Results tagged “chin-up”

Very interesting ideas.

Nice one.

Bodyweight Master™ Free Standing Pull Up Bar.

Although I have a tendency to do pull-ups outdoors (there's a park not far from my house), I was chatting to someone yesterday who's keen on the indoor variety. Seems like he gets a fair bit of snow.

With that in mind, I pointed him towards the Bodyweight Master™ Free Standing Pull Up Bar on Dragon Door. Looks good.

Nice one.

Finally saw someone (a personal trainer with a large group of clients, outdoors) using one of these - a Pullup & Dip (portable outdoor chinning bar & dip station). Works extremely well.

And if you're not quite sure what I mean by 'portable outdoor chinning bar & dip station', here's a bit of video :

The Pullup & Dip. Great idea.

Wonderful combinations.

Interesting variation Nick.

Nice one. btw, if you're currently unable to do them, here's the basic progression.

Frank DiMeo.

Helping us tackle this one - as well as your questions (just post them on the Event page, or use the Q&A tool during the discussion itself) is Strength Coach Frank DiMeo, joined by Personal Trainer (and Strength Athlete) Josh Hewett. Fantastic.

NB : We'd love to hear your questions and comments. If there's a particular subject you'd like Frank and Josh to address, just swing by the event page for this Gymchat and leave a comment or jump in the Q&A (during the discussion itself).

And if you'd like to point your friends/colleagues to the discussion, just use the 'share' button at the top of that page. The more the merrier.

A Salmon Ladder is one of those things I'd almost forgotten about until I saw the ads for the television series Arrow, where he's putting one to work. I'd love to build one for the home gym here (or more likely, the backyard) - but how? There are a couple of basic approaches.

I'll detail those in a minute, but first, a spot of history :

What is a Salmon Ladder? How Did It Come About?

Think of a Salmon Ladder as an extra challenging pull-up variation, with a little kipping and plyometrics thrown in. The video below will show you exactly what it is.

As for the origin : as far as I can tell, the first time a Salmon Ladder was shown to the world was in competition 18 of Sasuke (shown in many countries as 'Ninja Warrior'); held in Spring 2007. The course was greatly modified following competition 17 (which was considered 'too easy' by some), and a number of new obstacles - notably the Salmon Ladder - were introduced.

To give you a taste, here's the Salmon Ladder being tackled admirably in a later Sasuke competition (Sasuke 27) :

As you can see, it's a fairly simple idea; though certainly a challenging obstacle. In fact, the first time it appeared in a Sasuke competition, only 50% of the entrants succeeded in negotiating it.

Yes, I love the deadlift.

Thank you.


There have been some superb articles in that time (my favourites are listed below), as well as training logs, product reviews, forum discussions and of course the twitterchats. It's really been (and continues to be) an incredible ride.

Before we dive in to the list itself, a quick word on the content : while it's quality stuff, there's a lot of it. Feel free to pick out your favourites, bookmark them, add them to Instapaper/Evernote/Pinboard; Stumble them and share them with your friends. Dive in.

Kipping.

In sports, there are rarely slow controlled movements like conventional pull-ups; real life activities typically involve using the body as a whole. Kipping pull-ups are an explosive, dynamic exercise, turning the pull-up into more of a full-body exercise as opposed to just working the upper body.

Utilizing the kipping technique for pull-ups usually allows for more total reps, which is why some gym rats have referred to it as "cheating." But I think that's somewhat of a juvenile attitude.

St Louis Strongman Ed Zercher demonstrating an Unsupported Leg Press.

Some of these are still ideally suited to my training, and get used frequently; others are just fun to challenge yourself with. Whichever way they're used, here are a few more of The Forgotten Lifts :

Animal Strength's Darren Flagg at it again. Love the OAC from a 2" PVC pipe.

Fitness anywhere any time. Photo via soldiersmediacenter.

Here's a sample of the many varieties of suspension work we've looked at over the years :

Looks like I'm not the only one who sees chin-up bars everywhere. Good stuff.

The Human Rack Pull.

Around 2002 I became very familiar with a piece of equipement that is often found way in the back of most commercial gyms. On the rare occasion you find the piece being used it will usually be some young noob performing barbell curls with 10# on each side.

For a true Iron-head like myself I find this very disturbing and fight the urge of picking the noob up and moving him down to the curl machines where he belongs.

This piece is called the Power Rack and it is all you need to get as BIG and STRONG as you yearn for.

On this rack you can perform Squats, Chin-ups, Shrugs, Heavy Floor Presses, Shoulder work, Heavy Rowing, Dips, Everything you need to forge yourself into a piece of Steel.

And then there is the exercise that has become synonomous with myself:

The Partial Rack Pull.

There are different ways to do this exercise but the version I prefer and that I'm known for is pulling the bar at a height just above the knees.

To do this take a measuring tape and measure 24" from the floor to the bar. This is the height that I pulled 1,500# from @ a 202# bodyweight in Florida at the Strongerman compound. If the height is correct when you step up to the bar it will sit right above your knees.

I use lifting straps when going this heavy from APT prowrist straps.

This is not an instructional on how to rack pull but rather, how I came to picking up humans instead of weight. To learn about rack pulling you can find some great articles on the web or go to my website www.mikethemachine.com and watch my promo video.

So just how did I start lifting Human beings?

When I speak and perform I would always finish my program with a 1,000# rack pull. It was actually 1,043# when all was said and done.

The problem with this was that as I became a better speaker and more bookings came in I was faced a problem. How in the heck am I going to transport 24-45# plates to different places?

I had to do something as this was a very original feat and the crowds loved it. My manager the great Dennis Rogers suggested why don't you lift people?

I was like Yes, Great idea! But how? So we started throwing around some ideas. I called my friend Mark Strickland and told him about the whole idea. Mark being the creative genius that he is wrote up some plans that day.

The next morning he called me and said he wants to show me something. That morning he gave me this paper with my exact vision of what I wanted. After much thanks and praise to Mark I then had to think ok, who can make this for me?

That is when I called my brother in iron Ryan Pitts from www.strongergrip.com I explained on the phone what the idea was and then sent him out the plans.

PRESTO!!! A few months later I had my Human Rack piece in my hands and ready to go.

Now I had a way to still do my 1,000# lift and needed no extra weight, I could use people from the audience to pick up.

Jason Kirby.

Suspension Equipment

TRX.

Pros: The sky is the limit with this piece and while not everything that can be done with this is difficult you can make up your own exercises or opt to intertwine the straps together and go from two grips to just one. The difference can be huge. I will say that bulgarian split squats, leg curls, flys, power pulls, and t's are personal favorites that can be made more or less challenging depending on the angle you are standing or leaning.

Cons: The price is a bit high for a piece of webbing and all the claims about it being created by a Navy Seal are extremely annoying. If you need ideas you can purchase DVDs, posters, or a virtual trainer, but again you are paying way more than you should be.

EXF Rings.

Pros: if you think bodyweight training isn't difficult try holding an iron cross or doing a one arm chin (OAC). The rings add an element of instability that just can't be replicated with free weights. Looking to shore on some size to your shoulders, chest, and back, then flys, push ups, dips, chin ups, and even levers can do just that.

Cons- while not as expensive as the TRX these are not cheap given their simple nature, they are also a bit harder to set up if you're indoors and do not have a sturdy object to attach them too.

Jungle Gym.

Pros- its almost half the price and is even lighter and more portable.

Cons- with price reflects quality, these things aren't as sturdy or as comfortable, but hey, who said exercising had to be comfortable.

Regeneration Tools

PB Elite.

Pros- They feel great, they loosen up sore areas, can help with thoracic mobility and they can be used for additional balance training.

Cons- For a piece of foam they aren't that cheap, but unless you want to buy a 6 inch PVC pipe which can be much less forgiving, or go the tennis ball route this is not a bad choice at all.

Myo Ball- essentially a mini, foam, gel, or air ball that may or may not have spikes that does essentially the same job as a foam roller. I like Perform Better's Spikey Ball.

Pros- the spikes get you even deeper, and feel amazing on tired feet.

Cons- the small ball takes longer to get your whole body.

STS Bar.

Pros- the stick is much more portable than the previous tools, and can hit places that the ball and roller just plain can't.

Cons- couldn't really think of any, this isn't really necessary, if money is an issue stick with the foam roller.