Pull-ups are the basic pulling exercise that engages different muscle groups in your back and arms. exist different variations of pull-ups that will make our training more complete and entertaining, thus favoring the increase in muscle mass and strength. Below we describe the best pull-up variants that you can perform in your strength sessions.
Pull-up variations to gain muscle and strength
Pull-ups: the basic of pull-ups
Pull-ups are the basic exercise on which You can add the different variations that we will see below. We can complicate or facilitate the exercise, as well as modify the type of grip or the way in which we execute it to involve different muscle groups to a greater extent.
weighted pull-ups
Weighted pull-ups are necessary for users with advanced level of strength who are no longer served by their own body weight to stimulate the muscles. Opponents of state security forces will also benefit from this variant by becoming stronger in the exercise that will later be part of their physical tests.
negative pull-ups
Negative pull-ups consist of perform only part of the movement, being the descent in this case. To raise the chin above the bar we will use a box or any element that allows it. From there we will extend our arms at a slow speed holding the descent. It is very useful for people who want to perform their first full pull-up.
Machine assisted pull-ups
If we are still not able to perform our first pull-up, there are alternatives like this one that help us to execute it. This machine assists us with weight that helps us reduce our body weight and makes it easier to get on and off the bar. As we train we will have to reduce the help, until we have enough strength to do it without any help.
Pull-ups assisted with elastic bands
Pull-ups assisted with elastic bands are another way to facilitate the exercise for people who do not yet have much strength to perform one or more repetitions. It is a variant widely used in crosstraining centers where they do not have machines.
Pull-ups in the form of “L”
Do you want to add an extra challenge to pull-ups? This variant requires strength to execute the pull-up as of a strong core to hold the position during the movement. It is very demanding, so it is available to people with high levels of strength.
Wide grip pull-ups
Wide-grip pull-ups modify the path our arms make. In a normal pull-up our arms perform a shoulder extension with the arms close to our sides. In this case the movement will be shoulder adduction, bringing our elbows to our sides, which slightly modifies the activation of the muscle groups involved.
Neutral Grip Pull Ups
Just as a wide grip modifies the activation of the muscle groups involved in the exercise, a neutral grip does the same. The biceps act to a lesser extent here and our lats and other back muscles are at a biomechanical advantage that allows us to lift more weight or do more repetitions.
Pull-ups with “double D” handle
This pull-up variant is very similar to the neutral grip we discussed in the previous exercise, but the grip is even tighter. In addition, it allows us to do it in places where we do not have bars with a neutral grip, since with this accessory we can transform a straight bar into a bar with a neutral grip.
Pull-ups “around the world”
This variant adds a challenge and extra entertainment to our sessions to motivate us to continue improving while we gain strength and muscle mass. Watch the video to see how this movement is executed, which consists of going from one side to the other in a circle.
chin up
Chin-ups or reverse pull-ups involve our biceps in greater quantity, which makes the exercise somewhat easier than the basic version of the pull-up. It is another of the variants that we can include in our back and biceps strength sessions.
Cannon ball pull-ups
The grip is one of the main limitations that we find when performing pull-ups or other exercises such as deadlifts. Cannonballs will greatly challenge our grip musclesgreatly improving this quality.
plyometric pull-ups
Plyometric pull-ups are perfect for improving our explosiveness in pulling, while giving a different stimulus to our back and arms. Go up as fast as possible, drop the bar and grab it again. If you have not tried it yet, the feeling after a few repetitions will show you that it is not easy at all.
One-handed pull-ups (evolution)
One-handed pull-ups are the maximum level to which we can take the basic pull-ups. The video shows an evolution to move forward until we get our first one-handed pull-up. It is tremendously demanding and we should not do it without the proper progression.
In Vitónica | If you’re trying to improve your pull-up or get your first one, these three exercises will help you
Pictures | istock