Pull-Up Bars

How to: Achieve your first pull-up?

You want to finally achieve your first pull up or chin up?

In this video we give you a step by step guide on how to achieve this goal. With a few Superbands and the tips and tricks of Stefan Liebezeit nothing stands in the way!

Have fun and success trying it out 😉

Is a training with pull-up bars suitable for you?

A training with chin-up bars is suitable for everyone who wants to build up muscles. It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or if pull-ups are already an integral part of your training plan. Because you train 5 muscle groups at the same time and therefore it can be seen as a small full body workout. Especially the upper body, i.e. the arms and shoulders are stressed. However, your abdominal and back muscles must also work properly.

What do I have to consider when doing a workout with the pull-up bar?

The correct execution

It is very important that you do the pull-ups correctly. You will probably think that there is not so much you can do wrong, but you should still make sure that you do it correctly even with such a "simple" exercise. A good foundation for correct execution is 1. a good technique and 2. well trained muscles.

Stand under the bar and grasp it with your hands shoulder width! Your shoulder blades should contract downwards during the exercise, maintain this position during the execution. Following this, pull yourself up with your chest towards the bar so that your chin comes over the bar (but still make sure that your shoulders contract backwards and not forwards). If you find this difficult, concentrate on pulling your elbows back. If you are still a beginner, you don't have to worry about keeping your chin above the bar. Pull yourself up as high as you can and pay more attention to the correct position of your shoulder. Let yourself down slowly and in a controlled manner, but avoid simply "falling" back down. You can cross your legs during the exercise so that they don't touch the floor, or if the bar is high enough, you can let it hang just as well.

The right speed

In order to be able to observe the most important points for the correct execution, you should also perform the pull-ups at the corresponding speed. This means that you can pull yourself up relatively quickly, but you should let yourself down in a controlled and relatively "slow" manner. Also make sure to breathe in a controlled manner. So you should inhale when you pull yourself up and exhale when you let yourself down again.

The right grip

To perform the chin-ups correctly it is as important as how well you control the chin-up bar. There is for example the upper grip and the lower grip. Depending on how far apart your arms are from each other, different muscle groups will be stressed.

Here is a small guide to the correct grip:

Overhand grip and underhand grip

With the upper grip your fingers are turned away from you. This variant puts more stress on the forearms than on the biceps, which is why it is more difficult than the lower grip. With the lower grip, your fingers are turned towards you and this variant puts a lot of strain on the biceps.

Narrow grip or wide grip

The tighter the grip, the more stress is placed on the biceps. 

The further apart the hands are, the less strain is placed on the biceps. A wider grip puts more strain on your lat muscles.

Pull-ups for beginners 

If you are still a beginner and don't have a lot of practice in pull-ups, this is the place to go: Practice makes perfect! Just try to include 2-3 pull-ups a week in your training plan and you will see how you improve over time and your body gains more and more strength.

If the correct execution of the pull-ups causes you problems, you can prepare yourself with the following pull-up exercises.

Mountaineer 

Bar Row (Use a barbell without weights)

Hanging Knee Lifts

Pull-ups with support of fitness bands

Pull-ups for advanced students

You are bored by normal pull-ups and want to feel more resistance during the workout? Then you should try the following variations.

Hang dumbbells between your feet (just have someone hang them on your feet)

Strap on a backpack that you fill with weights or wear a weight vest

To make sure you do the chin-ups correctly, here is a video for you, which shows you the 8 most common chin-up mistakes: