Drop your body while keeping your arms completely straight.
• Push your body towards the bar, hold in that position for several seconds and return to the original position.

You can repeat the exercise in 2 sets each of 5 or 6 repetitions, always taking breaks that do not exceed one minute.

2. Negative pull-up.

How is it performed?

• Put a small bench under the bar on which you are going to perform the pull-ups, this bench is used as an impulse so that the body reaches the height of the bar.
• Raise your body by grabbing the bar with the palms of your hands facing towards you, hold on for a few seconds in that position and little by little let your body fall until it is suspended straight and your feet touch or are close to the ground.
• Keep your back straight and your eyes forward.
• Perform each repetition in a similar time.

You can perform the exercise in 2 series with a maximum rest time of one minute. As you gain practice, the rest time should decrease to thirty seconds. You can increase the number of series, but decrease the rest time between each one of them.

3. Let pull downs.

How it is performed?

• Face the machine, sit on the seat cushion.
• Grab the bar with your hands placed towards your body, so that when lowering the bar they are parallel to the shoulders.
• Put your legs forward, with a straight back and look up.
• Bring the bar up to your chest, and release your arms slightly so that when you go up alone, the bar stretches your arms, that is, while you return to your original position, your arms remain fully extended.
• The recovery of the bar must be little by little, to avoid pulls or injuries.

You can perform this exercise in 10 series of about 2 or 3 repetitions each, always taking breaks between them that are not less than a minute. As you get more practice, cut the rest time in half, and increase the number of repetitions.

4. Classic or prone pull-ups.

This exercise primarily works the last, trapezius, infraspinatus, and erector spine, although it also works the pectorals, biceps, and oblique in the abdominal area.

How it is performed?

• Stand in front of the bar and place the palms of your hands in prone grip mode, that is, with your hands facing downwards.
• The distance of the grips is always wider than the length of the shoulders of the person who is going to use it.
• Grab the grips strongly and lift your body weight, helping yourself with the bending of your arms and legs, looking towards the bar and with your back as straight as possible.
• You should not slouch your body during the exercise.

To start with them you can do 2 sets of 5 or 6 repetitions each.

5. Supine grip pull-ups.

It is a variety of pull-ups that works the same muscles as the classic pull-up, but with a greater emphasis on the pectorals and oblique’s.

How is it performed?

• Stand in front of the bar and place your palms in a supine grip mode, which consists of placing your hands facing inward.
• Place your elbows at shoulder height, the grips have to be perpendicular to the position of each shoulder.
• Take the grips, and raise all the weight of your body towards them, as you lift it, bend your arms and legs.
• Keep your eyes on the bar that holds the handles, and keep your back straight.

To start this pull-up routine, you can do 2 sets of 6-8 reps each.