If you want to become a healthier and better version of yourself, or have already started, it can be difficult to understand the benefits of certain exercises.
Starting a new regime can be challenging due to the fact that you are not sure what kind of exercises you should be doing to target specific body parts at your level.
Based on our knowledge, we tend to overlook many simple exercises that are actually very beneficial towards becoming a healthier person.
To us, the more intense an exercise seems, the better it should be but that’s not the case. Pull-ups are a prime example of this. Lifting your own body weight might seem generic but pull-ups benefit much more than just your arms.
I want to show you just 10 of the best pull-ups benefits so you can try them for yourself:
1. It is a Compound Exercise
When you look at someone doing pull-ups, it is clear that using your arms is an important factor in getting the workout done. What many people fail to realize is that all the muscles are benefitted while doing pull-ups.
Most of the time, we do various workouts to tone our biceps, triceps, back, forearms, wrists, lats, core, and shoulders but pull-ups can benefit all of those muscles at once – making it a compound exercise.
Instead of doing multiple exercises, the pull-up is convenient especially if you are running short on time.
Wide grip pull-ups are more difficult
2. Alternate Form of Cardio
Many people instantly think of running, walking, or cycling when it comes to shedding a couple of pounds. These types of exercises are called cardio workouts which get your heart pumping and sweat flowing.
- Make sure to check our article: Cardio vs Strength Training
Surprisingly enough, pull-ups are another alternative form of cardio if you are not a fan of being on a treadmill or bike for thirty minutes. Due to the difficulty level, pull-ups take an extra ounce of energy and force to complete which causes your heart rate to also increase.
Allowing your heart rate to increase will make your heart become stronger which is important to enhance physical performance.
As a heart becomes stronger, it will also flow blood more efficiently throughout your body and give your muscles the oxygen it needs to perform and function better. In addition, it will also lower your blood pressure, prevent heart and artery disease, and slow down your resting heart rate.
3. Increase Your Stamina
As you consistently exercise, your body’s stamina will also increase meaning that you will become more resistant to your workouts whether it’s running or lifting weights.
The reason why it is so important to have higher stamina within each workout session is because you will be able to do more and reach your health goal.
Pull-ups benefit and impact your body’s stamina through each pull due to its physical challenge. It might look simple but there is a good amount of pressure that is put on your upper body.
As mentioned, pull-ups are a great way to make your heart stronger and as it becomes stronger, your stamina increases.
Your heart is the root to all physical strength as it paces your breathing and gives you the oxygen flow your muscles need.
4. Reverse Muscular Imbalance
It is crucial that all muscles are exercised to restrain from having pain or injuries. To someone who might be new at this regime, figuring out which exercises to do is puzzling. There might be times when a muscle is being overworked and you might not know it.
When it comes to working the upper body, pull and push movements must be done. If you are doing too many workouts that require you to push, it can result in posture problems due to a weak back.
Pull-ups are perfect to reverse this issue where it focuses on strengthening your back to reduce the chances of you getting injured.
5. Easy To Change
Pull-ups are one of those exercises where you can change it without literally changing anything but yourself. You don’t necessarily need any other weights unless you feel like strapping one around your waist when the time is right.
Besides that, there are many forms of pull-ups you can do that will hit various muscles through minor changes. Based on the position of your hands and the length they are apart, it completely changes the difficulty level and works certain muscles a bit more.
Pull up vs Chin up: The standard pull-up is done with an overhand grip and your palms are shoulder-width apart. Then there are chin-ups that are done with an underhand grip which focuses more on your biceps.
There are many more types of hand positions, like close-grip and wide-grip, that can target specific muscles that you want without having to adjust the weight.
6. Stronger Back = Less Pain
It has been said that pull-ups target many muscles in your upper body but a critical one is your back. Exercising your back might not seem like the ideal body part you would want to exercise since most people go for the core or legs, but having a strong back is essential.
Having a chiseled back isn’t just to impress people but good for your health. The stronger your back is, the better your posture will be which will decrease the chances of you slouching. In addition, back pain can be caused due to a weak back so make sure you get your chin-ups in!
7. Cross Strengthening
Pull-ups allows you to build strength that is beneficial to other weight training workouts. Since pull-ups targets, many different muscles of the upper body, doing pulldowns, rows, and curls will become much easier for you.
Additionally, the strength you gain pulling your body weight will also cross over to pushing exercises. In that case, as you get stronger doing pull-ups, you will also be strong in doing pushing exercises like barbell bench presses.
8. The Stronger the Grip, the Stronger You Become
We grab onto things in our everyday life, from cups, our phones, and now, weights. With pull-ups, your grip will become stronger due to the consistent strength needed to pull your own weight up.
If you are thinking about any other type of exercise that can possibly improve your grip, think no further because pull-ups are the best way. Now, grip strength might sound a little ridiculous but it’s necessary when it comes to training.
You hold onto free weights, barbells, and exercise machines and having a stable grip will make your workout much easier and help you lift more.
9. Fat Loss Increase
We usually start to workout to shed off a few pounds, or more depending on what your goal is. Like many exercises, pull-ups will help you get closer to that ideal body that you are striving for.
As you start off, you are pulling your own bodyweight. This makes pull-ups one of the best bodyweight exercises to lose that upper body fat and give you a much more defined body.
If you want to lose that stubborn fat in your upper body, it is a must that you do pull-ups since it will be the workout that will target those areas like your chest, arms, shoulders, biceps, and triceps.
Of course, an easy way to burn more calories is to intensify your pull-up regime. You can either do more reps at a time, more sets, or simply rest less in between each set.
10. It’s Convenient!
The many reasons people don’t exercise is because there isn’t enough time in their day to do so. When it comes to pull-ups there is no excuse because it is one of the most convenient workouts you can do anywhere.
If you have a gym membership then there’s easy access for you to start your pull-up workout anytime but if you don’t, there are many pull-up alternatives. Nowadays, there are parks that set up small workout stations for their residents.
All you need to do is be on a lookout for one. Even if your local park does not have these exercise stations then you can use something as simple as a tree.
If it’s too cold outside then there are many portable pull-up bars that you can buy at sporting stores. Regardless, all you need is a stable pull-up bar stand that is able to support your weight and both of your arms!
CHECK OUR BEST PULL-UP BARS REVIEW
Conclusion
As simple as pull-ups seem, it turns out they can be much more challenging. Besides that, these pull-up exercises have many more benefits than what meets the eye.
I’m sure you’ve seen people do pull-ups and thought about the strength they are gaining in their arms but it’s the additional health factors they are working towards also. Even though pull-ups might seem like a challenge now, it doesn’t mean that will always be the case.
Remember, these are just 10 of dozens of pull up benefits. So start today and gain those benefits that come along with it!
The post The Top 10 Pull Ups Benefits That Will Change You Forever! appeared first on Jane's Best Fitness.