Pull up is a fundamental and functional upper body exercise that targets multiple muscle groups, and triggers growth hormone. Some women get scared when they hear anything about a growth hormone, but keep in mind that it doesn’t mean you’ll get huge. You will get a great muscle tone, and become strong like a gymnast. Also don’t forget that HGH has been proven to be the hormone that slows down the aging process. In this time of age when women are being celebrated more for their athletic bodies, than thigh gaps (finally!) it’s almost a must to have a pull up bar. You can get the pull up station that I have,  if you have the space, or just buy one of those inexpensive pull up bars that hook into your doorway.

Pull ups are important for your upper body as squats and lunges are important for your lower body. Every time you pull yourself up and bring your chin above the bar, you target your upper back, biceps, grip and also abs and obliques.

Watch this video to see the tricks I use for practicing Pull Ups:

A little Recap:

Here’s where I bought my: Pull Up Assist Band

I have the red one which gives only a light support. If you’re a beginner you want to buy the blue or green band which gives you a lot more support for your pull ups.

You can also step up on a chair for assisted pull ups and use your legs to get some of the tension off your upper body when pulling yourself up. Try to work on your negatives – don’t use any support when lowering yourself down in a slow and controlled manner.

Proper form:

Don’t swing or arch your body too much. You might have to bend your knees and cross your ankles so that your feet are not touch the floor. Bring your chest as close to the bar and your chin above the bar. The classic wider pronated grip works mainly your lats, and chin ups (supinated grip) will also involve your biceps a lot. Think about pulling your elbows down to your rib cage. Don’t relax too much in the hanging position as it can put too much pressure onto your shoulder joints.

If you want to start using these pull up tricks in a workout, then pick one or two workouts a week from the Black Diamond Series in the ZGYM.

If you want to practice outside of your regular daily training, without spending too much time, then try to go for at least 2  sets of 5-10 reps of the assisted pull ups (chair or a pull up assist band) a day. This is why you want to have the pull up bar at home because you can play a game of doing a few pull ups every time you pass through the doorway where you keep your pull up bar. It won’t slow you down too much, but your progress will skyrocket.

Here’s a little workout routine you can do today:

*this is not a time challenge – just focus on practicing pull ups with proper form

1. Pull ups (5-10 reps)
2. Push ups x 10 reps
3. Pull Ups (5-10 reps)
4. Weighted squats x 15 reps

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Complete 3 – 4 rounds.