Few exercises can accomplish a number of things that would typically require many exercises to do.
Take the deadlift for example: it strengthens the lumbar erectors, the lats, the abs, the glutes, the hamstrings, the quads, and the forearms (just to name a few muscle groups … )
Without the deadlift, it could easily take 5+ exercises to strengthen the muscle groups.
But luckily, we have exercises like the deadlift that get us maximal results in minimal time.
Another exercise that accomplishes a great number of things is the pull-up.
And here’s exactly what it does …
- It Prevents Shoulder Issues and Makes Them Injury-Proof
Most people have an imbalanced upper-body. Usually, their front, or anterior, muscle groups (pecs, front delts, etc.) are much stronger than their rear, or posterior, muscle groups (traps, rear delts, lats, etc.)
This imbalance predisposes folks to injuries. But regularly performing exercises that hammer our anterior upper-body muscles can correct this imbalance.
The pull-up, when done correctly, is one of the best exercises to fix and prevent this kind of imbalance.
- It Increases Your Back and Core Stability
In the pull-up, the lats and the abdominal muscles are engaged heavily.
Although unintuitive, the lats help keep the back flat due to the fact it actually spans down your backside. So, stronger lats can help keep your back flat (and safe) during heavy lifting.
The abdominal muscles, of course, help keep your torso stiff as well. And by keeping your torso stiff, you can further protect your back as well as better transfer power from your legs to your upper body (which is essential for athletes!)
- It Is the Ultimate Litmus Test of Relative Strength
Relative strength, as opposed to absolute strength, is how strong you are relative to your bodyweight.
While it is easy to measure absolute strength (it’s how much weight somebody can lift), relative strength is a bit harder to measure.
However, bodyweight exercises are the few examples of how strong you are relative to your bodyweight.
Someone who can do a number of pull-ups versus someone who can’t do any is a great show of who is actually strong for their own bodyweight.
- It Develops Confidence
Being a master of one’s own body (and bodyweight) is incredibly liberating.
Having the ability to push, pull, carry, crawl, run, jump, and etc. without having any trouble doing so is nothing to scoff at.
Nowadays, people are becoming less and less able to maneuver their own bodies.
Pull-ups help combat this trend, allowing you to be comfortable and strong with your own bodyweight.
Designing your exercise program around exercises that achieve maximal results in minimal time is paramount for success, whether you’re looking to become a better athlete or even if you just want to lose some weight.
This is because the more you waste your time using exercises that achieve fewer benefits (or don’t have any benefits at all!), the less likely you will see progress with your program.
At GameChanger, our programs are designed for the greatest efficiency – to achieve the maximum amount of results in the least amount of time.
Our athletes and adult clients never waste a second doing something that will not help them get closer to their goals.
For more information on our programs, click below.
Men → Click Here
Women → Click Here
Middle School Athletes → Click Here
Senior School Athletes → Click Here
