When performing any strength exercises, even push-ups or pull-ups, it is important to follow proper breathing techniques. Improper or irregular breathing while doing pull-ups or any other type of exercise can lead to many negative side effects. Among the most harmless are violations of technique and a decrease in the effectiveness of exercises, among the more dangerous are pressure surges and shortness of breath. In extreme situations, loss of consciousness is possible, especially for unprepared athletes. Also, due to pressure, ruptures of capillary vessels are possible.
How to breathe while doing pull-ups: breaking down the technique
How to breathe when doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar? As with many strength exercises, the rule in pull-ups is: force while exhaling, relax while inhaling. Let's look at the breathing technique in more detail:
Step 1
Start in a dead hang position with your arms fully extended and your feet off the ground.
Step 2
Take a big breath to fill your lungs with air.
Step 3
Exhale as you begin to pull yourself up. Continue exhaling until your chin is above the bar.
Step 4
Take a big breath as you lower yourself back down until your arms are almost fully extended again.
Step 5
Exhale for the next pull-up.
Step 6
Repeat these alternating, coordinated inhalations and exhalations as you lift and lower your body during pull-ups.
What to do on the last repeats?
Many athletes hold their breath during the final reps to better stabilize their core for the reps. It is better not to abuse this technique due to the same problems with blood pressure. If you want to “finish off” your set with a few more pull-ups, but you don’t have the strength, it’s better to use Australian pull-ups or special elastic bands. The former will help reduce the load by supporting your feet, the latter will compensate for it with the tension of the elastic band.
Why is it important to breathe properly when playing sports?
It is necessary to study breathing techniques before any physical activity. This process requires training no less than doing the pull-up itself. Moreover, it is often necessary to spend quite a lot of time and effort ensuring “synchronization” of the work of the body and lungs. Since this is an integral part of the training process, it cannot be neglected.
Any physical work for the body is a signal to start a biochemical process in order to provide itself with the necessary energy and get rid of metabolic “waste”. The first occurs during the oxidation of glucose. Any such reaction is impossible without oxygen, so at higher loads more energy is naturally required. There is nowhere to get it if there is not enough oxygen.
Neglecting breathing technique during any sports activities, including pull-ups, sharply increases the load on the bronchopulmonary system. At the same time, the effectiveness of the exercise decreases. Since during exercise the muscles do not receive enough oxygen, they do not grow as intensively as they could.
If you breathe correctly during exercise, the health benefits are obvious:
- cells are actively saturated with oxygen;
- blood circulation is activated;
- metabolism is stimulated.
Proper breathing when playing sports is the key to health safety. Physical activity causes a need for oxygen in the brain, heart, and other organs. Failure to comply with the technique or delayed breathing while pulling up can provoke a sharp jump in blood pressure, ruptures of small eye and brain vessels, an attack of dizziness, and even loss of consciousness.
When playing sports, performance and endurance directly depend on proper breathing. This is especially important for different types of pull-ups. Exercises are performed using your own weight. In such cases, the determining criterion for muscle growth is not the strength of the load, but the number of repetitions.
Before any physical activity, it is important to study breathing techniques
Failure to comply with breathing techniques sharply increases the load on the bronchopulmonary system and reduces the effectiveness of the exercise
Proper breathing helps to actively saturate cells with oxygen and improve blood circulation
How to learn to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar: the correct technique
Before you learn how to do a pull-up correctly, you need to learn how to hang from a bar. For at least a week, do this for a few minutes. This is important so that your palms get used to the load and do not slip. When you are sure that your grip is strong and reliable, you can begin to perform the exercise itself.
Now about the pull-up technique. Firmly grasp the bar using a straight, medium grip. Gradually begin to pull your body towards the bar. The elbows should move slightly to the sides. To prevent your body from swaying, tense your abdominal muscles. At the maximum point, the chin should be higher than the horizontal bar. Now smoothly and gradually straighten your arms, slowly lowering your body.
Australian pull-ups
How to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar? Australian technology is recommended for beginners. Let's look at what makes it special? It involves performing exercises on a low bar. Its height should be approximately at the level of the lower back. It is important to keep your back straight along its entire length throughout the entire workout. The main advantage of this exercise is that it is very simple. In addition, you can independently adjust the load level by changing the angle of your body. The larger it is, the easier it will be to practice.
During training, it is recommended to periodically change the type of grip. Using different techniques, you will be able to work different muscle groups, which will have a positive effect on physical development and prepare you for moving on to more complex types of exercise.
Exercises with additional weight
They are good for strengthening the back muscles and biceps. To perform them you need a barbell or a pair of dumbbells. You need to do pull-ups in several approaches of 10 times. But you shouldn't take too long breaks. Give yourself a break for no more than a minute. When choosing the weight of sports equipment, be guided by your own capabilities. The weight should be such as to create the maximum possible load on the muscles.
There are the following types of exercises with additional weight:
- Bent-over barbell row;
- vertical pull of the block;
- horizontal pull to the waist.
If you do not have sports equipment, then you can use any other items that have a lot of weight as a weighting agent.
Negative pull-ups
Any physical exercise consists of two stages. The first is called positive when the muscles tense, and the second negative when they relax. The training will be most effective if both stages are involved. However, beginners usually find it very difficult to perform such exercises. Therefore, if you are interested in the question of how to learn to do pull-ups well, and complex techniques are not yet working out, then you can practice using a special method. It involves performing only the negative phase. To do this, you need to lean on the crossbar with your arms bent, hold in this position for some time, and then slowly lower yourself down. The longer you can hold out, the better. Such exercises are good for strengthening the muscles of the back and arms. It is advisable to perform them in three sets of 10-15 pull-ups.
Benefits of Exercise
Many people are interested in how to start doing pull-ups on the horizontal bar from scratch. Let's look at this in more detail. The desire to learn pull-ups is quite justified, because this type of exercise has a huge number of advantages. First of all, the muscles of various parts of the body are involved in the process of their implementation. In addition, for training, except for the horizontal bar, no sports equipment, exercise equipment, equipment or special clothing is required.
Among the main benefits of pull-ups are the following:
- training the muscles of the entire upper body - arms, back, shoulders, chest and abs;
- strengthening joints and ligaments;
- classes can be conducted both at home and outdoors;
- training helps to develop correct posture and strengthen the health of the spinal column.
No other exercise has so many benefits. That is why many are interested in how to learn how to do pull-ups on a horizontal bar. Based on the words of experienced athletes, with the right approach you can master the technique in just a few weeks.
Various difficulties may arise when:
- overweight;
- poor physical development;
- lack of practice;
- insufficient functional training.
You also need to take into account that pull-ups have certain contraindications. It is better to avoid them if you have the following health problems:
- rachiocampsis;
- osteochondrosis;
- hernia;
- joint diseases;
- protrusion of vertebral discs.
If you are completely healthy and decide to start playing sports seriously, then further on we will tell you especially how to quickly learn how to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar. By strictly following the instructions given, you can make your body sculpted and attractive in just a few months.
General tips and tricks
There are several rules that, if followed, will make pull-ups easier and more effective. Here are the most important ones:
- You should not make sudden jerks. They can lead to injury, as a result of which you will have to forget about the horizontal bar for a long time.
- Don't overexert your body. During training, muscle fibers are injured, so they need recovery. Everything is good in moderation.
- When performing exercises, do not hold your breath under any circumstances, otherwise you will become exhausted too quickly.
- Gradually increase the number of sets and pull-ups. This is the only way you can make progress.
- If your hands sweat a lot, wear rubber gloves. They will reduce the likelihood of injury.
- Always do a warm-up to warm up your muscles before you begin your main exercises. This will reduce the likelihood of spraining.
These tips and tricks will help you get the most out of your workouts and achieve positive results.
Pull-ups on the horizontal bar: types of grips
Almost all types of pull-ups require a standard hang as the starting position. The back is slightly arched, the legs are tucked and crossed. The following grip options are available:
- Straight narrow grip. Hands are slightly less than shoulder-width apart (narrow grip). When pulling up, try to touch the bar with your lower thoracic region. Let your gaze fall on your fingers.
- Straight medium grip. The hands are at a distance of shoulder width from each other. The shoulder blades should point towards each other when lifting. At the peak, you need to touch the bar with your upper chest. To increase the effectiveness of the exercise when descending, try to extend your arms completely.
- Reverse medium grip . Performed in the same way as the previous exercise, however, your shoulders should be pulled back and not raised when starting.
- Neutral grip. It is worth doing pull-ups with a neutral grip only when you have already mastered other techniques, since the grip will change during execution. For example, during the first approach, the left hand will be in front, then the right one. You need to touch the bar with your lower chest. You must firmly grasp the horizontal bar and place your fists one in front of the other. As you rise up, arch your back slightly.
- Wide grip chest pull-ups. With this type of exercise, the work occurs through the back muscles, not the biceps. You need to grab the bar from above with your thumbs, and spread your arms wide. When pulling up, the upper part of the chest should touch the bar, the elbows should be directed downward, and the eyes should look above the horizontal bar.
- Wide grip head pull-ups. This is a fairly effective, but at the same time very traumatic technique, so before you start doing the exercise, be sure to warm up and stretch your muscles. Grasp the bar with a wide grip and lower your elbows down. When pulling up, tilt your body forward slightly, trying to maintain a horizontal position. Thanks to this exercise, the round muscles of the back are perfectly worked out, which are almost not used in other types of exercises.
Of all the types of pull-ups, the exercise with a wide grip is considered the most difficult.
Therefore, first, it is recommended to master a straight medium grip, and only then other types of exercises. Wanting to learn how to properly do pull-ups, many athletes want to achieve multiple repetitions of the exercise. But you need to understand that gradualism is important with everything. The longer and more often you exercise, the more your body gets used to the stress. If you realize that you can no longer do more repetitions, reduce the frequency of training. You can’t exercise every day, because the muscles need time to recover, and during the resting process they also increase. The optimal training frequency is three times a week. It is recommended to do pull-ups in three sets with the maximum possible number of repetitions.
