How to pump up your biceps on the horizontal bar: 4 pull-up options

Exercises on the horizontal bar should become basic for every novice athlete, as they allow you to pump up many muscle groups, including the biceps.

Exercises on the horizontal bar should become basic for every novice athlete, as they allow you to pump up many muscle groups, including the biceps.

Despite the fact that there are a dozen variations of training, the starting position is always the same: hanging with knees bent and legs crossed.

Make sure your back remains arched.

Is it possible to pump up your biceps with pull-ups?

First of all, you need to study the anatomy of the exercise. When doing pull-ups with a wide grip , the latissimus dorsi muscles, the teres major muscle are contracted, and the rhomboid and lower trapezius are involved in bringing the shoulder blades together at the top point. It also works the biceps, brachioradialis and brachialis muscles, which help perform pull-ups.

Although the biceps performs its functions, this exercise develops the back to a greater extent, and the difference in grip corrects the development of the latissimus muscles in width or thickness. But there are also subtleties in pull-ups with a narrow reverse grip. When doing a biceps pull-up , you don’t have to bring your shoulder blades close to each other and don’t aim your sternum at the bar, in which case the biceps will be more involved in the work.

Precautionary measures! An important condition for any grip option is the position of the elbows at the lowest point. Do not fully extend the joints, as full extension with frequent loads can injure the joint.

The peculiarity of pull-ups is that the shape of the muscles directly depends on the position of the torso.

• If you pull yourself up to your chin, with your torso perpendicular to the floor , then the width of your back will develop, in other words, “wings.”
• If you stretch the center of your chest towards the bar, bringing your elbows back behind your back , the thickness of your back will be formed to a greater extent.

These exercise options do not particularly affect the shape of the biceps.

Read more about the pull-up exercise in this article →

Correct palm position

When running long distances, many people clench their hands into a fist, which leads to a waste of extra strength. Plus, the inner surface of the fist sweats, which causes discomfort. When running long distances, the palm should be slightly open and the fingers clenched. You should place the pad of your thumb on your index finger and press the rest together.

A sprint is a different situation. There are no specific rules in this discipline. At a short distance, even palms clenched into a fist will not be able to influence the result in any way, so here everyone is free to choose for themselves. But it is better to develop the habit of keeping your palms in the correct position at any distance.

Wide-grip pull-up technique to engage the biceps

Vary your chest or chin pull-up technique depending on your goals. Perform pull-ups until your muscles are completely tired; for muscle growth, it is recommended to work in 4x12 mode.

1. Grasp the horizontal bar with a wide grip, placing your palms in a regular overhand grip.
2. Exhale: bending your elbows, pull your chin towards the bar, squeezing your shoulder blades at the top point. Keep your legs bent at the knee.
3. Inhale: slowly lower yourself without fully extending your elbows.

Option for pumping up biceps on the horizontal bar No. 2 - pulling the back of the head to the bar

1. Place your palms with a wide grip on the bar.
2. Exhale: bending your elbows, moving them slightly back behind your back, pull yourself up so that the back of your head touches the bar.
3. Inhale: lower your torso smoothly, without jerking.

Also repeat in 4x12 mode, avoid too many repetitions.

Reverse grip biceps pull-ups

This exercise technique perfectly works the biceps brachii , and the latissimus muscles remain the main muscles.

This is the technique that should be included on biceps and forearm training days.

1. Grasp the bar with an underhand grip, shoulder-width apart.
2. Exhale: contracting the muscles of your back and arms, pull your chin towards the bar, bring your shoulder blades together, additionally engaging the lower trapezius and rhomboid muscles.
3. Inhale: slowly lower yourself, keeping your elbows bent.

Work 4 sets of 8–12 reps.

How to achieve maximum exercise effectiveness in a month

The following rules will allow you to achieve maximum effectiveness in performing exercises:

• be sure to do a warm-up - it will allow you to warm up your muscles;
• When doing pull-ups, pay attention to muscle strength and avoid inert movements;
• do not jerk while raising and lowering your body, all movements should be smooth;
• don't swing;
• concentrate on working your biceps;
• control your breathing - inhale when you go down, exhale when you go up.

There are many methods with which you can pump up your biceps in a month, but the horizontal bar is still the most affordable of them.

And although you can get results faster with free weights, you can also increase your biceps with pull-ups. True, you will have to be patient. And do not forget to follow the general recommendations (they are presented below).

A short video with motivation and practical tips.

Remember to stretch your biceps on your own or with a partner.

Regularity of training per week

The optimal number of classes per week is 2-3 times.
It is important to alternate them with rest, which is extremely important for muscle fiber growth. Actually, this process begins during recovery, and not tension, as many novice bodybuilders think.

If you feel muscle pain, it is better to take a break and skip the workout. There is no point in exercising in this state: the effect will be much lower, and the risk of deterioration in well-being will be higher.

Number of sets

Assess your strength adequately: do not try to do maximum repetitions. To train the biceps, it is enough to perform 3-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions, but if you cannot initially take this amount, at the initial stage, do as much as you can, then gradually increase.

Rest between sets

The recommended rest time between sets is 2 minutes.

Increasing load

Gradually add load, this will “shake up” the muscles and stimulate them to grow.

Smoothly increase the number of sets and repetitions in each approach. Or you can use an alternative method: add weight to your own body using a backpack or weighted belt.

In this case, fewer repetitions can be done, but their number in each set should still not be less than 6.

Technique

Undoubtedly, the correct technique for performing the exercise is important. Only with its help will you get the maximum effect and avoid injury. Distribute all exercises on different days of the week, this way you will prevent overexertion of your biceps.

What is the ideal grip for biceps training? Supinated, performed from below. As for width, it is better to give preference to a narrow grip, because... in this case, the muscles of the arms, chest and shoulders work more.

In addition, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the training for the month with Alexey Schroeder.

Nutrition and supplements

A special diet helps build muscle mass, and supplements speed up this process. The main element that affects muscle growth is protein. Make sure you have enough of it in your diet, and don’t forget about the other components of food - the diet should be balanced.

Recommendations

It should be noted that in many modern gyms there is a special block simulator for pull-ups with a “Gravitron” counterweight. For beginners , both men and women, who cannot do pull-ups with their own weight, the machine will be an excellent assistant in mastering the technique of pull-ups. Gradually, the load can be increased by setting the required number of counterweight blocks that push the body.

Pumping up your biceps on the horizontal bar is not the most convenient thing, unlike working comfortably in exercise machines. The technique requires strong hands, that is, a tenacious grip, and strong forearms, so many find it difficult to keep their palms on the bar for the required amount of time. Therefore, use special loops for brushes . By putting a loop on your hand and tying it around the bar, you can significantly ease the fate of your hands, extending the time for working on the muscles.

If pull-ups with your own weight are very easy for you, wear a special belt on which you can hang additional weight , and perform the required number of repetitions. Perhaps it will be more difficult with each approach, then you can reduce the repetitions by: 12, 10, 8, 8–6 times.

Pull-ups are one of the most difficult exercises for the back and arms, so start your workout with this exercise, because in the middle or end of the training, when the muscles have already worked, it will be difficult to do a pull-up and the muscles will refuse to work to their fullest.

Basic principles of proper nutrition

Strict diets designed to lose excess weight significantly harm the body. Refusal of certain foods and a sharp decrease in the energy value of food allow you to lose weight quickly, but disrupt your metabolism.

That is why, after returning to the usual diet, there is a rapid increase in body weight, digestive problems and systemic disruptions in the functioning of the body. In addition, prolonged malnutrition leads to a deficiency of vital microelements and vitamins. To lose weight correctly, you must adhere to the following rules:

• Eat a varied diet. The diet must contain both proteins and fats with carbohydrates, as this will help maintain a balance of macro- and micronutrients. At the same time, the daily energy value of food should not exceed 1200 and 1600 kcal for women and men, respectively.
• Maintain the correct proportions of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, while simultaneously increasing the consumption of vegetables (both fresh and thermally processed). This group of foods gives the body a lot of vitamins and fiber, which not only normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, but also cleanses it.
• Reduce the proportion of fast carbohydrates in the daily menu to a minimum. They provide the growth of fat deposits and provoke diabetes. Sugar, various desserts and sweets must be replaced with fruits.
• Limit your fat intake. It is not advisable to completely abandon them, since both vegetable oil and butter contain various valuable micronutrients. However, it is better to replace fatty meats or fish with lean ones.
• Consume enough fermented milk products. They are rich in calcium necessary for the body and contain a lot of protein, but you need to choose kefir and cottage cheese with a low fat content.
• Follow the regime. Rare and heavy meals lead to a slowdown in metabolism. To speed up your metabolism and activate the process of losing weight, you need to eat small portions every 3-4 hours. This will also reduce the volume of the stomach and speed up the onset of the feeling of fullness.
• Reduce the amount of salt you consume. There is already enough of it in food, and excess sodium chloride leads to many diseases.
• Cook correctly. That is, completely abandon frying foods in favor of stewing and steaming.
• Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of “empty” calories, especially if you combine libations with large meals.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Priority should be given to clean water, tea and coffee without sugar, as well as natural juices and berry compotes. In the latter case, sugar should be replaced with artificial sweeteners.

The listed principles must be adhered to constantly, then the excess weight will quickly go away and is guaranteed not to return. Dietary restrictions do not mean a complete renunciation of gastronomic pleasures. The sample menu with recipes below allows you to eat very varied and tasty.