In today’s edition of Exercise of the Week, we’re going to cover a sweet variation on an old-school strength exercise.
You’re all probably familiar with the traditional chin-up/pull-up variation with the knees bent and ankles tucked behind you. It looks something like this:
And while the standard chin-up/pull-up is still a great option, here’s a little tweak that I think you’ll find a bit more challenging.
The Pillar/Plank Chin-up is an exercise I originally heard about from physical therapist Charlie Weingroff. I’m not sure if he calls it the pillar chin-up or not, but that’s really not here nor there. 🙂
Hang from a chinning bar, but before you perform the lift, do the following things:
- Dorsiflex your toes (pull them UP towards your face).
- Straighten your legs, extending your knees.
- Squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward.
NOW, with all these things going on, perform your traditional chin-up. Here are the big coaching points when it comes to chinning/pulling:
- Elbows straight/extended at the bottom.
- Initiate by pulling through the elbows, not just flexing the biceps.
- At the top, the chest should touch the bar and you should squeeze your shoulder blades DOWN (think of tucking them in your back pocket).
- Lower under control to the starting position and repeat for the necessary number of reps.
I really like this version, as it seems to integrate the body a bit better, versus dissociating between upper and lower bodies.
Along those same lines, you guys know how obsessed I am with getting the core and glutes involved in our lifts, and this version really cranks up the stabilization needs of our torso and hips.
Give this variation a shot TODAY! I think you’ll really enjoy it.
Stay strong
MR
[quote]2) Also, I can do about 11 chinups but only a few pullups. My biggest problem is that I can't seem to stop my body from swaying when I lower myself to the ground. It makes the next rep very difficult to initiate. What should I do to remedy this? [/quote]
Instead of using a dip belt try placing a dumbell between your feet. It doesn't make it absolutely impossible to cheat, but it serves as a good reminder not to.
How many pull-ups are required to pass the HKC test? Is the pull-up test the deciding factor on passing the HKC? when is it administered during the cert. ? Thanks Frank
Hi Mike! Wanted to know how can I do to improve my chinups (I can only do 5, because my biceps burn even though I try to initiate the movement by extending the elbows as you say) And how can I even do pullups!? I seem to have no strength at all at the upper back. I can do one perfect, 2 crappy hehehe. I know I am not strong right now (I am 6 ft 6 inches, 95 kg) and have never trained in a "formal" way. Used to play rugby, but started the gym this year.
Thanks