Pull-ups are an extremely difficult exercise, especially for beginners. For example, it takes most Marine cadets up to six months to do their first full pull-up.
What makes this exercise so difficult? Its main difficulty lies in the fact that a person needs to lift his own weight using only the muscles of the upper body. It is for this reason that novice athletes are looking for an alternative to pull-ups before attempting this difficult exercise.
From this article you will learn how to replace pull-ups at home and in the gym.
Pull-ups with expander
To make the exercise easier, first of all you should pay attention to the elastic expander. It helps lift the body weight and makes the exercise more manageable. If you have a horizontal bar, you can train such pull-ups even at home. The only drawback is that the expander does not help much at the very beginning of the movement.
Technique:
- Attach the elastic expander to the bar of the horizontal bar. The load level will depend on its resistance.
- Place the expander over one knee. Then grab the horizontal bar with a medium or wide grip.
- Squeezing your shoulder blades and bending your elbows, pull yourself up until your chin touches the bar. Elbows should be spread out to the sides.
- Pause at the top for a second and lower to the starting position. Repeat as many times as possible.
Rubber loop for pull-ups: benefits in training
The rubber or elastic band is made of one hundred percent latex, which makes it strong and durable. The tape can become an assistant not only in mastering pull-ups, but also as a simulator for the full development of all muscle groups without leaving home. In addition, the tape can serve not only to lighten the load, but also to strengthen it, it all depends on the goals and physical shape of the user. The elastic band makes it possible to train independently, without the help of a trainer or a special pull-up machine. An elastic band is truly an economical option for the gym.
There are several types of tapes: round tape, regular elastic tape (with straight edges) and in the form of an expander. They also come in different colors, each corresponding to a certain degree of resistance or tension, so absolutely everyone can choose the tape individually.
For pull-ups, use a round elastic band ; it can be easily hooked to the horizontal bar, wrapping one edge into the other, in the form of a loop. In this way, you can place your feet or knees at the bottom edge of the loop. When the loop is pulled, the body is suspended, and with the force of the arms, contracting the band will make it easier to pull yourself up to the bar. The main thing is to choose the right loop according to the load, that is, the color, otherwise the tape will be of no use.
Exercise equipment
When preparing for full pull-ups, you need to resort to the help of special simulators. They allow you to use less weight than your body weight and help you gradually build muscle in your back, arms and chest.
This way, machines that allow you to perform pull-up replacement exercises will help bridge the gap in muscle strength from where you are now to the level you need to achieve to do at least one full bodyweight pull-up. The difficulty is that there are not so many exercises that completely imitate pull-ups.
It's also worth considering exactly what types of pull-ups you want to replace. Overhand-grip pull-ups target the biceps and pecs, while reverse-grip pull-ups target the lower trapezius muscles.
So, let’s consider in practice how you can replace pull-ups in the gym and at home.
Recommendations
- A beginner should start with the grip width and palm direction that are most comfortable for him. For most people, this is a reverse grip and doing the exercise using the biceps and back, rather than a straight wide grip. As the technique develops, the grip can be changed;
- Interventionists can use this exercise to increase their performance on regular pull-ups if they perform negatives with weights, that is, with a weight attached to a belt or wearing a weighted vest.
Pull-ups in the gravitron
The Gravitron is a counterbalanced exercise machine in which you can independently vary the load. The greater the counterweight, the easier it is to perform the exercise. Use pull-ups in the gravitron in the initial stages of training.
Technique:
- Prepare the machine by setting the required weight (for beginners, 70-80% of body weight). Climb onto the machine with your knees on the platform and grab the top handrails with your hands. Keep your body straight and look at the ceiling.
- As you exhale, use your latissimus dorsi muscles to begin pulling yourself up to the point until your chin reaches the level of the handrails. At the top, squeeze your lats and hold for a second.
- Then, as you exhale, slowly straightening your arms, return to the starting position. Do 10-15 reps.
Correct technique
First of all, you need to determine your level of preparation. To do this, you should try to pull yourself up on the horizontal bar as many times as you can. At the same time, you need to work at full capacity.
The next step is to determine whether your hands are ready for stress. To do this, you just need to hang on the horizontal bar for some time, at least 30-40 seconds. If this has been done, then the muscles are developed enough to support the body weight, and you can begin regular training.
If an exercise is difficult and you can’t fully perform it even a minimum number of times, this is not a reason to give up exercising. You can ask a more experienced friend, or a similar beginner, for help. It can support you when climbing up and take on part of your body weight. And you need to lower yourself, and as slowly as possible, and not just hanging by your hands.
Usually one to two weeks of such classes are enough to learn how to do pull-ups on your own. During this time, the muscles will become stronger and you can refuse outside help. Even if you manage to pull yourself up 1-3 times, this is already a good result. The main thing is to do the exercise correctly and take your time.
To consolidate and improve results, you need to perform pull-ups in several approaches. After several successful times, you can take a break for 2-3 minutes, and then return to the apparatus again. There is no need to exhaust yourself, but you need to work at full strength.
With this approach, each new workout will be easier and easier. And over time, external changes will become visible - the muscles will become more voluminous and prominent. Of course, you shouldn’t expect a figure like a bodybuilder, but the horizontal bar can be the beginning of its acquisition.
When training on this sports equipment, a large number of muscles are involved: the latissimus dorsi, brachialis, teres major and rhomboid muscles, pectoral muscles - major and minor, biceps and triceps.
Technique is very important to achieve results.
- It is necessary to avoid jerking, the rise is smooth, and the descent is slow.
- Correct, reliable grip is important. With it, the thumb is located below.
- Watch your breathing.
After you have mastered the correct execution of the exercise, you can set standards for yourself. We recommend doing it 10-12 times and making several approaches. The optimal number is from 8 to 12, with a one-minute break between sets. Of course, this depends on your level of preparedness.
After you can perform the exercise 12-15 times in one approach, you can begin to use weights. Thus, you will move to a new stage - not working on endurance, but developing mass and strength.
https://youtu.be/i_mxi7CAsnw
Upper pulley to chest
This is the main exercise that simulates pull-ups. If the question of what to replace pull-ups with, you would need a clear answer - pulling the upper block to the chest. Therefore, it is very important to perform this exercise to strengthen your back muscles. You need to lift enough weight to achieve muscle hypertrophy.
Technique:
- Pre-configure the machine for yourself by adjusting the seat and setting the working weight.
- Stand up and grab the handle with a fairly wide grip. Your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders. Sit down, raise your hands up. Lean back a little, the cable should be taut. Your torso is the counterweight.
- Squeezing your shoulder blades together, focusing on your latissimus dorsi, pull the handle toward your lower chest so that your elbows point 45 degrees down. As you move, maintain a slight tilt of your body back.
- Return the machine handle to the starting position. Perform 10-15 repetitions.
How to replace pull-ups on a horizontal bar?
Even in urban conditions, you can either buy a horizontal bar (there are those that are screwed into the doorway, using the jack method, apparently, they can also be easily removed after the exercise), or you can find an open stadium nearby, there should be horizontal bars there.
Although the need for invention is tricky, I trained while hanging on a shelf near the ceiling; I was lucky that it was very strong. Well, yes, it's about finding the crossbar.
And now about the training system.
I’ll admit, almost all my life I couldn’t do pull-ups myself, even though I wasn’t a fat person, but when I started working out about six months ago, I was surprised to discover that now it’s quite easy.
But you need to understand that pull-ups are a rather difficult exercise, unlike push-ups or squats, even on one leg, so don’t expect quick results, although what if your metabolism is crazy and you’ll gain weight quickly
