6 Exercises You Can Do With a Pull-Up Bar
When people think about pull-up bars, they think of people performing pull-ups, but the pull-up bar can help you get so much more accomplished. You can train your complete upper body with nothing more than a bar you can hang on.
In this article, we will walk you through a few exercises you can perform on a pull-bar and build strength, muscle mass, and conditioning as a result. Once you’re done reading the article, you’ll have some cool things to try when you walk up to a pull-up bar the next time.
Pull-Ups/Chin-ups
Call them whatever you want, but the ability to do a pull-up is the biggest proof of your upper body strength. Pull-ups are also one of the most functional exercises you can perform. Imagine apocalypse has hit and you’re hanging by a cliff and the only way to save yourself is to pull yourself up.
We’re sure, at this moment, you wouldn’t want to regret not doing pull-ups at the gym. If you’re a beginner and can’t complete a pull-up, use momentum by jumping to grab the bar or get a spotter to help you with the exercise. Once you get better at this exercise, you can add resistance by using weights.
Muscle Ups
Muscle ups are what separate the men from the boys. It takes a whole new level of strength to complete a muscle-up. Start from a dead hang, complete a pull-up, and once you’re at the top of the pull-up, jerk and get into a chest dip position and complete a chest dip. Return to the dead hang and repeat for reps. The Muscle ups will work your back, biceps, triceps, core, and shoulders.
Underhand Pull-Ups
Life might put you in situations where you need an immediate biceps pump but have nothing more than a straight bar to hang on. Grab the bar with a supinated grip inside shoulder-width, lock your elbows in a place and lift yourself up using your biceps. By the end of this exercise, your biceps will be on fire.
Burpee Chin-Ups
If you’re in a mood to get your cardiovascular system going, we’ve got just the exercise for you. Stand under a pull-up bar, squat and get into a push-up position. Complete a push-up, return to the standing position, jump, grab the bar and complete a chin-up.
Hanging Leg Raises
Hanging leg raises are one of the most effective ab exercises. Hanging onto a bar provides your abs with the isolation to completely annihilate your midriff. Start in the dead hang position, lock out your knees and lift them so they are parallel to the floor.
Hanging Windshield Wipers
Obliques are one of the most overlooked muscles when it comes to upper body training. Hanging windshield wipers will smoke your obliques. In this exercise, you need to copy the movement of a car’s windshield wiper with your legs.
Hang from an overhead bar and shorten your armpits so you’re engaging your shoulders and not just hanging by your armpits. Squeeze your abs and lift your legs so you’re forming a “V” with your upper body and legs. Move your legs from side-to-side while holding them together like they’re one windshield wiper.
Which is your favorite pull-up bar exercise? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.