Keep Them Moving.....

Your hands that is!

Freestyle pull ups were the topic of my last post and I continue to have fun working on improvement. The value here is the diversity that is so important when doing body weight exercises like pull ups and achieving this can be most easily accomplished by changing grips.

So this week I continued to focus on “loading” my arsenal with more pull up options to incorporate into my personal workouts. By varying the pull up, you will hit different muscles each time. Wide Grip, Close Grip, Off-Set and a new favorite, the COMMANDO are now staples in my pull up diet.

The Commando pull-up is an alternative to the strict overhand pull up or underhand chin up. With focus now on the chest in addition to the arms and lats, Commandos are harder than regular strict pull ups and definitely forces you to engage muscles in ways that they are not usually worked.

The grip is important to perform the Commando correctly. Stand sideways directly under the bar (not facing the bar, but looking down along the bar) and place your hands one in front of the other. When you jump up and grab the bar this way, your palms should be facing each other. Pull up and lower yourself down. Pull yourself up and slightly to the side of the bar (without banging your head) to the side of the hand that's forward and on the next set, switch hands, and pull to that side.

For extra fun and challenge, do Commandos on a thick bar!

It really is that easy. By varying grips and pushing myself to mix things up a bit, the benefits appear to go beyond a simple cure for boredom and monotony in the work out. So keep those hands moving.........Commando style in this case!