Fitness Tip: Pull Ups (by Adam)

Aloha. It’s Adam AKA “Honey Bunz.” Life with Bethany has been an awesome and busy adventure. So fun to grow in our love and adventure around the world together while spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to others. We stay really busy, but we always try to stay active and eating healthy no matter where we’re at. I used to play football and do a variety of events in track and field. As of now though Bethany and I love to surf a lot together. Although my sports have changed, I still love doing some basic workout moves that keep me fit so I can try to keep up with Bethany in the water. Wherever we end up in the world, we find a place to workout! A community park has endless possibilities, and can be really fun after working out to play on the equipment (:

One of my favorite moves are pull-ups. These are great for strengthening your back. If you’re into doing push-ups, which strengthens your chest and triceps, it is important to balance your body with a back strengthening exercise. Pull-ups may seem intimidating, because of the fact you’re pulling up your entire body weight, but they can be eased into and beneficial when done properly.

Here are some quick tips to get you pulling up!
-find a bar that you can grip easy. An ideal bar will be about the thickness of a broom handle. The thicker the bar the harder it is to grip and do pull ups.
-start out easy. If you know it will be too hard for you to pull yourself up, find a friend that can spot you and hold your feet as you’re on the bar. You will be able to push with your legs as you pull yourself up. If you’re on your own, place a chair or something similar under the bar so that you can push of the chair with your legs. The more you do this and gain strength, the less you will have to use your legs and soon you will be on your own!
-grip. Make sure your palms are facing away from you on the bar and your hands are spaced shoulder width apart.
-full range of motion. Be sure to start with your arms completely straight and as you pull up keep your elbows in. It will be tempting to let your elbows flare out as you go up. Pull-up till your chin is above the bar and return in a controlled motion back to straight arms.
-Reps. Try and do 3 sets. Each set do as many till you can’t do any more. It will burn the muscles after a few! But keep at it and you will soon be able to increase your reps!

Thanks! And have fun!

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THIS HEALTH TIP WAS POSTED IN THE JANUARY 2015 ISSUE OF “THE COCONUT WIRE” E-NEWSLETTER