EOD - How to Practice Your Pull-Up

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Strength is measured to me by push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups. I don't care how much you can bench press, or how much you can bicept curl. Now of these three strength judging exercises, the one that is most often passed over is the pull-up. There are many reasons for this.

Push-ups and sit-ups can be done anywhere. You can do them at home, in your office, in the park or wherever you are. In order to do pull-ups you need some sort of bar to pull up on. The other reason is they are probably the hardest of the three strength exercises to accomplish.

There are ways to work your way towards a sit-up, such as doing crunches first. Or you can practice a push-up by placing your knees on the ground. Today, I'm going to show you how you can practice a pull-up by using the Smith machine that can be found at just about every gym in the country.

Here is a good article on why using machines are NOT the best way to go and the advantages of doing a bodyweight workout vs. a weighted workout.

This video below is quick and to the point. To practice the pull-up, pleace the Smith Machine bar halfway up the rack. Then grab the bar and extend your arms to a locked position while you are hanging underneath the bar. Place your heels on the ground. Now pull your chest towards the bar while keeping your shoulders aligned with your hips, knees and ankles in one straight line.

Enjoy the video. Tomorrow I will get into a great exercise for a very underworked but very important muscle: The Hamstrings