Reverse grip pull-ups with what to replace. Pull-ups: forward or reverse grip? Crossfit complexes with exercise

Find out a series of exercises that can also effectively pump up your back and at the same time replace such a basic movement as pulling up on a bar.

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Pull-ups are, without exaggeration, one of the most effective strength movements. By changing the execution technique, you can shift the emphasis of the load to different muscle groups of the arms and back. Unfortunately, in order to do pull-ups, you need to have sufficient strength, and many novice athletes are interested in how to replace pull-ups on the horizontal bar.

What exercises can replace pull-ups on a horizontal bar?

If you have just started training and cannot yet perform a single repetition of pull-ups, then do not despair. There are many exercises in bodybuilding that are interchangeable. If you cannot do pull-ups yet, then after reading this article you will be able to do effective classes. However, as soon as your muscles are strong enough, it is worth introducing pull-ups into your training program. This is due to the fact that the movements that replace them are more isolated and involve fewer muscles.

Here is a list of exercises that can temporarily replace various variations of pull-ups:

1. Pull-ups, wide grip - you can do deadlifts upper block towards the chest with a wide grip.
2. Pull-ups, reverse grip- You can also perform pull-downs towards the chest using an appropriate grip.
3. Head pull-ups- pull the upper block behind the head.
4. Pull-ups, narrow grip- block rows using a narrow grip.
5. Pull-ups, parallel grip- rows on the block using a parallel grip.

As you can see for yourself, all types of pull-ups can be easily replaced with other movements. But I would like to remind you that you should do this until you learn to pull yourself up. How to do this will be discussed below. At the same time, you shouldn’t completely abandon substitute movements, and you can use them as additional ones to pull-ups.

How to quickly learn how to do pull-ups on a horizontal bar?

Movement contributes to the development of the muscles of the arms, back, shoulder girdle, press and trapezius. Since, despite the fairly simple technique of performing this movement, not every person can immediately pull themselves up, exercises have been developed to help achieve this goal. You already know how to replace pull-ups on a horizontal bar, and now we’ll tell you how to quickly master this movement.

Let's take a closer look at the anatomical structure of the muscles involved in the work and start with the main ones:

1. Latissimus muscles- located in the upper lateral and lower back.
2. Rhomboid muscles- are located under the trapezius in the middle part of the back.
3. Big round muscle- upper lateral part of the back, directly under the armpits.

Pull-ups allow you to load a large number of auxiliary muscles:

1. Pectoralis major muscle- located in the upper chest.
2. Pectoralis minor muscle- upper chest directly under the large muscle.
3. Claviobrachialis muscle- the inner area of ​​the upper arm at the shoulder joint.
4. Subscapularis muscle- located in the subscapular fossa and located under other muscles.
5. Biceps- the front surface of the upper arm.
6. Triceps - back surface top of the hand.

In sports great importance have strength and endurance, and regular exercise allows you to develop these abilities. However, many people have a very busy daily schedule and simply do not have time to visit the gym. Don't despair, you can train at home. Important When mastering such an excellent power movement as pull-ups, the following factors are important:

• A positive attitude, without which you can achieve good results difficult in any matter.
• Regular classes.
• The desire to solve the assigned problems.
• Organization of proper nutrition.

Let's say a few words about the latter separately. According to professional athletes and coaches, more than 50 percent of your success in training depends on your diet. If you decide to create the figure of your dreams, the first thing you should do is review your diet. We also remind you of the need to drink enough water.

Let us immediately note that when performing all power movements, it is extremely important to monitor your breathing. When you lift a weight, you should exhale. It is equally important to concentrate on performing the movement, trying to feel the muscle contraction. At the initial stage of training, this will most likely be quite difficult, but over time you will learn. And, of course, it is important to first master each technique strength exercise, after which you can begin to progress the load.

To master pull-ups, you must have sufficient strength in the muscles of the shoulder girdle, back and abdomen. By working on these muscle groups, you can quickly master the pull-up technique and make this exercise in your training program. To work the muscles of the shoulder girdle, dumbbell lateral raises are perfect. To perform the exercise, you need to take a standing position and lower your arms with dumbbells along your body. From this starting position, lift the weights to the sides to the level of your shoulder joints.

Various variations of crunches are perfect for working out your abdominal muscles. You know these exercises from school physical education lessons, and there is no point in dwelling on them in detail. For the back muscles, you can use substitutes for pull-ups, push-ups, etc. Here is a list of movements that will help you strengthen your muscles and begin doing pull-ups in the future:

• Push-ups from the ground.
• Hanging on the horizontal bar.
• Ab crunches.
• Exercises for the muscles of the shoulder girdle.

How to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar?

When performing this movement, the main load falls on the biceps, latissimus dorsi, and deltoids. In addition, they take part in the work rhomboid muscles and trapezoids. Most often, athletes use pull-ups to develop the back muscles, while trying to minimize the work of the biceps. There are quite a large number of varieties of pull-ups, depending on the grip used and the position of the hands. You must understand that the pull-up is a functional movement as it is often used in everyday life.

Exercise technique

This is a basic exercise as several muscles are involved. We have already said that the participation of the biceps should be minimized, and for this you will have to use a certain type of grip. The closer your palms are to each other. The greater the load on the biceps. Based on this, you can understand that to pump up your back you need a wide grip.

However, as the distance between the palms increases, the amplitude of movement decreases, which negatively affects the quality of working the target muscles. Thus, you have to find that balance between grip width and amplitude in order to achieve the desired result. We recommend starting with a medium grip and making adjustments as needed.

When performing the exercise, you need to straighten your back, while bending in the lumbar region. If your back is rounded, some of the muscle fibers will not contract. This not only reduces the efficiency of movement, but can cause injury. The upward movement should not be carried out to the level of the chin or neck, but to the chest. To do this, you will have to bend back a little. This is the only way to achieve maximum contraction of the back muscles.

Pull-ups are a type of deadlift. This implies the need to move the elbow joints back. Imagine. That your arms are limited to your elbows when performing the exercise, and they need to be placed behind your back. This way you can achieve maximum isolation of the targeting muscles. Now let’s look at the sequence of your actions on the horizontal bar:

1. Take the starting position on the bar, placing your hands on it slightly wider than the level of your shoulder joints.
2. Move your body back at an angle of about 30 degrees relative to the vertical plane and bulge forward chest.
3. After inhaling, begin to rise up, using the muscles of your arms and back until you touch the bar with your chest.
4. At the highest point of the trajectory, be sure to pause, squeezing your shoulder blades together and exhale.
5. The downward movement should be slow and controlled.
6. At the lowest point of the trajectory, it is necessary to achieve maximum stretching of the latissimus dorsi muscles.

Here are some of the most common mistakes that novice athletes make when performing pull-ups:

1. The inertial force from body swaying is used, which sharply reduces the efficiency of movement.
2. You cannot slouch your back and round your shoulder joints, and your chest must be straightened.
3. Having reached the lowest point of the trajectory, it is necessary to maintain the tension of all working muscles.

If we talk about the recommended volume of pull-ups, then men can do three to four sets of 8-10 repetitions each. Girls can limit themselves to three sets with 4–6 repetitions in each.

Let's finally look at a few main types of pull-ups:

1. With a straight grip. The movement is aimed at pumping the shoulder girdle and arm muscles. Suitable for athletes of different skill levels, although not simple.
2. Medium reverse grip. It also allows you to pump up the muscles of your arms, but at the same time part of the load falls on your back. This is a fairly simple exercise that is perfect for beginner athletes.
3. Wide grip. We looked at the technique of this particular type of pull-up today. Let us remember that its main task is to strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscles. For beginner bodybuilders, it can be quite challenging until their muscles get stronger.
4. Wide grip head pull-ups. One of the most difficult types of exercise. Moreover, it should be performed only after a good warm-up. To avoid joint injury. We do not recommend this exercise for beginner athletes. When performing it, the grip should be as wide as possible, and the body should be straightened out. Don't cross your legs or arch your back. The elbow joints should be directed towards the ground, and the upward movement is carried out until the back of the head touches the crossbar.
5. Reverse close grip. Enough easy exercise, maximally using the biceps. Can be recommended to athletes of different levels of training for variety training process on the day of working on the arm muscles.

More useful tips For information on how to learn to do pull-ups, see below:

Pull-ups are an excellent compound exercise for upper body development that work a large number of large and small muscles. muscle groups. If you want to build a beautiful and wide V-shaped back, you should definitely include pull-ups in your training program. However, sometimes, due to certain circumstances, a person is not able to perform this exercise. The question arises, what to replace pull-ups with? Read further in this article what exercises can replace pull-ups.

How to replace pull-ups on a horizontal bar?

As mentioned above, pull-ups work a large number of muscles in the upper half of the body. However, the bulk of the load falls on the latissimus dorsi and, to a lesser extent, on the biceps. Pull-ups can only be fully replaced with similar exercises for the back muscles.

Most suitable option are different traction vertical block. For example, wide-grip pull-ups can be replaced with lat pulldowns to the chest. Pull-ups can be replaced by overhead pull-downs. Likewise, narrow pull-ups reverse grip You can replace the lat pulldown with a narrow reverse grip.

Also for the back muscles, you can perform bent-over barbell or dumbbell rows, bent-over T-bar rows, vertical rows in the Hammer machine and deadlift for general increase muscle mass and strength.

CONCLUSIONS

Undoubtedly, pull-ups are one of the best basic exercises for the upper body. If you are looking for something to replace pull-ups because you can’t do at least a few pull-ups, then I recommend reading the article “

I've said it more than once. But since there are a great many types of pull-ups, it is not always possible to pay enough attention to one or another type of exercise on the bar.

Meanwhile, for maximum progress, it is important to understand what reverse grip pull-ups are, what muscles work and how to perform this exercise correctly.

This exercise is often ignored - but in vain! After all, it has a number of positive effects:

• Pumps up the biceps.

We are already accustomed to the fact that lifting a barbell for biceps is considered. But, in fact, this is an isolating movement, since only one joint works - the elbow. For real basic movement for biceps are pull-ups with a reverse grip!

• The basis powerful back- widest.

But if their lower part, the so-called undercut, is poorly developed, they will look inexpressive and unfinished. This exercise will give you the opportunity to work this area of ​​your back!

Replacement direct grip turns on in reverse more muscles upper body. In addition to the back and arms, the chest will receive the load. Therefore, this type of pull-up is good way keep your body in good shape!

• Develops large round muscles.

Yes, this muscle is not large, but its good development gives the upper back an expressive appearance.

Varieties of pull-ups

In the previous paragraph I said that, but in fact his involvement in the work depends on the technique of performing the exercise. It all depends on what movement you have as a priority. I'll explain now.

When doing pull-ups, you work two joints: the elbow and the shoulder. If you focus on bending your elbows, your biceps will receive maximum load. If you focus on movement in the shoulder joint, the load will go to the lats. This is clearly shown in the video:

Pull-ups on the horizontal bar with a narrow grip

By moving your palms closer to each other, you will change the emphasis of the load on the biceps. At narrow position hands, the outer heads of the biceps muscle will be more involved and brachialis muscle(brachialis). A developed brachialis gives the biceps a more convex appearance.

Narrow grip works well inner part lats (the area closest to the spine).

If you experience discomfort in your elbows with this position of your hands, you can separate your arms by 10-15 cm.

Shoulder width grip

The less the brachialis will be loaded, and the outer head of the biceps will begin to share the load with the inner head. Thus, biceps The shoulders are worked evenly. The lats begin to work with an emphasis on the outer part.

Traditionally, the reverse grip is considered a power option. Therefore, even beginners who cannot do pull-ups with a standard grip can sometimes perform a couple of repetitions. It will be easy for advanced athletes. But this is not a reason to philander. Do pull-ups with extra weight attached to your belt or with a backpack on your shoulders.

Although if you focus on the biceps and do pull-ups correct technique. That is, if you move mainly in the elbow joint, you may not need additional load.

Advice for beginners: if you can perform several repetitions with a reverse grip, but the standard grip just doesn’t work for you, then you can perform the exercise with an alternate grip. One hand holds the bar with a direct grip, and the other with a reverse grip. Just don’t forget to change hands in each approach so that there is no asymmetry in the development of the back muscles!

Pull-ups are an extremely difficult exercise, especially for beginners. For example, it takes most Marine cadets up to six months to do their first full pull-up.

What makes this exercise so difficult? Its main difficulty lies in the fact that a person needs to lift his own weight using only the muscles of the upper body. It is for this reason that novice athletes are looking for an alternative to pull-ups before attempting this difficult exercise.

From this article you will learn how to replace pull-ups at home and in gym.

Pull-ups with expander

To make the exercise easier, first of all you should pay attention to the elastic expander. It helps lift the body weight and makes the exercise more manageable. If you have a horizontal bar, you can train such pull-ups even at home. The only drawback is that the expander does not help much at the very beginning of the movement.

Technique:

• Attach the elastic expander to the bar of the horizontal bar. The load level will depend on its resistance.
• Place the expander over one knee. Then grab the horizontal bar with a medium or wide grip.
• Squeezing your shoulder blades and bending your elbows, pull yourself up until your chin touches the bar. Elbows should be spread out to the sides.
• Pause at the top for a second and lower to the starting position. Repeat as many times as possible.

Exercise equipment

When preparing for full pull-ups, you need to resort to the help of special simulators. They allow you to use less weight than your body weight and help you gradually build muscle in your back, arms and chest.

Thus, machines in which you can perform exercises that replace pull-ups will help bridge the gap in level muscle strength from where you are now to the level you need to reach to do at least one full pull-up with own weight. The difficulty is that there are not so many exercises that completely imitate pull-ups.

It's also worth considering exactly what types of pull-ups you want to replace. Overhand grip pull-ups target the biceps and pectoral muscles, and reverse-grip pull-ups are aimed at working the lower trapezius muscles.

So, let’s consider in practice how you can replace pull-ups in the gym and at home.

Pull-ups in the gravitron

The Gravitron is a counterbalanced exercise machine in which you can independently vary the load. The greater the counterweight, the easier it is to perform the exercise. Use pull-ups in the gravitron in the initial stages of training.

Technique:

• Prepare the machine by setting the required weight (for beginners, 70-80% of body weight). Climb onto the machine with your knees on the platform and grab the top handrails with your hands. Keep your body straight and look at the ceiling.
• As you exhale, use your latissimus dorsi muscles to begin pulling yourself up to the point until your chin reaches the level of the handrails. At the top, squeeze your lats and hold for a second.
• Then, as you exhale, slowly straightening your arms, return to starting position. Do 10-15 reps.

Upper pulley to chest

This is the main exercise that simulates pull-ups. If the question of what to replace pull-ups with, you would need a clear answer - pulling the upper block to the chest. Therefore, it is very important to perform this exercise to strengthen your back muscles. You need to lift enough weight to achieve muscle hypertrophy.

Technique:

• Pre-configure the machine for yourself by adjusting the seat and setting the working weight.
• Stand up and grab the handle with a fairly wide grip. Your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders. Sit down, raise your hands up. Lean back a little, the cable should be taut. Your torso is the counterweight.
• Squeezing your shoulder blades together, focusing on your latissimus dorsi, pull the handle toward your lower chest so that your elbows point 45 degrees down. As you move, maintain a slight tilt of your body back.
• Return the machine handle to the starting position. Perform 10-15 repetitions.

Vertical thrust in a hummer

This exercise is similar to the previous one, but its peculiarity is that when the levers move along a stable path, the joints and spine do not receive too much load. Vertical thrust This is definitely something worth replacing pull-ups with.

Technique:

• Pre-configure the machine for yourself by adjusting the seat height and setting the working weight.
• Sit down, rest your torso against the back of the machine. Bring your shoulder blades together, your back should be straight, and maintain a slight arch at the bottom. Keep your body motionless during the approach. Grab the machine's levers narrow grip, elbows close to the body. Using a wide grip, your elbows should go out to the sides.
• Pull the levers towards you, synchronizing your breathing and movements. As you exhale, bring your shoulder blades together, fully opening your chest. Lift the levers with the strength of your latissimus muscles, moving your elbows as far back as possible.
• As you inhale, reverse the movement and carefully return the weight to the starting position. At the lowest point, maintain a slight angle elbow joints. Perform 10-15 repetitions.

T-bar row

This exercise is designed to train the large back muscles. The movement is similar to pulling a barbell to a belt, but it is easier to maintain accuracy in performing the exercise. Thanks to this, you can work with heavy weights without fear of injury. The T-bar row can be done either in a special machine or with an ordinary barbell.

Technique:

• Place weights on one end of the barbell. Place the opposite end into a corner or ask your partner to secure it with their foot. If you have a special handle, secure it to the bar next to the weights. If there is no handle, grab the bar with both hands near the plates. One hand is in front, the other is behind.
• Place the barbell between your legs, then lean forward with your knees bent. Using your back muscles, lift your body to lift the barbell off the floor.
• As you exhale, pull the barbell towards you without moving your elbows away from your body. Pause for a second at the peak point, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• As you inhale, slowly lower the barbell to the starting position, feeling the stretch in your back muscles. Do not straighten your elbows at the bottom, leaving the pancakes hanging. Perform 10-15 repetitions.

Conclusion

So, now you know what exercises to replace pull-ups on the horizontal bar. However, if you have not yet learned how to do pull-ups or only do it a few times, do not rush to look for a replacement. You can perform them in a special simulator - a gravitron or use an expander. Over time, your tendons and muscles will get stronger, become more resilient, and you will be able to do pull-ups on the horizontal bar without any problems not only with your own weight, but also with additional load.

Translation – Andrey Oskolkov, for the portal

Once upon a time I couldn’t do one pull-up. Heck, I couldn't even do push-ups! I asked my mother to write a note for the teacher to take time off from physical education class, I was so afraid physical exercise. I was reluctantly accepted to play on the team.

Times change and in my mid-20s I learned to make my body do what I want it to do and pulled myself up for the first time. Now I do pull-ups with a weight of 20 kg, and this is one of my favorite exercises.

People ask me all the time how to learn to do pull-ups, or how to do more pull-ups. Therefore, I decided to collect in one article all the tips and exercises that helped me.

To begin with, I will say that DOES NOT WORK personally for me. That doesn't mean it won't work for you too. I've noticed that a lot of things that work for most people don't work for me, so maybe I'm something of an anomaly. So:

1. Block pull to the chest. I believe this doesn't work for several reasons. Firstly, you won't be able to pull much without a barrier on your legs - at some point you will "bounce" with the weight. The barriers push into your hip flexors, which are not in a natural position for pull-ups. Secondly, the block row to the chest does not imitate pull-ups, so it is not the best auxiliary exercise.
2. Gravitron. (This is a rarity for our halls). Exercise machine with an auxiliary mechanism for pull-ups. I never even go near him. From the looks of it, it appears to help with pull-ups more than deadlifts. However, in both cases, my ability to do pull-ups in the gravitron improved, but my ability to do regular pull-ups remained the same. The same goes for using elastic bandages.

I understand why these methods did not work - all because at that time I did not do other exercises besides them. Luckily, I realized this and tried new methods. So, if you want to learn how to do pull-ups, you need to do pull-ups and perform auxiliary elements for this exercise.

Here are ten exercises to help you master pull-ups and increase your reps:

1. Visa

If you want to do hanging pull-ups, then it would be logical to first learn how to do the hanging itself. For many people, simply hanging from the bar is the hardest part of the exercise. I always say - strong grip gives a strong upper body. So do the hang.

Try hanging from the bar as long as you can. If your arms are already strong enough, you can complicate the exercise with bar extenders (special pads, or wrap them in a towel), try hanging on three, two, one finger, on one hand, and so on. You can also try exercises with weights, or changing the position of your legs. I like to do one arm hangs with leg raises.

2. “Scapular” pull-ups.

This is a great help for people who have problems with lateral muscles backs (which are primarily used when moving upward). Take a hanging position with your arms straight and “pull” your shoulder blades up. This exercise will help you understand the mechanics of movement and make your back stronger.

3.Mouse wings. I learned about this exercise from Dan John. You lie face down on a bench and hold two heavy weights or dumbbells. Pull the weights up as if you want to touch your fingers to your armpits, and in the peak position, squeeze your shoulder blades for 5+ seconds. This is a fantastic exercise for increasing strength in pulling movements.

4.Lifting and pressing kettlebells.

This exercise will strengthen your grip strength, core muscles, shoulder mobility and stability, all of which have great benefits when doing a pull-up.

5.“Bananas.”

If you want to get really good at doing pull-ups, you need to train your body to accept gymnastic positions. “Bananas” will teach you to take the desired position, and will also strengthen your abdominal muscles.

Take a lying position, try not to leave any gap between the floor and your lower back. Close your legs and lock your knees. Raise your shoulders and legs off the floor, while moving your arms back or clasping them behind your head. Hold this position as long as you can. To make it more difficult, you can rock back and forth.

6. Reverse Bananas.

From a push-up position, lift your pelvis and extend your arms forward as far as you can. Hold your position.

7. Pull-ups on the floor.

Take a banana position on the floor. Grab the bar and pull yourself up to it (you can also do it with a partner rather than on a machine). Using your shoulder blades, take initial position. Pull your body until your throat is level with the bar.

8. Isometrics.

I'm a big fan isometric exercises to build strength. For pull-ups, I like to do isometrics at the weak points of the movement for 5-10 seconds (for me this is the peak part of the movement). I also do isometrics with body weight and weights in various points movements. This is incredible useful exercises to increase strength.

9. Negative repetitions.

This is the only type of negativity I allow in the gym. Take a peak hanging position on the bar, body pulled up so that your chin is above the bar (jump up, or use a stand). Hold this position for a few seconds, then begin to slowly lower yourself down until your arms are fully extended. I'm currently doing this exercise with 24kg or more weights to reach my goal of doing 24kg pull ups.

10. Pull-ups with an assistant (partner).

If you can't do a pull-up, ask someone to help you. Instead of grabbing your legs or feet, have him support you by your ribs. Make sure you do the exercise correctly and let him help you as many times as necessary.

Common mistakes when doing pull-ups

1. Leg kicking.

Many people try to kick their legs to give their body momentum at the beginning of the movement. There is no need to do this, keep your body in the correct position.

2.Squeezing your shoulders and lowering your chin to your chest.

This makes you weaker because the mechanics of movement and muscle function are impaired, and can also lead to headaches. And it’s not very pleasant to look at this.

3. Do not straighten your arms at the bottom of the movement (negative).

If you started or finished the pull-up with with bent arms– you did not complete the repetition! And you are a cheater :)

I hope this article will help you learn how to do pull-ups, or increase the number of repetitions. Use the tips and exercises that work for you. Each person's body is individual. Make sure you work on your weak points to the maximum, even though it's not very pleasant.