Pull ups.
It’s hard to add much more to pull ups than what was shown in the example video. Grab the bar and pull up until your face is bar level. Wider grip for more lat focus, closer grip for more bicep and mid-back. If you are too weak to do a single pull up, just do dead hangs with attempts to pull every 3 seconds. Don’t worry about what people may think. Fuck them. You’re not here to impress them. And they won’t be saying shit when you’re soon knocking pull ups out like they’re nothing.
What I would like to talk about is how pull ups and a strong back will aide your other core lifts.
Bench: Building a strong wide back is essential for benching big numbers. It gives you a tension pad to absorb all that pressure during the negative. It also aids in the press itself, giving power to the lift off.
Squat: Wrapping your arms over your lats locks your back in the proper position.
Dead lift: Aside from being a big part of the pull itself, the added strength in your back will keep you safe. You don’t want to round your back at all. Also, pull ups are great for relieving the stress out of your back after dead lifts.
Regular body weight should be plenty of weight for a good long time. But if you get to a point where you can do multiple sets of 20, you are gonna want to add weight. Many gyms, but not all, will have chain belts. A chain belt has a leather support for your back and a long chain with a loop and a clip that allow you to dangle a weight from the belt. Start small. No more than 10 lbs. Complete your set reps to add more.
Substitutes: lat pull downs can be used as a good substitute, and all gyms have them. In fact a lot of people choose these over pull ups because you can vary the weight much more easily. You can go lighter than body weight and usually much heavier. However, I recommend pull ups over lat pull downs because (not trying to sound like a cross fit fag) they are a more natural motion that gives you a denser, fuller work load for an over all more powerful back. Do both if you want, but do pull ups first.
Support exercises: T-bar row, dumbbell row, cable row. All exercises can be varied with wide grip, close grip, and reverse grip.
Beast Life – The Pullup
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Good info.
Any thoughts on chinups vs pullups? I do chins so I can also get some bicep work, and skip curls.
It just depends on where you want to focus. Chin ups do hit the bicep, but you’ll get less work on your back as a trade off. Personally I do a separate arm day from back day. But it’s your program.
I will admit I know from personal experience:
Reverse pullups work great to getting you to the first pullup. Jump up and lower yourself down.