All about the exercise: Pull-ups on the bar.

This exercise, along with push-ups, can be considered the most universal, because to perform it you just need to find a crossbar or horizontal bar, which, by the way, is very easy to do with your own hands.

1. Some facts from history...
2. Target muscles and emphasis of impact.
3. How to do it at least once?
4. Execution technique.
5. We include additional weights in the work.
6. Other goodies...
7. To the chin or to the chest?
8. The finishing touches.

Some facts from history...

Since ancient times, pull-ups on the bar have been considered a symbol of the physical perfection of athletes, but it is now quite difficult to thoroughly trace the evolution of this exercise.

In the ancient period, Greek wrestlers, Roman gladiators, as well as representatives of other countries and eras performed it to develop their own strength and endurance. And frescoes found with step-by-step instructions on the walls of Egyptian tombs confirm the even more ancient origin of this exercise...

Previously, in the United States, until the end of the 19th century, cells in police stations looked like cages made of rebar, so it was not difficult for prisoners to find an opportunity to exercise to while away the hours of their stay in captivity. After all, in fact, you can perform this exercise on anything, even on a tree branch, as long as it is safe.

Due to its high efficiency, ease of implementation and easy availability of equipment, it is included in a number of mandatory standards for schools, universities, and also, of course, army institutions.

Target muscles and emphasis of impact.

Depending on the width of the grip and its type, the load varies greatly. With a wide one, the latissimus dorsi muscles are loaded, and with a narrow one, the load goes on the biceps and forearm.

But even with all the effectiveness of pull-ups, many for some reason ignore it, or do not pay due attention. Probably due to the fact that his main emphasis is on his back, and this part of the body is not particularly visible in the mirror. Yes! It’s as if your back is not visible, but if you have a truly wide and powerful back, it will be visible even from the front! Remember: a wide grip simply “tears” your back, which is already genetically programmed to increase, because it is the widest muscle on the human torso. Now in every gym there are many exercise machines that can alleviate your “suffering”. But many of these devices, without your proper handling skills, can cause you sports injuries, so do not invent unnecessary things, because the usual, classic pull-up is the safest and best way to pump up and expand your back; this mechanism was laid in us by nature itself from birth.

But what to do if you can’t climb the horizontal bar even once? There is a way out, but you need to create a separate training program using special preparatory exercises. Remember: first of all, you “train” your back, not your biceps. Here are some suggested methods:

1. pull-ups while standing on an incline;
2. on a low crossbar;
3. to incomplete amplitude;
4. with the help of a partner;
5. using tourniquets.

It is also possible that you should use a specialized exercise machine that compensates for part of your weight, and pull its handle towards your chin... Over time, having worked through all the above options, you will definitely be able to do a couple of clean repetitions from a hanging position on the bar.

Execution technique.

The technique here is not at all complicated:

1. first you need to grab the horizontal bar using a grip,
2. spread your arms wider than your shoulders and hang freely on the horizontal bar,
3. then try to touch the bar with your chin,
4. stay in this position for a second,
5. and return to the starting position.

^{* Before all this work, you need to properly stretch the target muscles.}

When you have already trained sufficiently and are able to easily perform more than 10 repetitions on your own, the time will come for additional complications...

We include additional weights in the work.

Pull-ups on the bar using weights have a beneficial effect on the growth of muscle mass, subject to the acquisition of correct technique skills. If you can easily do more than 10 repetitions, it is better to move on to weight training by attaching weights to your legs or belt. These could be special shin bracelets, or a weight vest, or simply hook the discs to a weightlifting belt with hooks. Take the starting position: hands on the bar at shoulder width or wider than shoulder width, legs bent at the knees (to avoid the pendulum), lifting should be done to the chin and back, but avoiding sudden movements.

In addition to the use of weights, a variation of wide-grip pull-ups to the back of the head is considered an interesting technique - undoubtedly a very effective exercise, but highly traumatic. Therefore, we fundamentally do not recommend it to beginners. Experienced athletes are happy to include it in their training program. We will definitely tell you in more detail about this variation in one of our next articles...

Other goodies...

It should be noted that training programs on the bar should be designed depending on the desired result. That is, the number of approaches, repetitions, days of training will be different for everyone, but it is important for us to understand these other details:

1. This is the safest exercise for the upper back. In sports, the lower part is often injured due to poor technique of lifting the barbell; pull-ups correct this problem, because when they are performed, the spine is in a natural position, preserving all the bends inherent in the body.
2. Eliminates unbalanced development of arms and shoulders, and as a result, possible sports injuries.
3. This is an effective means for pumping up the biceps, due to the coordinated, joint movement of the elbow and shoulder joints - a basic exercise.

To the chin or to the chest?

An interesting point is that there is still no single exact opinion on the issue of the upper limit of the amplitude. Pull-ups on the bar to the chin, or to the upper chest? However, we recommend rising from almost straight arms to the chin, since otherwise part of the load will be transferred to the weak muscles between the shoulders and shoulder blades, and this is traumatic. Therefore, pay most of your attention to the execution technique, and this means:

1. keep muscles in constant tension,
2. and do not lower yourself onto completely straight arms, because this will put extra stress on the joints.

The main thing in training is safety and efficiency, so inexperienced athletes are not recommended to do swinging and other elements of cheating, or in general any unnecessary movements not provided for by the technique of performing the exercise. It is better to coordinate all your experimental ideas with a trainer, who will immediately be able to advise you, point out mistakes and find the optimal solution to the issue.

1. Story,
2. Target muscles
3. Pull up 1 time
4. Technique,
5. With weights
6. To the back of my head
7. The benefits of exercise
8. Chin or chest?
9. Conclusion.