So you’ve always wanted to have upper strength in your body but you do not know how to achieve this. Well, how about bodyweight pull-up exercises. These are exercises that are meant to help you gain strength in the upper part of your body. Areas that benefit from pull-up exercises include the neck, shoulders, and arm.
Pull-up exercises can be categorized from beginner-friendly exercises to advanced exercises for athletes. Pull-up exercises can be done both at home and the gym. An instructor can help you when carrying out these exercises though it’s not a must. All you need is a spirit of not giving up especially when you are a beginner and you’re good to go. The exercises are versatile and can be done anywhere from the house to a hotel room while on vacation.
Benefits of pull up exercises
Pull-up exercises give you strength in the upper back. This means that simple tasks such as opening a jar won’t be as hard as they used to be.
Sports performance is also enhanced especially for sports that deal with the upper body. Games such as tennis, golf, and even rock climbing can benefit from pull-up exercises. These games depend on one’s upper body strength to achieve better results.
Bone development is enhanced. Due to the regular movement of muscles when performing pull-up exercises, bones in these areas become stronger.
Reduction in the occurrence of diseases such as arthritis and back problems
General physical health is kept in check. Exercising generally helps one to keep their weight in check and issues such as obesity will be hard to come by
Improvement of the overall fitness of the body.
Improvement of one’s self-esteem. A healthy body paves way for a healthy soul and mind.
15 body pull up exercises
let’s jump right into body pull-up exercises that can be done by both beginners to pros
1.Push ups
For this exercise, you have to lie on the ground and extend your elbows. Make sure that your body is straight on the ground and use your arms to carry your body weight from the ground. Your arms should make a 90 degrees angle when going down and come back straight when you pull yourself up. Ensure that your chest touches the ground when going down.
If pulling your bodyweight seems too hard at the beginning, put your knees down and only work with the upper part of your body.
2.Prone T Raise
Lie flat on the ground and spread your legs. Stretch out your hands and form a T with your knuckles touching the ground. With this exercise, pressure is exerted on the shoulder and you should feel this in your muscles. Stay in this position for 45 seconds before moving on to the next exercise.
3.Super Man Exercise
Lie flat on the ground and lift your arms and feet. Make sure both your feet and arms are separated when performing this exercise. Your chest will be the one supporting your body weight together with your thighs. This exercise is good not only for your spine but also helps you with your posture.
4.The plank
For this exercise, you have to lie down and raise the upper part of your body. Your knees can touch the ground or be stretched out. Your feet should be slightly separated. Now Use your arms to support your body weight at a 90 degrees angle.
5.The Pike
Start from a plank and separate your legs. Stretch out your body upwards and use your toes as anchorage to the ground. Stretch out your hands and move your body forward ensuring that your head touches the ground each time you go down.
6.Single arm reverse fly
This exercise focuses on three muscles namely: the deltoids on the back of the shoulders, rhomboid, and traps. For this exercise bend and keep your back straight making a 90 degrees angle at the junction between your thighs and stomach. Now tightly grip your dumbbell and raise your arm. When raising your arm ensure that it goes slightly above your back. Do this for a minute and switch to the opposite hand. You can use a bench to support one leg and arm ensuring the arm that is on the bench is slightly bent.
7.The Inverted Row
The exercises work on the Dorsi muscles of the back. It also deals with the muscles located on the shoulders and arms.
For this exercise, you have to lie down while your face is looking up. Place your arms down slightly and space them. You will be required to have a bar that you can use to lift your body up. Now tightly hold on to the bar and slowly lift yourself up pushing your chest towards the bar. Pause and slowly go back to your starting position making your arms to be straight. Only the heels of your feet should touch the ground.
8. The dip
Sit down with your legs slightly bent and use a bench for support, place your arms on the bench and slightly separate your arms while your feet are close together. Lower yourself with your arms till you almost reach the floor and pull yourself back up till your knees are in the same position as your arms
9.Reverse hands push up
Lie down and let your fingers point downwards towards your leg. Your face should be facing the ceiling. Gently lift your body with your arms making them become straight. Now bend your arms and lower your body. Repeat this process for 45 seconds before moving to the next exercise.
10.The Wall Sit
Doing the wall sit exercise is the same as seating on an imaginary chair. Ensure that your back touches the wall and carefully raise your arms forward. Similarly, you could also stretch out your arms making them touch the wall unto which your back gets its support
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11. Pull Ups
When performing pull-ups the arms suspend the body upwards using a bar. Most importantly, the height of the person should be slightly below the bar. One has to tightly grip on to the bar and use their arms to suspend the body upwards You should bend your knees slightly and cross over your feet when doing push-ups.
12. Punches
Punches are basically blown with the fist. One uses a punching bag to take on the impact exerted by the arm. It is quite engaging since there is total body engagement when punching.it helps to strengthen the muscles of the shoulders, back, and arms.
13.Elbow lifts
Elbow lifts work on the back and do not require one to go to the gym.
Lie down on the floor with your face facing the ceiling. Use your elbows to lift the body while exhaling then lower yourself back and lie on the ground while inhaling.
14. Shoulder taps
Put your body in a plank position and stretch out one of your arms, now cross the other arm to touch the shoulders of the arm supporting your weight, and hold on to this position for 45 seconds before changing arms.
15. Elbow plank
The muscles of the shoulders are the ones that many benefit from this exercise. One has to lie on the floor and push themselves upwards using the elbows as support. Ensure that your back is straight and flat and stay in this position for 30 seconds.
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They give one strength in the upper back and help one’s physical health.
These are exercises that entail gaining strength in the upper body.
lats, deltoids, rhomboids and biceps
