There’s the classic strength training story about a shirtless personal trainer and his stepfather. And about Chinup. The trainer made him stronger without much work by setting up a home pull-up bar in his basement and requiring him to do five repetitions every time he went downstairs. I did an average of 25 to 100 chin-ups a day and was able to do 20 in a row.
This is a slightly counterintuitive principle. Shouldn’t we work to get stronger? And shouldn’t it be done all at once? Most of us live and exercise separately. Our work and life are separate. So even if you exercise at home, you’re creating a wall between where you live and where you sweat. Be more active, take more steps, or do more workouts with heavier weights. But most of us only move when we need to.
But the third method, which is to do as little as possible, may be the best path. It’s closer to GQ’s fitness columnist Joe Holder’s concept of exercise snacks. Exercise snacks, in his words, are short, 20-minute bursts of exercise that “fit into a little empty pocket in the day when you often don’t know what to do” and make you sweat a little. But not training. 5 Pullup situations are even lower stakes. It doesn’t take a minute. All you need is a good chin-up bar (he one at the door, or a free-standing setup) and remember to do a few repetitions every time you pass by.
Science is simple. Broadly speaking, a “sub-limit” or easy lift can help improve your mind-muscle connection even if you don’t run into deficits. The more you do, the faster your brain sends signals to your muscles, making the exercise easier over time.
The form is simple, but it takes time to complete. In a pullup, your hands face outwards. Grab the bar by your shoulders, let it hang down, then pull it up to his chest. Keep your chin up and your body in line so you don’t “kip.” This is what CrossFitters does. Instead, focus on staying stiff. Then lower your body, but more slowly.
If you can’t reach the pull-up, work on the eccentric (lower) part of the lift. Jump or use a chair to reach the top of the bar and lower yourself as slowly as possible. (A few seconds is best.) Then run for a few more seconds. Eccentric movement is the magic key to strength building. It builds more muscle than any other part of the lift, so after doing enough negative half pullups, you can complete the entire movement.
So which bar do you get? It’s a bit like a camera. A model is much more important than how you use it. There are several different varieties. The cantilever bar comes with no hardware and thanks to its weight and tension it will wedge into the doorway and stay there. Other bars mount to door jambs, walls, or ceilings, but are great for home gyms and garages. A free standing station may be your best option in the long run. Higher overhead clearance allows for more advanced moves such as muscle ups. But they need more room.
important thing? Don’t overthink it. The important thing is to get a bar and get dozens of pull-ups a day.
best pull up bar
This expands to basically any door and supports up to 440 lbs. No hardware or drilling required.
Another great pull-up bar
If you don’t want the bar permanently in your doorway, you can stow it away after use. Also works for dips.
best bolt on pull up bar
If you have dedicated wall space, bolt-on bars are always the surest option.
best free standing chin up bar
The extra height at the top makes this bar work like a jungle gym in the park – great for muscle ups and back levers.
