Building The Biceps Through Suspension Training

 Bodyweight Training can be very interesting when it comes to certain aspects of it. The pushing, pulling, squatting and all its variations can have an impact on how you apply things in everyday life. It's really one of the GOATs of Exercise you can do anytime and anywhere next to Isometrics. 

A solid form of doing Bodyweight work is through Suspension Training or Suspension Calisthenics where you can hook or hang a strap and do many more exercises than if it was just you alone. It opens a gateway to another realm of fitness and conditioning. For Strength Training purposes, its important to note that like with weight training, Suspension work is most effective when you can control the movement and utilize tension or in other words Muscle Control to target certain muscles. Because it's bodyweight, you're the true engine and driver as opposed to moving a inanimate object like a Barbell or Dumbbell.

It's interesting that with a Suspension, you can switch from one exercise to the next by placing your feet in a certain position or lean back a bit more to make certain exercises harder or easier depending on what you're shooting for. For instance, targeting the biceps and forearms in this format would be to lean back enough to where you can have a good grip on the handles, turn the palms towards your face and Curl the arms until the full movement reaches eye level like so here.

Working the arms this way gives off different vibes of control and technique despite it being a low-skilled movement. Within your control, put the tension into the biceps as you move and feel as you pull into the handles. curl your wrists as well which can also target the forearms as well. Now remember, although you're specifically targeting a body part, you still need to stabilize yourself within your foot placement, keeping your core and back tight and bring the hips within alignment in order to make the movement as bad ass as possible. 

Will this movement give you cannonball 24 inch pythons? Most likely not but you can build some solid natural strength and muscle doing this particular move. Because of movements like these along with rows and pull-ups, you can have some powerful arms that are not only functional but can keep your joints, tendons and ligaments strong as well. You don't even need to do a ton of reps to get results. As a matter of fact, don't focus so much on the number of reps themselves unless you have a specific goal in mind, focus on the tension you put into it and work the technique. Don't even go to failure, once you hit a certain point where you may have 2-3 reps left in you, hold the top of the movement in an isometric fashion for a few seconds to end a good set. 1-2 sets is more than enough. Train to stimulate, not annihilate.  

Strength comes in many forms and when you can control your strength, you can control other aspects of your being. Have fun with these, check out Suspension Calisthenics and be amazingly awesome. May your journey bring you much success and keep killing it. Have a great Sunday.  

Close Grip Pull-Ups: An Elusive Bicep Building Exercise

 Many experts in the fitness field believe that one of if not the best bicep builder is by doing Pull-Ups. When it comes to specifics, the Close-Grip Pull-Up/Chin-Up target the biceps at their peak for strength and building muscle. Is the Close-Grip superior for the biceps? Let's take a look....

It's also noted that they can be very beneficial once you've practiced them. So why the Close-Grip? How can they be superior for arm development or more importantly targeting the Biceps? Maybe it has to do with the Lats being in a mechanically awkward and even a disadvantaged position when the arms are so close together. Because of the awkward position, the arms are doing the majority of the work if not all of it. Because of this, they're tough to pull off and if you haven't done regular pull-ups or chin-ups, I wouldn't recommend you start out with Close-Grips, build that foundation to take that next step.

Once you've got the regular ones down or even a neutral grip, start testing out the Close-Grip style, for building the strength and understanding the mechanics of them, I would start with Isometrics whether by hanging or hitting the three positions (low, middle, top) for a period so your body can get the idea of what it's like being in those positions. After a period, go after full reps if possible. Listen to your body and don't force it, let the strength comes naturally cause there's a lot more than just getting your chin up and over the bar. Once you start doing reps, you may notice some development in the forearms, brachialis and biceps when you utilize the Close-Grip Pull-up/Chin-up. Even the great Arnold Schwarzenegger thought the Close-Grip was a great exercise.

Here's another good question, how close should the grip be? It's recommended that the hands are hitting each other directly or around 6 inches apart. Some people may have some issues due to shoulder alignment and possible injuries or previous injuries so I would say if you could work around that great but don't put yourself at risk otherwise things could get worse. Make it a point to have healthy shoulders, hands, wrists, elbows and obviously the back. Everyone has different areas of mobility as well so use what gives you the best quality of the movement along with being comfortable to do them. 

What would be a good routine for Close-Grip Work? Commonly the 21's have been the most effective for people but like I said before, some work their body differently so adjust accordingly. What are the 21's? Remember this is where you have evolved to doing a good amount of reps at this point and have the strength to do them...The 21's is where you perform reps at a 7-7-7 ratio in this format...7 Reps bottom to half pulls, 7 Reps mid to top (as in start at the middle and hit the top of the movement) and 7 Reps at Full Movement from the bottom to the very top. Do all 21 in a row performing 3 sets each. Now if this is too much especially in the beginning when you are just starting to rep them out, you can start at a 6-6-6 ratio or even a 5-5-5 but if you're a complete beginner, it's recommended to use some assistance to build the strength such as using bands like the Lifeline Pull Up Revolution Assistance System

If the Close-Grip Pull-up/Chin-up is really uncomfortable for you because of wrist issues, the Swissies & Swisses45 can do great things for you and you can still build incredible strength and muscle. You can get these at 10% OFF when you use my discount code POWERANDMIGHT at checkout. My gift to you. I want you be evolve and progress comfortably, meaning let it be natural and let the speed and performance build up without pushing so hard that you either end up injured or doing too much too soon. Have fun, build some killer muscle and keep being amazingly awesome.