They say that your body is your temple. You have to treat it just like you treat any other thing that you’re passionate about: like your life depends on it.
Looking good, staying fit and feeling amazing isn’t just a conception of the modern world.
People from all over the world always wanted to look good. Maybe our ancestors didn’t have the machines we have access to today, but they had their ways of achieving their goals.
They taught us that simple and short exercises are the best for our bodies. There is no need to complicate our existence with strenuous exercises that have the same benefits as the simple ones.
Pull-ups are a part of this exercise category. There are various pull-up techniques that can be used to strengthen and shape at least 3 muscle groups at once on a pull-up bar.
What are the best pull-up workouts?
If you want to grow natural, beautiful muscles, increase your strength and challenge yourself, then you should definitely start training using a pull-up bar on an everyday basis.
If you are a complete beginner, things will be tough in the beginning. If you are intermediate or advances, you already know how things are going to work. You have to rebuild your strength and then push your limits more and more every day.
Regardless of your training level, there are times when pull-up workouts can become boring. That is when you have to take up new challenges every day. You can start doing more repetitions, the same number of repetitions in less time or you can start doing complicated pull-ups that you haven’t tried before.
Here are the top 5 pull-up bar workouts that will turn you into a superhuman:
- The best pull-up workout routine that we can recommend once you got used to doing at least 100 of them in one day, is the following:
- 5 sets of 12 wide-grip pull-ups
- 5 sets of 25 standard pull-ups
- 5 sets of 17 V-Bar pull-ups
- 5 sets of 12 chin-ups
Once you get bored, you can go for more repetitions and even more sets. You will observe that your back, shoulder, arm and ab muscles are stronger and more visible.
- If you are over this kind of simple, yet difficult training, you can upgrade your routine to cardio. Do as many repetitions as possible in 1 minute. It sounds easy, but trust us, it isn’t.
- Should you want to push your limits even harder, the weighted pull-ups are incredibly helpful. You can add up some dumbbells that you can hold with your feet and a dipping belt. Wearing a weight vest is also an option.
- 100 pull-ups as fast as you can. It is up to you. If you decide that the 100 pull-ups can be done in one day, then so be it. Somehow, though, there are people who do them in less than 5 minutes and their body looks amazing!
- The pyramid training is fun and challenging, which is why most people love it. Start by doing 1, 2 and 3 pull-ups and proceed until you reach number 10. Then, start decreasing the number of pull-ups. It’s that easy!
What are the pull-up variations?
Everyone knows what standard pull-ups look like. But when you see someone doing mixed-grip pull-ups, climber’s chin-ups, they suddenly become your heroes.
It is normal to look up to people who can do all the pull-up variations, as they require a lot of strength, motivation and will. A healthy diet, protein cocktails and energizers are also required from time to time.
There are plenty of pull-ups that one can do to train the entire body. Some of the most popular are:
- Standard pull-ups
- Weighted pull-ups
- Behind-the-neck pull-ups
- Mixed grip pull-ups
- Commando pull-ups
- One arm pull-ups
- Climber’s chin-up
- Kipping
- Sternum chin-ups
- Muscle-up pull-ups
- Assisted pull-ups
- Reverse push-ups / inclined pull-ups
What are the triggered muscle groups?
Today’s gyms offer us so many options, that it becomes difficult to decide which workout type is best for our bodies. There are a variety of fitness machines and weights that await to be exploited. However, sometimes the simplest training is the best.
The great advantage of the pull-up training bar is the fact that it involves so many muscles. Every single muscle in your body can be stimulated when doing various types of pull-ups.
The best thing about the pull-up bar is the fact that users can add some attachments to it. This way, the number of different exercises they can perform grows substantially.
Here are the muscles that one uses during a pull-up training:
- The trunk (also known as latissimus dorsi)
- The arms (brachialis and brachioradialis)
- The shoulders (the teres major, rhomboids, trapezius, scalpulae, deltoid muscles)
- The abdominal muscles (rectus abdominis, sternum, erector spinae)
- The pelvic floor
- The hands and forearms
Believe it or not, some individuals become so caught up in the pull-up workout that they take it to extreme limits. This way, they get to set new world record and amaze everyone around them.
Mark Jordan, a 54-year old sportsman, who did 4321 pull-ups in 24 hours set a record that was registered in the Guinness World Record in 2016. Later on, the same year, a Marine Corps Veteran and CrossFit trainer set a new record of 5862 pull-ups in 24 hours. However, he is 17 years younger than Mark Jordan.
If you thought that only men were attracted to pull-ups, you were wrong! Women are, too! Irina Rudometkina, a Russian sportswoman set the record for the most consecutive chin-ups without dismounting. She did 48 consecutive pull-ups in December 2014.
Also, Alicia Webber set the world record for the most pull-ups in 1 minute. She did 39 pull-ups in August 2011. She also set the record for the most chin-ups in 1 minute in 2008, 2010 and 2011 and for the most pull-ups in 3 minutes.
As you can see, pull-ups can turn you into a good-looking, strong person, but also a passionate one who can set world records or simply push the limits far beyond your imagination.
