Showing posts with label Pulling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pulling. Show all posts

Friday, March 3, 2023

Slowly Getting Back Into Pull-Ups & Chin-Ups

 


Been a long time since I've tried Pull-ups & Chin-Ups but recently I got the WorldFit Pull-Up Handles and wanted to see what I can do with them. Only a few workouts doing both moving and isometric exercises and I still got it. Not many reps of Pull-ups & Chin-ups (about 3 per set at best) but I'm still able to get my chin over my hands. 

The Isometrics are brutal especially on the forearms doing different grips, hanging, Isometric Flexes in the bottom, middle and top positions along with Hybrid Isometrics. I came up with the idea for a doorway version of the Hybrid Isometric Pull-up/Chin-Up by putting my anchor under the door, loop my strap around and shorten it so it can fit tightly around the back of my legs so when I go to Pull-up or Chin-Up, the strap will stop me from going any further. This type of Isometric Training is a bit advanced but it builds incredible strength and power when it's done right. I only hold for this for a few seconds but it's intense as hell, just as much if not more than the Hybrid Push-Up. You can check it out here along with my Pull-Up & Chin-Up Videos

At my size, 3 reps is actually really good, I know I can do better though. The most I've ever done in a row was around 18-22 many many years ago. Just need to be careful not to go overboard cause there can be elbow problems so slowly progress. I've had elbow problems more than 20 years ago when I was a teenager doing Shot Put & Discus in high school and it sucked. 

Being able to do Pull-ups and such again could be beneficial to my arsenal but not a necessity. Pull-ups are awesome and some people are incredible at them like Mike The Machine Bruce & others. Just want to keep it basic and just be happy to be able to rep out a few, not going for Marine numbers or world records, hell even try those Barstarzz moves, those guys are fucking nuts lol. Keeping it basic and Low-Skilled is the key, have fun with it and get creative with the Isometric versions. Building grip strength, back conditioning, tendon strength and more. 

As Matt Schifferle puts it, Low-Skilled Exercises are keys to strength and fitness, progressing to harder exercises is great but master the basics and you can't go wrong (I'm paraphrasing and adding my own spin on it). You don't need to do a ton of stuff to get the job done, top notch basic exercises and you're good to go. Pull-ups weren't always my strong suit and never had trouble putting muscle on my back without them. This is more of just keeping up with what's possible and edging little by little that's it. Check out Matt's book Progressive & Weighted Calisthenics. One of the most AFFORDABLE books on the market today along with Grind Style Calisthenics, it shouldn't cost you 150 bucks to learn how to master pull-ups, that's just ridiculous IMO. 

Be safe, get strong and keep being amazingly awesome. If you're ambitious and want to add some strength into your pull-up training to make it harder, grab a Kensui Weight Vest where you can put on weighted plates to make it heavier. Get 10% OFF when you use my Discount Code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. Maximum Poundage for the vests range from 80-300 lbs. 

Thursday, February 9, 2023

Isometric Strength For Stronger Pull-Ups


 A key ingredient to become strong in an exercise (depending on the level of advancement) is build strength in various positions to get the full benefit of it such as various Push-Ups or in this case Pull-Ups. Some don't have the strength to even get an inch and just get stuck there. Now this isn't on the aspects of "Isolating" the muscles by doing a lot of movements for one specific exercise but by utilizing the power of Isometrics. We can build some incredible pulling strength using Isometric Exercises. 

Do we have to get the chin over the bar in order to make the pull-up count? Yes and no depending on who you talk to. Some will say very much so and they're right, yet also, depending on a person's body type and the way their arms are, it's a matter of perspective. I have struggled myself getting the chin over the bar and have stopped right at the chin mark. I'm better at Chin-ups than regular Pull-ups which I know I can improve on using Isometrics as a progression tool to get stronger at them. I just never made it a priority until I decided to do so once the weather warms up. 

The layers of positioning for Isometric Pull-ups can vary but the main areas are the dead hang, middle and at chin or over chin level. Steve Justa's Isometric Style was to do 8 layers or so of building strength for certain exercises like Squats, Push-ups, Arm Wrestling and other things. It worked for him as he was by far one of the most underrated Strongmen in history doing partials with weights most can't even fathom and had such arm and leg power through Isometrics that if you were to arm wrestle him or try to shove him, even a few inches would be a miracle since he was so damn solid even at his heaviest. This kind of protocol may not work for others because it can be time consuming with the amount of various Pull-Ups to work on. 

Pulling movements help with the balancing of the musculature in order to be efficient in performing better. You can get away with Pushing stuff for so long before you start to have caved in chest. Push-Ups can do wonders but they won't give you that full "Wingspan" of a back. Isometrics for the back utilizing all sorts of directions can aid in building that Pull-Up Strength. It is possible for big guys to do Pull-ups, it's just harder in most cases and not always because they may be fat and all that, some muscleheads have awesome pulling strength but many can barely get over the middle part. Some guys can be over 300 lbs and get their chin over the bar which in itself is impressive and doesn't need to do a ton of reps to prove it. 

You can do Aussie Pull-Up Isometrics, Angled Body Rows using Rings or Straps, working neutral grip, hands facing away, hands facing you, mixed grips, all can be done using Isometrics. When you strengthen those layers and practice moving, it builds strength in those weak points. Yielding & Overcoming Isometrics work well but personally I believe Overcoming can give you the best advantage. With Overcoming, you can stand on a stool or have a bar that can be adjusted to various heights without having to hang from it. I have a door hanging Pull-Up bar that I can just stand under and Pull from all sorts of grips and stand on a stool for the middle and upper portions. 

The Yielding Isometrics can be trickier but doable because you're literally hanging and pulling up to a certain position, you can stop at certain points but you may not last long in that position. The best start is from the deadhang which is a great exercise on its own. You can make it an Overcoming by pulling up to a certain position and contract all the muscles in that position. I learned that from Ed Baran's Primate Power Course. Another idea is what's called a Hybrid Isometric where you get the best of both world's at the same time. A hybrid is when you fight gravity but also keeping position in a immoveable fashion. If you took a strap between the two poles of a pull-up apparatus and pull yourself up until the strap stops your feet and you can't go any further, that's a hell of a way to build strength right there. If you want to learn more about this, check out the book Overcoming Isometrics by Red Delta Project, there's an entire chapter showing and describing Hybrid Isometrics. 

Although there's variety here, you're also getting an understanding of basic fundamentals on Isometric Training and how they can improve your movements using bits and pieces of strengthening the weak points. I'll be using this myself in my training and get better at doing pull-ups. If there's anyone who can teach you the true aspects of Pull-up Training it's Mike The Machine Bruce, a former Marine and Submission Wrestling Champion who's got not only the world's strongest neck but has a back that looks like it was carved from granite with a ripped to shreds physique. The other is Matt Schifferle of Red Delta Project who's incredible knowledge with DIY equipment and Strength Building Training personifies the modern day Physical Culturist that can help you fill in gaps in your arsenal and shoot them into the stratosphere using simplistic and low-skilled strength and conditioning exercises. 

Get stronger in whatever it is you want to do and make the most of what's possible and suitable to your needs and goals. Pull your weight and keep being amazingly awesome. 

BTW if you click on the link where it says Rings, you can get a cool 10% Discount when you punch in the code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. My gift to you. 

Lost Empire Herb Of The Day: Nettle Root Tincture

Monday, July 14, 2014

Orion’s Arrow


    


       Not expecting a title like that huh? When most think of Orion it's usually about a mythical god known for a series of stars (Orion's Belt) but today it's about the strength of his Bow & Arrow. Back in ancient times, one of the most premier weapons of the age that was efficient to either the soldier or the hunter was the Bow & Arrow. Pulling a mighty bow in battle or to hunt food for your family was a key to man's survival of the time. Two great legends of myth that took the arrow into the very hearts of the people were the stories of Robin Hood and Odysseus. Each men had unique skill but had very similar outcomes to their stories. They both won the heart of a woman, they saved a kingdom from tyranny and they were both sharp men as much as their arrows. The Bow & Arrow was and still is to this day in some circles a test of man's skill, strength, accuracy and eye coordination.

 

    If you wanted to pull the strongest of bows, it didn't come overnight. It took most strongmen decades to pull some of the strongest bows the world had ever known. The Bow of Hercules is legendary for its near superhuman level in order to pull it back let alone shoot an arrow. Remember the story of Odysseus, in order to even win the heart of his wife and kingdom he had to strung the toughest bow in the kingdom itself and according to legend no man but him could not only string it but pull with every ounce of power to drive the arrow through the series of axes that were so narrow the arrow had to dead on accurate. The key type of training you learned to pull super strong bows was Isometrics. Think about it, at first you can barely pull the bow so in order to get to its maximum pull, you had to pull inch by inch isometrically. Because of this it took a warrior many years to pull back the strongest bow.

 

    In modern day, we don't always use Bow & Arrows unless it was for recreation or sport and although we still use it to hunt, it doesn't have the same affect that it had before in the ancient world. So one of the things we use to simulate the pulling of a bow is using Lifeline USA's Chest Expander. With this tool of rubber cables attaching to handles, we can hit our shoulders and upper back from angles that neither bodyweight or weightlifting exercise can touch. This can be used to an athlete's advantage because when you hit certain angles, you're creating strength and muscle you normally wouldn't use and I needed. It helps create flexibility and power that just has that raw strength very few methods can match.

 

    Now think what it would be like to test your strength and will against the toughest pulling cables and not only learn it from a specific program dedicated to it, but also use your imagination and picture being the very legends who handled the Bow with ease. A few minutes a day pulling from as many directions you can come up with and a program that can guide you to develop superhuman muscle in those particular areas of the upper body. With having that much flexibility and strength, think what an advantage you can have when you do other exercises like push-ups and other movements that you couldn't hit before and could do with ease. The Orion Program will test you in ways you haven't been tested before. Developing strength not just physically but mentally, spiritually and emotionally as well. It's not about just pulling a bow anymore, it's a test of your imagination and harnessing your body's brain power to create strength from your mind to the muscles and more.

 

Happy Monday my friends, be awesome and have a great start to a new week.

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