January Fitness Challenge: Grab the Pull-up Bar
Pull-ups are difficult, but together we can make them more possible. Welcome to the Lifehacker Fitness Challenge, where every month we have a new goal for athletes of all levels.
As with Lifehacker Ultimate Money Challenge , we’ll explain our fitness challenge at the beginning of each month, give you a few tools to help you get there, and then we’ll test them out at the end. We will also make these tasks available to as many people as possible. This month, if you’ve never done a pull-up before, we’ll get you closer to doing your first exercise. And if you can already do a few exercises, it’s time to increase the number of reps or put on weight.
Here’s your task:
- Hang the time on the bar today or as soon as possible, bending your arms if you can. If you can already do multiple pull-ups, count how many.
- Do a targeted pull-up workout two to three times a week. We have several options below.
- At the end of the month, you’ll time it again (or check the number of pull-ups) and marvel at how much stronger you’ve gotten.
If you have a suitable doorway, you can install a pull rod in your home: either of the type with screw-in brackets , or if the doorway has a skin on top, the door strip will also work and does not require any special installation. There are also bars in the playgrounds. And almost every gym has them, but you may need to take a closer look: sometimes they hide on top of other equipment, like the cable car. When you’re ready to start exercising, try the following:
- Newbie: If you’re just starting to dream of pull-ups, we recommend the same workout as the intermediate below (don’t worry, you can do that!), But if you want an even easier introduction, head to the gym. and work on any exercise you like when you pull with your arms. The simulator for the upper stretch is perfect and you can customize it so that it was as easy as you like, or trypulling up withan assistant, pull on therope ,pull dumbbells or invertedtraction . If you’re a beginner, consider booking an excursion to the gym or a session with a trainer.
- Medium: Try this workout, which includes a barbell, dumbbells, expander, and leg runners. Just a few moves and it really works . Last year, I went from 8 seconds bent arm hovering to 20 seconds, and by the end I was able to do a full pull-up and a near- full pull-up. Unfortunately, I’ve backed down since then, so I’m starting over, starting with the rest of you.
- Advanced: The above workout is still excellent if you want to go from one or two pull-ups to more. At any level, also consider changing your grip to do more reps, correct your form (are you making any of these common mistakes ?), Or learning how to do chin-ups , which is not cheating , but just a completely different exercise. … it might be interesting to know. You can also try increasing the number of pull-ups or adding weight with a weighted vest, backpack, belt and chain, or a small child .
Try it! We’ll check back later this month to see how you did. Remember to count your reps or try hanging from a bent arm right away so you can repeat the test a few weeks later to see how much you’ve improved. I have stepped back a bit since completing my version of this challenge last year, so I look forward to regaining this power again! And you?