This is a guest post by Shaun Connell.
A pull up bar is an excellent purchase option for anyone looking to buy some home exercise equipment with a small budget and minimal work out space. A pull up bar can be purchased for as little as $30 and can be installed easily in your door frame. A great benefit of using a pull up bar for exercising is that several different exercises which focus on all areas of the body can be completed on the pull up bar and require little additional equipment to be purchased. This article focuses on several exercises which can be combined into a fully body workout.
The first exercise to be completed with the pull up bar is the standard pull up. To perform a pull up you will need to place your hands on the pull up bar, with your palms facing away. While hanging on the bar, allow yourself to lower and if necessary bend your knees so you are hanging freely by your arms from the bar. Once you arms are straightened, pull yourself up until your chin is at the same level as the bar, then lower yourself and repeat until you tire. If you would like to add resistance, you can add either ankle weights or a weight belt. A pull up is an excellent exercise and strengthens both your upper back muscles and your biceps. By alternating the locations of your hands on the pull up bar, you will work slightly different muscles in your back and arms and get an even better workout.
The next exercise to be completed with the pull up bar is the hanging hip raise. To perform a hanging hip raise, you will want to place your hands on the pull up bar, and allow yourself to hang freely with your arms straightened (similar to the first step of a pull up). For the hanging hip raise, instead of pulling yourself up with your arms, you will want to keep your legs together and raise your bended knees as high as you can. Then lower your legs and repeat until you tire. The hanging hip raise will exercise both your hips and your abdomen. To increase resistance, you can add ankle weights.
The next exercise which can be performed with the use of a pull up bar is a standing cable chest fly. To perform this exercise, you will need two resistance cables with hand grips. These cables can be purchased for less than $20 and can be found with a variety of resistance levels. To perform the cable chest fly, you will need to tie the end of the cables without the hand grip to the pull up bar. The cables should be tied at least a foot more than shoulder width apart.
Once the cables are installed, you will want to stand with your back to the pull up bar and with a cable grip in each hand. Then while leaning forward attempt to push your arms forward and extend the cables. Once your arms are extended, slowly bring your hands back, and then repeat until you tire. This exercise will strengthen your back and pectoral muscles. This exercise can’t be used with a doorway chin up bar, of course.
The last exercise which can be completed with a pull up bar is vertical jump. This exercise simply requires you to stand underneath the pull up bar, and attempt to jump high enough to touch the bar. Repeat the vertical jump until you tire. This exercise would be better if the pull up bar is at least 9 fee high off the ground. The vertical jump exercise will strengthen most of your leg muscles, while also providing an excellent cardiovascular option. To make the exercise more difficult, you can either raise the pull up bar, or add ankle or belt weights.
Incorporating these exercises into your workout routine will help ensure that you truly get a full body workout.
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