Hipp's Help

Countess studies have shown the benefits of exercise and working out. Regular exercise strengthens and tones muscles, aids in weight loss, can boost energy levels, and help to ward of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes, which are major causes of death around the world.

Many health conscious people join gyms in order to get into shape, but gym memberships can be costly. Not only that, but a person has to leave the comfort of their house to do so.

Purchasing home gym equipment is also an option, but high quality weight machines can cost thousands of dollars and only provide a limited amount of exercises. One of the most simple, yet effective, pieces of strength training equipment is a pull up bar. Pull up bars can be installed inside the threshold of any doorway or opening of the home, quickly and easily. They can also be removed for storage at any time.

What Are Pull Ups and Chin Ups?
Pull ups are simple exercises that are used to increase upper body strength by forcing a person to lift his body weight with the assistance of a metal bar. For the beginner, with poor upper body strength, using a pull up bar can be very difficult. Two general exercises can be performed on a pull up bar. These are pull ups and chin ups. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but technically speaking, a chin up is done with palms facing a person, and pull ups are performed with palms facing away from the body.

Many people find that chin ups are the easier of the two exercises. Either exercise works the biceps, brachialis, and lats. These are the muscles of the arms and back. Chin ups provide more of a workout for the arms, while pull ups work out the back and triceps greater.

Proper Technique
Using proper technique is critical to prevent injury and to make sure that the proper muscles are being worked. The goal of a pull up is to start each one by hanging and then finishing by pulling the chin over the top of the bar. This can be repeated for as many times as a person can tolerate. The first step in performing perfect pull ups or chin ups is to grip the bar firmly.

If doing pull ups, the palms should be facing away; if doing chin ups, the palms should face towards a person. Some people like to use gloves to grip the bar better and to prevent against hand injuries, but their use is optional. The hands should be shoulder width apart on the bar. After gripping the bar securely, a hanging position should be assumed with legs crossed at the ankles. The arms and back should be straight and the person should be looking forward.

After that, a person can begin to start the exercise by pulling himself up till his chin passes the top of the bar and then slowly lowering until the beginning position is reached again. The shoulders should never go forward. Instead, the chest must be kept out. Also it is important to not look up at the bar. Instead, the face should be kept facing forward.

Chin ups are done in the same way. There are some variations that can be performed in order to provide more options for the work out. Varying the width of the hands on the bar can make the exercise more difficult and work out the muscles of the back more.

Assisted Pull Ups
Many people will find it difficult to do even one pull up if they have not practiced them before. For those people, a gradual introduction to doing a full pull up can be implemented. These are called assisted pull ups. Assisted pull ups require a chair.

A person places a chair of the proper height underneath the bar and then gets into a hanging position where his legs are resting on the chair. From there, the person will pull himself up over the bar, but with the help of some of his leg muscles. Once strength has been gained, regular pull ups can be performed without the assistance of a chair.

Purchasing a Pull Up Bar
Pull up bars can be purchased at any sporting goods store or online at places like Amazon. When shopping for a pull up bar, it’s important to look for one that is easy to install and one that can be removed quickly if needed. Bars come in different sizes to accommodate different sized door openings. Free standing models are also available. Deciding on one is a matter of preference.

But regardless of which type of pull up bar you choose, it should be a given that the pull up bar is one of the cheapest home gyms one can buy — and it can help you get into great shape, burn fat and build muscle.