Pull Up Bars

Pull ups – it has been tagged as the king of the back exercises and was even labeled as the true tests of upper body strength. However, whatever you choose to call it, doing exercises on pull up bars can be the most grueling exercises you can do, but it does work!

What Exactly Is A Pull-Up

It is an upper body (mostly back) pulling exercise where your body is suspended with your arms extended overhead. You pull yourself up until your elbows are fully bent and your head is higher than your hands. This exercise targets the Latissimus Dorsi (lateral and back) as well as the other assisting muscles (oblique muscles).

In spite of their effectiveness, due to their difficulty, pull up bars in most gym and fitness centers remained one of the least used equipment – largely ignored, underutilized, and unloved. Sure, there may be occasional patrons who also occasionally stop by and hang from the pull up bar, probably to stretch, to do hanging leg raises. However, generally they are just a handful.

This is sad and unfortunate, because the pull-up bars and all the varied exercises you can do with them is the most effective developer of the upper laterals. The laterals are responsible for giving you the strength to pull yourself upward, towards the sides of your body and then gradually downward. If exercises are done properly, pull-ups can be a very powerful workout, and it does maximize all of these three movements making them one of the purest lateral exercises.

In fact, there is no other back exercise that allows all of these variations. A variation on the body angles and grips allow you to target your back in various ways, which in turn helps you fully develop your back.

For example, the standard pull-up with an overhand shoulder grip works your outer laterals, whilst the wide-grip pull-up with your back slightly arched (pulling your middle chest onto the bar) stretches the middle of your back and works the back of your deltoids better. AS you get stronger and gradually progress, a set of 15 becomes relatively easy. As another variation to increase the level of intensity, you can strap in a couple of weights.

Aside from being possibly the most effective exercise to hone your back, working with a pull-up bar is also considered as one of the safest routines. Unlike bent rows and cable rows, they only put you at risk for lower back injuries due to excessive weight and improper form. These risks are eliminated by the use of pull up bars. In fact, even cheating on them won’t hurt your body, well except your ego.

Once you have convinced yourself in the efficacy of doing exercises on pull up bars, you need to know the basic and the requisites of the strength to perform it effectively. Pull ups are relatively hard, and it would take practice for you to be able to lift yourself up. However, there are numerous machines that are made to mimic the movement of the pull-up. All of these pull-up machines work via a pneumatic assistance or a counterbalance. These machines may provide an efficient way to work your back and can also be vital to develop the necessary strength you need to be able to do exercise on the pull up bars itself.

It will always be nice to see a man or a woman with an amazing back. However, reality is, although it is one of the most noticed and the most used body part, exercises with the back are more often overlooked. Whatever your reasons are, it will always be not too late to try and reap all of its benefits. So, get that killer back, now!