There is nothing more impressive then a girl that can do pull-ups. Sure, guys are impressive too but women don’t usually have enough upper body strength to pull them off. Pull-ups are also one of the most affective up body workouts to burn calories and tone your arms and back. While researching ways to helps clients get better, I ran across these tips from Hollywood trainer Ashley Borden.
IT’S IN YOUR APPROACH– The most common whine I hear when taking clients to the pull up bar: “but its so hard for me!” I guarantee you Lance Armstrong didn’t whine before the Tour de France. Try to re-train your thoughts. Give yourself a vote of confidence.
HANGING RETRACTIONS – Hang from the bar and let your body weight relax completely. Then retract and hold/squeeze your lats for five seconds, and release. Repeat 10x. This exercise helps you identify your lat muscles, which many women don’t activate when doing Pull-Ups. Newsflash! Your arms don’t have to do all the work! UTILIZE A PARTNER – Start with underhand Pull-Ups and keep the repetitions small (3-5). Have your partner hold you by the waist and gently assist you. This way you have less of a chance of cheating. Encourage each other to do the complete movement each time. SEATED LAT PULL DOWNS – Find a weight that challenges you but isn’t a painful struggle. Do five pull-downs with your hands wide apart on the bar, five close together on the bar and five underhanded on the bar. Bring the bar down to the top of your chest. This will strengthen all the muscles you use during a Pull-Up, but without the fear of “the bar.” JUMP PULL-UPS – When you just can’t eek out that last Pull-Up, do a different version. Stand underneath the bar and look at the bar with your arms up. Jump up and grab the bar to begin your pull-up, it will give you the momentum you need. And it helps build strength. “Pull-Ups help you develop your back, biceps, triceps and shoulders. When you can tackle a Pull-Up, you’ll have more confidence in yourself, in your body and even in your ability to protect yourself.” For more about fitness trainer Ashley Borden, visit www.ashleyborden.com (source).
Fit Tip Daily’s Version 1
Another great approach for people trying to do pull-ups is using a high bench. Place the bench under the pull-up bar. Step onto the bench, jump up do a pull-up and then return to the bench and down to the floor. This will give you enough momentum to get up to the bar. Remember, the “negative” is the most important part (the part coming down). So make sure to control how fast you return to the bench. This should take you 3- 4 seconds.
Version 2
As you get better at the bench/ jump version… get a slightly high bench OR the back of a chair. place one foot on the bench or chair while the other on is straight and relaxed (to the side). Use that one foot to aid you in doing the pull-up. As this gets easier over time, slowly inch the chair out so your body relies less and less on the leg.
Make your fitness dreams into a reality. Frame of mind plays a huge role in what you can accomplish in life and in your workout routine. Always think positive with a “can do” attitude and nothing will be able to stop you from reaching your goals.
Adria Ali
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