The result? Better function in everyday life. “Pulling exercises often mimic activities of daily living,” Reiner explains, “so when you develop that pulling power, you can basically take on your daily challenges with ease.” Things like lifting a bag of groceries, picking up heavy objects off the floor, going down stairs, or sitting in a chair all become easier when you strengthen your pulling power.
Improved posture is another key perk. Many people have bad posture — they slouch and fall forward — because their front muscles are tight and their back muscles are weak, Williams explains. Pull-ups help strengthen your back muscles, ultimately creating better balance between your front and back and allowing you to maintain a tall, upright position. Basically, pull-ups literally Pull you return to good, better posture as they fire up your back muscles and compensate for the front ones, Williams explains.
Additionally, lower-body pulling exercises, such as hamstring curls, can help improve “braking power,” or the ability to slow down, Reiner explains. When you stop moving to stop falling or quickly change directions, your muscles are usually the muscles that jump in to slow you down. “With better braking power, you can stop and change directions more efficiently, which is really key to athleticism,” he says. It can also reduce your risk of injury in scenarios where you unexpectedly have to move away from an object that suddenly appears in your path (like avoiding a child on a bicycle while crossing a busy street, for example).
So what’s the best way to add pull-ups to your workout routine?
By thinking of your workouts in terms of “push” and “pull” exercises, you can ensure that you work both sides of your body evenly rather than overemphasizing certain muscles.
One way to do this is to split your sessions into pull-ups and push-ups and alternate between the two, says Williams. One day, you might do a full-body pulling workout (think: pull-ups, rows, deadlifts, and bicep curls), and then for your next session, switch exclusively to pushing movements (say, push-ups, squats, and push-ups). oops). With this approach, you’d really be taxing your glutes to the max during specific pull-ups, making it a great choice if you’re looking to make major strength and muscle gains.
Another option is to combine pushing and pulling exercises, so that you do one upper body push and pull session, and then the next time, an upper body pull and push session. Within these workouts, you’d do push and pull movements together—for example, you’d do a chest press followed by a deadlift or a squat row followed by a squat—as a way to save time and maximize recovery, since one side of your body is working while the other is resting.
Alternatively, you can create a circuit-style workout that includes an upper-body push, an upper-body pull, a leg-focused movement (either a push or pull), and a core exercise, Reiner says. You would do these four exercises back to back and then rest before repeating the circuit two or three times. This approach allows you to hit all of your major muscle groups in a relatively short amount of time, which can be helpful for the busy exerciser. Just be sure to plan the hardest movements (those that work larger muscle groups, like squats or pull-ups) at the beginning of the workout before moving on to smaller muscle groups (like those that zero in on your biceps). Rainer advises. That way, you’ll feel fresh enough and have the strength you need to nail the bigger exercises.
At this point, feel free to use circuit-type format, but take a breather between exercises instead of doing them back-to-back, Reiner says. “Especially if you’re using heavier weights, then you’d want that extra rest,” he says.
One last way to pull this off: If you’re an advanced lifter who likes to lift really heavy, it’s very important to give yourself plenty of downtime before working the same muscles again, so you can choose to schedule your weekly workouts like .this: one day of upper body pulls, one day of upper body pushes and one day of leg exercises (covering both push and pull), followed by a rest day. That way, you give your muscle groups up to three days of rest before working them again, Reiner explains.
Here are some pull-ups you’ll want to try.
Are you ready to make your move? Here are some awesome upper and lower body exercises you can do today for a stronger, more stable back. Some only require your body weight. others use tools like dumbbells, parallel bars, and pull-up bars to provide an extra challenge to your muscles.
