Pull & Chin-ups Nation 🙌

 

Goals. 

Goals, goals, goals, goals.

I have to admit that I have not been this dialed into goals during the first week of the year in several years. This year might turn out to be a dialed in year. 

We're 29 days away from the Winter Olympics as of Thursday, January 6th, but I'm not trying out for Team USA. Oh no. It's goal time for max pull-ups! The conundrum: Pull-ups can but don't have to meet the chin over the bar, depending on the width between your hands and grip. Chin-ups should meet the chin over the bar. 

Big note on pull-ups: Be careful how wide you place your hands because the wider, the more stress on tendons that you do not need. Save the very difficult movements for exceptional pullers.

Alright, so here is my goal: I want to perform 20 pull-ups or chin-ups in a row without stopping.  My most is 14. What does that mean? Well, I will be working on grip strength and pulling at all types of angles. Practice? In order to get better at pull-ups, practice will warrant improvement. 

Playgrounds. Some of the best places to practice pull-ups are at playgrounds. Playground equipment is state-of-the-art and different from the equipment that many of us played on in the 80s and 90s. Heck, I had wood playground equipment in one area. Great for splinter season, which was any given day 😂. But, now? Companies such as Playcraft, Eibe Play, and Timberplay provide curves and bends on their bars that challenge grip strength and muscle group activation. The straight bars in gyms have no answers to these outdoor angles. They're different.

Grip Strength. Who cares, right? Wrong! Without grip strength, you would not be able to carry your mother's purse since it weighs an astronomical weight. I would not be able to carry my wife's suitcase, but I do. I like the workout 😂. Your grip strength is an important determinant of well you perform pull-ups and chin-ups. Their secret lies in how well they contribute to balance and keeping your body stiff (provided you do not kipp like in CrossFit). So, hand exercises, would they assist in a solid ____-up session? I'd say have at it.

Top & Bottom Heavy. A lot of weight in the legs versus a lot of weight in the arms. Which one matters? Well, as long as full range of motion is well performed and there is muscle fluidity, I side with top heavy physiques to produce better pull-up and chin-up outcomes. 

I'm bottom heavy. 

Yes, sometimes, I can feel the effects. 

But, the goal will be met. A lofty goal...that will be met. How does that sound for January mindset?

Derek/@teemptraining/derekteempt@gmail.com