When it comes to pull ups, a lot of people stick to the basics. Day after day, I head to the gym, and I see people doing wide-grip pull ups, or chin ups. A long time ago, this is all that I used to do. In high school, I would often stick with chin ups, because I could do more repetitions, and they were the easiest form of pull ups to actually do. When I graduated, I got a gym membership at Gold’s Gym. Sadly, the gym has since then closed down.
One day while I was working out at Gold’s, I noticed a guy using a wall mounted pull up bar while performing a kind of pull up that I was unfamiliar with. At the time, I was only familiar with regular wide-grip pull ups, and chin ups. As I sat and watched, I noticed that this guy did a number of different kinds of pull ups. After he was done working out, I went up to him and asked him what each exercise was named. Today, I would like to talk to you guys about the different kind of pull up exercises available to you. These may be more difficult than what you’re used to, but they’re definitely exercises that I would recommend including in your fitness routine.
Wide-Grip Pull Ups.
We are likely all familiar with wide-grip pull ups. These are the most common pull ups out there. Usually, when you see someone working out, you will see them performing wide-grip pull ups. To do this exercise, simply grab onto the pull up bar with your palms facing away from you. Make sure your arms are wider than your shoulders. When you’re ready, pull yourself up, and slowly let yourself come back down to straight arms. Without your feet touching the floor, pull yourself up again. This is going to be the basic premise for all pull ups.
Chin Ups.
This is probably the easiest type of pull up, because it involves using your biceps. Do everything like you would do in a wide-grip pull up, but instead of your palms facing away from you, make sure they face toward you. Also, make sure your grip is exactly shoulder width apart.
Close-Grip Pull Ups.
Follow the same instructions as you would for a regular wide-grip pull up, but this time, separate your hands by only 3 to 4 inches.
Corn on the Cob Pull Ups.
These are the most difficult pull ups available. Set your hand grips about shoulder distance apart, with your palms facing away from your body. Pull yourself up, and in one solid motion, go to the left, the right, back to the middle, back away from the bar, towards the bar, down, and back up again. These are the most difficult pull ups to date.
Weighted Pull Ups.
Last but not least, this was the crazies thing that I saw this guy do. He put on a backpack with 20 pounds of weight, and continued to do his pull up exercises. This added more resistance to his exercise, and is especially great if you’re looking to put on muscle from home.