Workout from Home Series: Pull-ups and Chin-ups
Make Bodyweight Exercises a Staple
Squats, deadlifts, and presses are great for getting strong and building a foundation, but you need to make sure you balance them out with a steady diet of body weight training. Bodyweight exercises keep you honest because you can’t just eat your way to improved leverages to see strength gains like you could with the barbell lifts.
Here are some of our favorite bodyweight exercises for the upper body that should be a staple in any program:
- Push-up variations
- Inverted Rows
- Chin/Pull Ups
- Handstand variations
- Dips
- Planks
Remember to scale each movement appropriately and progress according to your skill level. There are plenty of variations to keep you busy for months with this list of movements.
Pull-ups and Chin-ups
Pull-ups and Chin-ups are great exercises that target your back and Biceps. Unless you have a pull-up bar at home, you may need to go to a local park that has a bar you can use.
A Pull-up is performed by grabbing the bar with palms facing away from you. They target the Latissimus Dorsi, Trapezius, and forearm muscles. Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement. The goal is to pull your chin over the bar (More advanced: touch your chest to the bar). Make sure to control the "down" phase of your pull-up in order to protect your shoulder joint
A Chin-up is performed by grabbing the bar with palms facing towards you. They target the Biceps, Latissimus Dorsi, and Teres Major muscles. Perform the exercise in a smooth controlled movement. The goal is to pull your chin over the bar. Make sure to control the "down" phase of your pull-up in order to protect your shoulder joint