Last month I gave you some tips to get started on building up to one arm pull-ups. Here are three more tools to have in your arsenal along the way. The One Arm Australian The one arm Australian pull-up is a worthwhile exercise in its own right, though it's never been one of my favorites. However, it can be a useful tool to help build towards a classic… Continue reading

Pull-ups!, Strength and Conditioning

Sometimes a straight line isn't the fastest way to get from point A to point B. While pull-ups are typically performed by going straight up and down, the kipping pull-up creates an arc, rather than a straight line, as a means to quickly propel the body upward. In sports, there are rarely slow controlled movements like conventional pull-ups; real life activities typically involve using the body as a… Continue reading

Pull-ups!, Strength and Conditioning

Muscle-ups are one of the most intense body-weight exercises ever. They work so many different muscles and will get your heart and lungs pumping as well. What is a muscle-up, you may ask? It's almost like a combination of two of my favorite exercises: the pull-up and the dip, but way more intense than either of those on their own! Muscle-ups are a pretty advanced exercise… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Pull-ups!, Strength and Conditioning

A lot of people have asked me about how to go about increasing their reps on pull-ups. There are a lot of ways one can successfully do this, but the method that I am proposing is probably the most simple and direct. The 50 pull-up challenge consists of doing 50 pull-ups in one workout, no matter how many sets it takes you. Even if it means you are… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Pull-ups!, Strength and Conditioning

I met Kartik back in the summer of 2005. He approached me during my workout while I was in between sets of deadlifts. I remember he seemed amazed that I was doing deadlifts after just finishing up three sets of squats. Soon after that initial meeting he started training with me and he has stuck with it ever since, longer than any of my other clients. Now he's… Continue reading

Client Spotlight, Pull-ups!

Some people have asked me about training to build up to one arm pull-ups (or chin-ups, or whatever you want to call them. They come in many varieties but I tend to put them all under the general umbrella of pull-ups. I've never really been a stickler for that sort of thing). The video segment below shows you three different techniques that you can practice… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Pull-ups!

The first time that I ever saw someone do a one arm pull-up was in Tompkins Square Park in 2007. I was absolutely in awe and I knew I had a new challenge ahead of me. It was a very exciting time! The one arm pull-up is a fickle mistress. It's an elusive enigma that reminds me to stay humble and keep taking my vitamins. Some days it comes… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Pull-ups!

Note: This is an old post. Make sure to check out my updated post on Australian pull-ups. The pull-up is one of the all time greatest exercises that mankind has discovered. Just like the other classics, the pull-up can be modified in an infinite amount of ways. One of my favorite variations is what's often referred to as an Australian pull-up. This variation involves hanging below a bar… Continue reading

Body Weight Exercises, Pull-ups!