HOW TO TONE YOUR BODY USING PULL UP BAR

Are you looking at increasing your upper body strength and also toning your muscles? Pull-up bar is what you should consider as part of your exercise regimen.

Pull-up bars are very versatile and most effective for toning and strengthening the upper body. 

The term ‘pull up’ refers to exercises that involve using a pull-up bar. Pull-up bars as the name suggests are bars that can be mounted on walls or ceilings. You can also find them mounted on Gym towers or power racks.

If you are looking at training at home then Pull bar is a great fitness accessor you can consider buying.

It doesn't matter whether you a beginner or professional exercising with a pull-up bar is not easy. It takes a longer time to master but practising it daily to build strength.

Why do Pull-ups?

Pulls-ups are great bodyweight exercises which can be done anywhere, anytime. Powerlifting, boxing, bodybuilding, cardio or any other exercise pull-up exercises will help you master and strengthen the pull-up movement.

Exercising with Pull-up bars

For a beginner or for someone who is already doing pull-ups increasing your reps is always a challenge.

 It is important to follow a routine to do it gradually to advance to the next level.

Here is a list of simple steps /basic exercises to follow to increase your reps.

Dead Hang 

Master hanging exercises is very important when you start with pull-ups. Dead hangs help you build grip strength, core stability and proper form of doing pull-ups the right way. Here are the steps to do it.

• Grip the bar with palms facing down.
• Hang from the bar with legs crossed till the time you can hold it.

If you can hold your grip for 30 sec you can then move to the next step.

This position requires you to pull yourself to the top position with your chin above the bar. For a beginner, it is advised to take the help of a partner or bench to get to this position. Whether you go for Underhand grip or overhand grip, the choice is yours. Follow these steps to do it.

• Grip the bar with palms facing down,shoulder-width apart.
• Pull your body up so that the chin is above the bar. As a beginner, you can use a box so that you don’t have to pull your body up.
• Try to hold at this position with the chin above the bar as long as you can, then repeat.

If you can hold this flex hang position for 30 seconds you can now move on to the next exercise. Flex hang helps you build your back muscles.

This helps you improve your range of movement and also helps target a specific muscle group.

• Make sure your palms are facing down and also body hanging down
• Pull your chin around 2 inches above the bar and hold for few seconds at this position
• Lower yourself to the hanging position and repeat till the time you can repeat the previous step

This helps you boost your endurance. They target your biceps and back.

• Stand in front of the pullup bar and grab it firmly. You may use the box if you are a beginner
• Take your feet off the box and slowly lower yourself to hanging position 
• When you reach the bottom let go of the bar and climb back onto the box and repeat.

If you are able to do 6 reps without crashing then is time to do the actual pull-ups.

This exercise concentrates on back, biceps and abs and helps you get complete control of your body.

• Grab the bar with an underhand grip with your palms facing down. 
• Make sure that you have a full grip of the bar
• Start in the hang position with your elbows locked at the bottom. This is also a good stretching position for warming up pull-ups.
• Try to pull yourself up while pulling your elbows down towards the floor keeping them close to your body.
• Your chin must be above the bar and ensure that you engaging your abs when doing this. Make sure to prevent your back from arching.
• Lower yourself back till your arms are straight and repeat the above steps

If you are not able to do pull-ups you can always go back to mastering negative pull-ups before engaging in the actual pull-ups mentioned above.

 If you have mastered your pull-ups, its time to challenge yourself with few more variations you can try out with pull-up bars.

Burpee Pull-ups

The amazing thing about this exercise is it boosts your strength and heart rate. The challenge increases with the height at which the pull-up bar is placed.

• Stand in front of your pull-up bar and drop down your body to make a squat position.
• Lower your body and wit the help of your hands get into a push-up position
• Do a full-push-up or just a bow up
• Go back to the squat position, jump up into the air, and perform a pull-up.

L-Sits 

L-Sits targets lower core, quads, arms, back, shoulders and hip flexors. They are great for the lower core workout. While you maintain the active hang you are actually training your abs, quads and hips.

• Grip the pull-up bar firmly
• Raise your legs such that they are at a right angle to the body or parallel to the floor
• Hold at this position. Make sure your spine is straight
• Hold it as long as you can.

Hanging Leg Raises

A great core strengthening exercise is Hanging Leg Raises. They help you in not only strengthening your core but also help in improving your grip.

• Grip the pull up bar firmly, palms facing away from you.
• Tighten your abs and pull your legs straight up.
• You can even bend your knees and lift legs up.
• To increase the intensity of your workout try using ankle weights  

Pull-ups Vs Dips

Benefits of Pull-ups

• Pulls-ups help you build strength and endurance if you do them every day.
• By changing the grip, width between your hands on the bar or the way you position your legs you can target the muscles from various angles.Thats what makes the Pull-ups versatile.
• If you are looking at adding strength to deadlifts, back rows or any pulling exercises pull-ups do just that by increasing your grip strength and building muscles at the same time.
• Pull-ups are easy on your joints and can be performed every day without worrying about your joints and tendons.
• Pull-ups can be done anywhere as long as you can fix a pull-up bar to a high platform to hang unto and your feet is off the ground.
• You don’t have to worry about expensive Gym memberships. Having a pull-up bar at home you is inexpensive and you can practice your pull-ups every day without having to wait for it, unlike the gym. 

Doing pull-ups as a part of your regular workout is very helpful for building overall strength and muscle growth. Though it is challenging, a daily practice should help you master it. So what are you waiting for? Challenge yourself and get these amazing pull-up bars.

Looking for a great Pull-up bar? Check out a range of high-quality and unique Pull-up bars from Joyfit. They are chrome coated and have a cushioned grip to helps you with the pull-ups and chin-ups. They are adjustable and can fit into any regular sized door frame. Buy yours before they are sold out!