The most effective way to get your body in shape is to exercise at the gym, however, not everyone has the extra money to buy a membership. Then exercises on the horizontal bar come to the rescue - it’s simple, and most importantly accessible. With the help of a horizontal bar you can work out all muscle groups, make your body more sculpted and toned. At the same time, for those who want to become more athletic and healthy, both complex exercises aimed at a large number of areas of the muscular skeleton and local exercises for specific areas are available.
Increased hanging time
To safely do all the exercises on the horizontal bar, you need to confidently hang on the bar. To do this, you need to strengthen your grip. To begin with, simply hang on the horizontal bar for as long as your wrist strength allows.
Start small: beginners can hang for 10-15 seconds, after which their hands open on their own. And the heavier a person is, the less time he can spend in a hanging position. When the hanging time reaches 30–40 seconds, you can think about pull-ups.
Elements such as muscle-ups require a stronger grip. Because, otherwise, your hands may fall off the bar, and falling from the horizontal bar is painful and traumatic.
Training programs
American
Good development will be facilitated by weekly performance of the “American” exercise, with the participation of several athletes. The competition consists of pulling up on the horizontal bar from 1 to 10 times, each time adding one lift: 1, 2, 3 ... 10, then in descending order. The one remaining at the end wins if he has the strength to complete the exercise. This complex is effective for working out muscle definition at home, and the competitive factor stimulates significant physical activity.
Pull-ups
There are a lot of pull-up options. Each of them invariably works the back muscles, as well as the biceps, hands and shoulders.
So, let's look at the simplest and most popular horizontal bar exercises for beginners. These will form the training program.
Negative pull-ups
Despite the fact that this exercise is called a “pull-up,” in fact, you will not lift yourself up, but only gently lower yourself down from the bar.
The essence of the exercise is this: you need to grab the bar with your hands, and stand with your feet on a bench or other elevation, so that your chin is above the level of the horizontal bar.
Now slowly lower your arm downwards. This way you will prepare your muscles for full pull-ups. Start with 3-5 repetitions. When you can do it 10 times, move on to the next stage.
Wide grip pull-ups
This is a classic exercise for the latissimus dorsi.
You need to grab the horizontal bar slightly wider than shoulder-width apart with an overhand grip. When pulling up, the latissimus muscles should bring the elbows towards the body. The initial stage of the movement is carried out with the help of your hands, then you move up using your back. Try to concentrate all the effort on your back.
As you move up, you exhale. When you go down, inhale.
Start with 3-5 repetitions. When you can do 10 reps, move on to two sets of 6-7 reps.
Close grip pull-up
You need to grab the horizontal bar with a narrow reverse grip. This exercise also works the lats, but the biceps work the most here. Therefore, the number of repetitions is usually higher than in other pull-up variations.
You need to get into a position when pulling up so that the bar is at neck level. The higher you go, the easier it will be to subsequently make the “exit by force” element.
Since this is an easier exercise than other variations, you can do it 10 times in two sets. When you are strong enough, do the third approach.
Pull-ups with a straight classic grip
This is the most common horizontal bar exercise for beginners. You will need to grip the bar at shoulder width. The upward movement is carried out by the biceps and back.
Once you can do 10 reps, add a second set. Over time you will reach 3 approaches.
How to avoid making mistakes while doing pull-ups
The recommendations are quite simple:
- Don't repent.
- Don't rush - do everything smoothly and thoughtfully.
- Don't jerk.
- Try to go up faster and go down slower.
Basic tricks
When you have already mastered the basic exercises well (good - this means that you can perform them easily, without tension and with little or no thought), it’s time for more complex, but also more spectacular elements. But not before! And it’s better to first watch them on video on the Internet, studying the techniques of professionals.
Ideally, it would be good to work out with a trainer, get advice on how to move correctly and do a couple of exercises under his supervision so that he can point out mistakes. Moreover, each exercise should be performed in stages, gradually, and in no case in jerks. You can easily learn tricks on the horizontal bar from the video.
Basic tricks
It is worth remembering that practicing tricks will take a lot of time. Even a professional spends a lot of effort and a huge amount of time (up to several months - depending on the complexity of the trick) on practicing techniques. All elements must be done first in the gym to avoid injury. To perform tricks you need strength and the ability to maintain balance. There are special exercises to develop these qualities.
Press on the horizontal bar
In addition to developing your back muscles, you can very effectively pump up your abs on the horizontal bar.
Leg Raise
Once you reach the point where you can hang for 40-60 seconds, you can do various variations of abdominal exercises. For example, leg lifts.
There are two options here:
- Raising your legs with your knees bent.
- Army corner.
With the first option everything is clear. We raise our knees, twisting our pelvis behind them to maximally load the abdominal muscles.
In the second option, you need to lift your legs straight and touch the crossbar with them. By the way, if you then move your legs behind the horizontal bar, you will perform the “lifting with an inversion” element. But it’s still too early to try this element.
The Army Corner is an excellent horizontal bar exercise for beginners that will comprehensively strengthen your abdominal and core muscles, as well as your upper legs.
Crunches
Hang from the horizontal bar. Raise your legs bent at the knees alternately to the right and left. This way you pump up the oblique abdominal muscles.
Recommendations for working on the press
These tips are a lot like the tips for doing pull-ups:
- Don't sway - inertia makes the exercise easier. If you still sway, stop.
- Do everything smoothly and without jerking.
- Breathe correctly.
- If your hands slip, put on gloves. You can’t practice in this state – you might break down.
Spanish exit
In principle, a simple exercise, you just need to avoid mistakes. You need to hang on one hand in the reverse flag. Next, press the body point-blank.
If you pay maximum attention to the exercises and do them regularly (preferably daily), then very soon you will notice results that will definitely please you. Your physical shape will definitely be much better than it was! Posture will change and improve, strength will appear, and the muscles of the back, arms, shoulder girdle and abs will strengthen. You must be prepared that real results will appear only after a few months. You need to move gradually - excessive zeal will lead to injuries.
If you've been working out for quite some time, but you don't feel like you're seeing results, seek advice from a professional trainer who can explain what you're doing wrong and help you adjust your workouts.
Spanish exit
It is best to generally practice for the first few weeks under the supervision of someone who already knows how to do tricks on the horizontal bar. Then he will point out mistakes, set up equipment, and advise when you can start mastering more complex elements. In addition, classes in the company allow you not to lose heart and not give up your endeavors after the first failures. And competition is a good incentive for growth. Trying to “defeat” your “rivals”, you will not quit at the very beginning, and when enough time has passed, you will become so involved in the process of improving your physical fitness that you simply will not be able to quit.
Never try to take the bull by the horns and do something that your body cannot yet do. This could result in dangerous injuries. There is absolutely no need for risk - it is better to train an extra few days than to treat an injury for several months.
A set of exercises for beginners
Now that you know what exercises on the horizontal bar exist for beginners, you can move on to a set of exercises. The program will be designed for 2 lessons per week.
Monday:
- Classic grip pull-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps.
- Close-grip pull-ups: 3 sets of 10 reps.
- Hanging leg raises: 3 x 10 times.
- Crunches on the horizontal bar: 3 to 10.
Friday:
- Reverse grip pull-ups: 3 x 10 reps.
- Wide grip pull-ups: 3 to 10.
- Army corner: 3 to 10.
- Crunches on the horizontal bar: 3 to 10.
It is not advisable to exercise more than twice a week, because the same muscle groups work over and over again. If you train them often, they will get tired and you will not be able to complete the plan.
The program includes 3 sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise. At first, you will not be able to do all the repetitions in exactly three approaches. Your main task is to achieve all repetitions in one workout. If necessary, let's start with 10 sets of 3 times. But try to pull yourself up the indicated 30 times. And this applies to every exercise.
Exercises on the horizontal bar for girls will be more simple. For example, instead of the army corner, it is better to prefer hanging leg raises. Other exercises on the horizontal bar for girls are pull-ups using a rubber band, gravitron, or support from a partner.
Not every girl can do even one pull-up on her own. In general, ladies do not need to do pull-ups on a high bar. This is a heavy basic element in fitness. If you still want to learn, you need to start from scratch: first learn how to hang on the bar, and then perform at least one repetition.
For men, there are a number of other technically more difficult exercises. But these are not horizontal bar exercises for beginners. They are intended for more advanced athletes who have been training on the bars for a long time and regularly. We are talking about the work out direction.
Tips for completing the program
- The program includes different variations of pull-ups. You should learn to do them all.
- In addition to horizontal bars, the sites also have other devices for pull-ups. Use them. It is very convenient when your hands are turned with your palms facing each other (neutral grip).
- It is not recommended to swap exercises.
- There is no need to hang for a long time in a position where your chin is above the bar. This will cause fatigue and will not help increase strength in any way.
- Warm up before classes and avoid hypothermia. Try not to get blown away. When the muscle is warm, the draft can cause you many long-term problems.
Once you have mastered this basic program, you can move on to more complex advanced elements.
As an introduction
Correct work on the horizontal bar at home or in the gym is an opportunity to perfectly develop all muscle groups of the upper body, including the abdominals and back. The only thing you need is a high-quality program at hand and strict adherence to it.
The ideal number of weekly sessions is four, training time is 20-30 minutes. For example, you can organize classes on all days except weekends. But here you can plan your schedule yourself, taking into account your work and rest schedule. Below we will look at how to pump up on the horizontal bar the fastest.
Contraindications
Not all athletes benefit from training on a pull-up bar. It is generally accepted that hanging on a horizontal bar has almost miraculous properties and helps with hernias and bulges. Unfortunately, it is not.
If you have such back problems, you should not train on a chin bar at all, as staying in a stretched position for long periods of time can aggravate the situation.
Before starting full-scale training, you should consult with a qualified physician. Only he will competently answer the question of how to play sports so as not to harm your health.
It is also not recommended to perform exercises on the horizontal bar for people who have recently suffered a sprain or rupture of ligaments in the shoulders or elbows. Hanging for long periods of time causes pain, especially if you are above average weight. There is a risk of recurrence of the injury.
Results
As practice shows, you can achieve success on the horizontal bar even at home, following a simple and understandable program. The advantage of such exercises is uniform load distribution, high efficiency and minimal risk of injury. In addition, training on the crossbar is an opportunity to relieve stress from the vertebrae and forget about such a symptom as overtraining.
Please note that abdominal training should be included in every lesson. If you cannot do the exercise with straight legs, then bending them at the knee joint is allowed. As for other exercises, you are allowed to work in half repetitions until you have enough strength for a full workout.
