You need to pull yourself up at least ten times even in physical education classes at school. This is a sports minimum for a healthy guy. However, even this number of repetitions is beyond the power of many of the guys. Fitness trainer and Guinness book record holder Manvel Mamoyan talks about typical mistakes that prevent you from pulling up more, and advises a set of exercises that will help you start pulling up a lot and with high quality.
Why can't I pull up on the horizontal bar?
This question often arises among beginners, and not only among guys, but also among girls. The most common causes: overweight, weak muscles, improper technique. With the first two points, everything is clear, but what is hidden behind the wrong technique?
Holding your breath
The effectiveness of the exercise depends on how much the muscles are saturated with oxygen in the process. How it should be: when moving up, inhale through the nose, and when lowering, exhale through the mouth. Inhale and exhale must be done with each repetition.
Body rocking
When swinging the body, the pace slows down and the technique suffers. Make sure that when performing the exercise, your body is exactly perpendicular to the ground.
Jerks
You spend extra strength on jerks and perform the exercise due to inertia. Such measures create the illusion of doing the exercise, the muscles do not receive the necessary load and do not train. Instead, use prep exercises until you can pull cleanly.
How to pull up on the horizontal bar more
There are many recommendations and training videos about pull-ups on the Web: various training schemes, analysis of techniques and success stories. If you want to achieve results in pull-ups, take note of some effective exercises and important tips.
Don't expect instant results
Be prepared that it won't be easy at first. Your arm muscles will ache, you'll get blisters, and your reps will increase very slowly. Remember - this is normal! And don't stop exercising.
Start with a warm-up
In order for the muscles and ligaments to work to their fullest, warm them up. This will increase the result and protect against injury.
Use preparatory exercises
First exercise. You can make it with the help of a children's horizontal bar or bars. Standing on the ground, grasp with a straight horizontal grip and pull yourself up until your chest touches the horizontal bar. Do your best, don't stop when the going gets tough.
Second exercise. Statics develops tendons and joints, which is very important in pull-ups. Static exercises should be a mandatory part of your workout. On the same children's horizontal bar, repeat the first exercise and linger at the top point for as long as possible. You can also use the hang on the horizontal bar to strengthen your grip.
Third exercise. Here you will need either sports elastic bands, or a friend who can take part of the load on himself. If you use elastic bands, then fix them on the horizontal bar, and on the other hand, rest your legs, and try to pull yourself up. This way you will lift less weight. Instead, you can ask one of your comrades to hold your legs. The effect will be about the same. Just make sure you don't push yourself out with your feet.
Fourth exercise. Pull yourself up halfway so that your elbows form a right angle. Hang like this until failure. Exercises at first can also be facilitated with the help of an elastic band.
If you can already pull up a few times
If you are already pulling up with your body weight a few, then increase the number of exercises. It is important to exercise regularly and monitor the correct execution of exercises. If you are exercising, and the number of pull-ups is not growing, try weight training. For starters, you can use a backpack with a couple of bottles of water or a stack of books. It is also possible that some of the muscle groups are lagging behind. Try changing your grip or adding more exercises.
Why do you need pull-ups at all?
First, pull-ups are one of the easiest and most accessible exercises. There is a horizontal bar in every yard, and you can pump a large muscle group on it. For the formation of a beautiful torso and a wide back, pull-ups are one of the most important exercises. In addition, pull-ups have a huge number of variations in order to develop different muscle groups and not get bored from the monotony of training.
Secondly, pull-ups make you healthier. The problem of many people is congenital and acquired diseases of the spine. Often, doctors in such cases advise various types of gymnastics, massages and other ways to strengthen the back. Pull-ups can serve as both a prevention of such diseases and a method of treatment. In this case, it is better to consult a doctor so as not to harm.