Labor Day "Pulls"

REALLY nice weekend in the Mid-Atlantic after the affects of Earl blew through off the coast on Friday night. The balance of the weekend has been blue skies, cool air and absolutely perfect.........perfect for outdoor work outs.

With lots of obligations carting the kids from one soccer field to the next and other family obligations, it was killing me to see such a gorgeous weekend fly by, so I had to carve some time out for outdoor fun. Did a "brick" this morning in preparation for a Triathlon next weekend; had a nice long bike ride in the country and an equally great run over a hilly course. But it was the Commando Pull ups under the deck yesterday that were the real stand-out of my outdoor work this weekend.

Attached to the underside of the floor joists are some 2"X4" attached on a diagonal. While I use them fairly often for pulling, this morning I wanted to do some straight pulls. I was focused on just getting max reps in each of 10 sets. But instead of strict overhead pulls, the orientation of the bar forces me to grip it hand over hand in what is really a more natural commando position.

I have written about the Commando Pull-up before and have mentioned it as an alternative to the strict overhand pull 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.....I love them.

The grip is important to perform the Commando correctly and in the case of my "under the deck" environment, I was standing underneath the 2"x4" (not facing the beam, but looking down along the beam) and placed my hands one in front of the other. Then its all about pulling yourself up and lowering yourself down. You pull yourself up and slightly to the side of the beam (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.

The shape and width of the 2"x4" added some extra fun and challenge to the grip!

So, it was the beautiful weather this Labor Day Weekend that got me outside to get some work done. But, it was the Commandos that made the morning that much more! Hope everyone had a great weekend too!