5 Easy Pull Up Bar Exercises For Beginners
You often find not only the beginners complaining about how challenging pull ups are but also the experienced bodybuilders and athletes. That’s what made us compile this comprehensive guide with a handful of easy pull up bar exercises for beginners.
Key Takeaways
This guide will enlighten you about:
- Why pullups are so hard
- What muscles do pull ups train
- How to perform pull ups correctly
- What are the health benefits of pull ups
- Pull up bar workout routine for beginners
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about easy pull up bar exercises for beginners
Fundamental in bodybuilding training, pull up bar exercises involve pulling yourself up with the strength of your arms, holding a horizontal bar high up. A very physical movement practiced by body weight, a pullup comes with many health benefits. However, executing one to perfection is a whole different story.
How about starting with one of the most common questions about them?
Pull-ups – Why Are They So Difficult?
Pull-ups are a bit like pushups; when someone tells you how many they can do, stay calm! Because the higher the number mentioned, the higher the probability that the execution has little to do with the correct form of pull-ups.
Indeed, a double-digit number of pull-ups generally concerns two types of athletes: the very thin with little body fat and the very strong with a lot of muscle. It is not without reason that it only takes 5 well done pull-ups for a man who wants to be admitted to the sports university in Germany or to the commando of the army’s special forces.
Gender Biasness
Pullups are particularly difficult for women, as they naturally have a higher body fat percentage and therefore have to take into account more “dead” weight to lift. And it is a fact that has been observed in practice.
For instance, after more than 50% of the female candidates appearing for the US Marines failed to perform three pull-ups, the test was abolished in 2014. Women no longer need to do pull-ups. Instead, they need to hold the bar for at least 15 seconds with the chin above it (flexed-arm hang test).
Since 2017, men and women can choose between pullups and pushups. Pull-ups are difficult because almost all body mass has to be lifted. The latissimus dorsi, a particularly strong muscle, is the leading player in this type of movement.
But to do the exercise properly – raising your chin above the bar – also requires many other muscles that tend to be less developed. Pull ups are, therefore, a surefire indicator of upper body fitness.
Pull up Bar Exercises – What Muscles Do Pull Ups Train?
What exactly are the muscles that act during a pull up? The list is given below!
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Left Latissimus Dorsi Muscle
During a pull-up, the latissimus dorsi pulls the arms down and even slightly backwards during a perfect execution.
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The Pectoralis Major Muscle
Pull ups develop the bust? Of course! The pectoralis major is attached to the bones of the arm and is tense when hanging on the bar. Its contraction allows you to pull the arm down and you up – especially with supine pullups.
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Neck Muscles
The muscles at the bottom of the neck hold the shoulder blades together. This is often where a weak point lies.
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The Rotator Cuff
The latissimus dorsi and pectoralis major rotate the arm inward, but during a pull up, it is rotated outward. This implies that the muscles of the rotator cuff are also stressed because they act in the opposite direction.
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The Flexors
In a pull up, the arms are pulled down while the elbow joint is bent. This is where flexors like the biceps, brachialis, and brachioradialis muscle work. During supination pullups (chin ups), the biceps and flexors are most intensely involved. During hammer grip pullups and pronation, the brachioradialis plays a key role. It is the lack of strength of the latter that can often lead to failure.
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Forearm Musculature
Without good grip strength, you can’t get far in the area of pullups, especially when it comes to repeating an exercise several times. The lack of strength in the hands can become a real obstacle. On the other hand, regular pull-ups are the ideal exercise to improve grip.
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Abdominal Musculature
The dorsal muscle is attached, among other things, to the iliac crest and the sacrum. It means that when contracted, it pulls the pelvis backwards. Those who perform pull-ups with an inclined pelvis and legs
in front of the body compensate for the backward movement of the pelvis with their abdominals, which isometrically strengthens the latter.
However, it should be noted that these abdominal exercises only have an effect if the cycles are long enough.
Pull Up Bar Workouts for Beginners – How to Perform Pull Ups Correctly?
There are different variations of pull-ups. However, the execution is always the same, hence the following general guidelines:
- Hang with arms fully extended and shoulders relaxed from the pull-up bar.
- The grip gap will depend on the different variations of the exercise, i.e., overhand vs underhand pull ups.
- Take a deep breath and first pull the shoulder blades in the center and down – then the elbows down and back.
- Pull yourself up as high as possible (minimum height: chin above the bar).
- Hold for a moment at the top and allow yourself to descend in a controlled manner to the initial position.
Pull Up Bar Exercises – What Are the Health Benefits of Pull Ups?
Too many to ignore them, to say the least!
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Gain Muscle and Burn Calories
Pullups engage many muscles in the body. Incorporating these into your high-intensity workouts will consume a lot of energy. It helps eliminate fat and prolongs the fat-loss effects several hours later by stimulating your metabolism. However, pullup bar exercises do not only help burn calories but also promote mass muscle gain.
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Strengthen Your Back
Pull up exercises primarily mobilize the back muscles. Indeed, strengthening your back has many benefits, such as:
- protecting your spine
- injury prevention
- improving your posture
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Effective Warm Up
Pulling up is ideal for warming up your muscles and joints before starting your workout. Thus, you prepare your body for the efforts that will follow. When cold, the human body struggles to work and perform actions that require fluidity and agility.
Warming up, especially with pull-ups, increases your body temperature. Thus the latter, just like your nervous system, works more easily.
Finally, warming up with a pull-up bar prevents the risk of injury by making your muscles and tendons more flexible.
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Multipurpose Exercise
Training with pull-ups allows you to perform a variety of exercises to work your entire bust. For instance, you can perform different movements in pronation (pullups), supination (chin-ups) or hammer-grip pullups. You can also do a suspended leg or knee raise to work the abdominal part.
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Naturally Increase Your Testosterone Levels
With respect to testosterone production, it is recommended to prioritize polyarticular exercises, such as pull-ups. Indeed, this hormone has multiple benefits. Its production is, therefore, particularly interesting for you since it promotes the appearance of male physical properties.
In addition, the latter increases your muscle growth by encouraging the production of proteins and blood cells.
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Stretch the Whole Bust
In general, stretching helps rebuild your muscle fiber. As a result, the duration of your aches will be shorter. Then, they promote muscle relaxation and reduce stress and tension. Thus, you will prevent the appearance of injuries and increase your performance.
Stretching also improves the range of motion. Indeed, your tendons and muscles will be more elongated. Your movement will be more critical and correctly carried out, and you will benefit from better coordination.
With a pull-up bar, you stretch your upper body muscles, such as:
- the latissimus dorsi
- the pectoralis major
- the lumbar muscles
- the abdominal part
Pull Up Bar Workout Routine for Beginners
Here are 5 most effective pull up bar exercises for beginners.
1. Chin-ups
When you pull yourself up to the bar, your complete body comes into play. Chin-ups ensure a total body workout but work best to tone your biceps and back (latissimus dorsi muscles).
- Keep your elbows straight and palms facing you in a perfectly hung-up position.
- Tighten up your body and keep your shoulders back and chest up.
- Pull your body up, so your chest hits the bar before you.
- You can modify the exercise like negatives, jumping chin-ups, and flex hangs.
2. Burpee Pull-Ups
Burpee pull ups work wonders for your strength and boost your heart rate like none other. The higher the pull-up bar, the harder it will become to perform the burpee pull-ups.
- Stand in front of your pull-up bar and drop down your body to make a squat position.
- Lower your body after kicking your feet back into a push-up position.
- Do a full push-up or just a bow-up.
- Go back to the squat position, jump up into the air, and perform a pull-up.
3. Knees to Elbows
All those who have done or even tried the cross-fit before must know this technique. It is pretty popular and common.
A few reps of this exercise lead you to ultimate weight loss.
- Keep your arms shoulder-width apart; your palms must be facing away from you.
- Now hold the pull-up bar and sway the legs back.
- Bring your knees up until they touch your chest and elbows (if possible).
- Lower your knees and repeat the move again.
4. L-sits
This exercise is conventionally considered a floor or parallel bar exercise. However, it can increase the core strength tremendously if done with a pull-up bar.
- Use both hands to hold the pull-up bar firmly.
- Raise both legs such that they become parallel to the floor.
- Don’t lower them as the hanging leg raises but maintain that position.
- Hold the position for as long as you can!
5. Muscle Ups
The muscle-up is the most advanced and complex exercise to perform with a pull-up bar. It guarantees long-term fat loss and improved cardio strength. You need much practice and strength to perform a smooth and accurate muscle up. No, we’re not talking about a chicken wing muscle up here!
To perform one:
- Do a pull-up such that your chest is hitting the bar.
- Don’t stop there; keep pulling yourself up until you reach the top dip position.
- Lower down with control gradually.
Pull Up Bar Workouts for Beginners FAQs
Given below are some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to workouts for beginners with pull up bar.
How Long Does It Take To Do Pull-Ups?
It also depends on your current fitness level. As the bar uses your body weight, someone with a lot of strength in the arms and back but who is, for example, very tall will have more difficulty.
The same is true for those who are a bit overweight. However, know that the development of your muscles is proportional to your body weight, and if you train to lift a bigger body, you will also have more intense results.
However, suppose you perform the adaptation exercises and try to maintain the perfection of the movement so as not to wear out your muscles unnecessarily. In that case, it is possible to do at least a series of 4 rises on the chin-up bar in 3 or 4 days.
Does Pullup Bar Training Vary for Males and Females?
Training varies between men and women. This is because the weight variation between the sexes tends to exist and intensify among those in weight training. In addition, women generally tend to focus their exercises on the lower body, while men focus on the upper body.
While this is a trend, we encourage everyone to train equally intensely on both sides.
What Next?
It’s about time you materialize your knowledge of the subject to a beneficial output. So, you can head straight to the RDX Sports Pull Up Bars section to get your hands on a premium quality pull up bar to start working out on your pull ups. You may top it up with How To Install Pull Up Bar In 5 Easy Steps.
