This blog will cover all city and statewide bodybuilding competitions and the out-of-state guest posers. Weight-loss success stories from local people, features/bios on bodybuilding, fitness and figure competitors, coverage of fad diets. Nutritious recipes and reviews on local gyms and health food stores. I would also like to cover Adult/Childhood Obesity in America and specifically,Alaska. Weight-lifting techniques/safety as well as the benefits for women. This is just a general idea, as the blog will be constantly evolving.
I competed in my first bodybuilding competition as a senior at East High in 2000 and after winning the overall title, bodybuilding and fitness became my passion. I've been a NASM certified personal trainer since 2004 and I love helping people achieve their goals with fitness and proper nutrition. My overall bodybuilding titles include: Ms. Anchorage 2006 and The Anchorage Crystal Cup 2007. I have lived in Anchorage since 1988.
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Posted: June 19, 2008 - 12:09 pm
I've always incorporated pull-ups into my back workouts and will honestly admit it took some time to master them and actually feel my back doing the work, but the time spent learning them was well worth it. The trick is to visualize the use of the back muscles (Lats, rhomboids, traps, etc.) doing all the work- this is called the mind-muscle connection, and to think of your arms simply as "hooks" holding onto the bar.
.preview.JPG "Get ready")
Get ready
This visualization will eliminate the biceps from doing all the work and you will be able to pump out more reps. As you fatigue, your biceps will kick in and begin to help a bit- so they will get some work but the back muscles should be the main focus. The core also stabilizes you in the pull-up, so the abs get involved to a degree to help get you up and down.
.preview.JPG "Pull-up!")
Pull-up!
I started my back workout last Sunday with a few sets of overhand pullups, chin-ups (underhand) and Cliffhangers which are a Navy Seal variation on the pull-up.
.preview.JPG "Navy Seal Cliffhangers!")
Navy Seal Cliffhangers!
By Monday morning, my ENTIRE back and biceps- not to mention shoulders and abs were more sore than I have gotten them in a long time. Yes, I love being sore....it feels great and just knowing the soreness was caused by all of those pullups made it that much more significant.
My clients all get to learn pull-ups at a certain point in our training and I don't allow them to substitute the exercise for anything else, because there is nothing to replace this challenging move. My motto is hardcore and old-school and only until you master the basics can you fully understand the mind-muscle connection and move on to easier exercises. If your back workout is growing stale, head over to the pull-up bar or the assisted machine and discover a whole new way to build a strong body.
June 19, 2008 - 1:05pm | bodybuilder
You are right about them seeming almost impossible at first and that's really the reason people neglect them altogther. The best way to learn if you don't have a partner to assist you- or the machine, is to "cheat" in the positive portion of the rep and lower yourself very slowly in the negative part. So, essentially you are only doing negatives while learning. That's how you learned actually! Give yourself rest in between and then jump up there and continue. Just like anything else, they take consistency and commitment to master.
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1 June 19, 2008 - 12:50pm | pixel_babee
Good ol' pull ups
Yup I know all about those it literally took me months to do them and even now I still struggle. very good back excercise when you remember to use your back muscles, me well I tend to forget and give it all bicep action. Trust me when you first start out with these they are difficult almost to seeming impossible but if you keep at them (giving yourself ample time to recover in between of course) you will feel very acomplished when you bust out that first set on your own!
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