To really tear down
the muscles, Roberts
suggests finishing off
preacher curls with a
quick, blood-pumping
dropset—going
down to 70% of the
original weight—or
five negatives with
partner assistance.
BEST BODY-WEIGHT MOVE
CLOSE-GRIP CHINUP
KNEE-JERK REACTION
“Isn’t that a back exercise?”
so your palms are angled inward—
and position your upper arms parallel
to each other on the pad. Your feet
should be planted on the floor to
provide stability.
Q Contract your biceps to bend
your elbows and lift the bar in an arc
toward your chin. At the uppermost
point, squeeze your bi’s strongly.
Q Slowly return the bar along
the same path, stopping just short
of full elbow extension—you don’t
want to hyperextend your elbows
at the bottom.
KEY POINTERS
“Dumbbells are always a good
alternative, as they naturally even
out your imbalances,” Roberts says.
“If you do dumbbells, I suggest
always doing one extra set for your
weaker arm.”
OUR EXPERTS’ TAKE
“This vertical pulling movement
can prepare the body for real-
life, outside-the-gym scenarios,”
says Angelo Grinceri, a New York
City-based trainer and the author
of Intrinsic Strength Training:
A Breakthrough Program for
Real-World Functional Strength
and True Athletic Power (Dragon
Door Publications, 2016). Think
climbing a tree or pulling yourself
over a fence, if you happen to
be on the run from the cops. It
matters in more common
situations, too—think anytime you
have to pull something off a high
shelf or toward you. “It’ll also
strengthen your grip and your
shoulders,” Grinceri adds. While
it’s true that, no matter what grip
you take, your lats are going to
be taking on a fair portion of the
load, placing your hands inside
shoulder width on the bar, palms
facing you, activates the biceps
brachii to a significant degree.
If you prefer to hit the brachialis,
you can switch to a neutral grip,
with palms facing each other—you
can do this on a pullup apparatus
designed for hammer grips or
put a close-grip hammer-style
V-handle over a standard bar.
HOW TO DO IT
Q Grasp an overhead bar with
an underhand grip, hands spaced
just a few inches apart.
Q Hang freely with your arms
fully extended and ankles
crossed behind you.
Q Pull your body upward by
flexing your biceps—with an assist
from your lats—until your chin
crosses the level of the bar.
Q Lower yourself back to the full
“dead hang” position (elbows fully
extended) under control, then
begin the next rep.
KEY POINTERS “As you pull
up, ‘lead’ with your elbows,
driving them down and back,”
Grinceri says. “Throughout each
rep, slow down and control your
body—don’t settle for partial or
momentum-driven reps. As you
advance, consider trying the L-sit,
where you lift your legs up to a
position parallel to the floor and
keep them there throughout the
set. It engages the core and
makes the movement a little
more challenging.”
INTENSIFY IT
Finish a set of regular chins with
two to three negatives, where
you jump into the top position—
elbows bent, chin over the
bar—and then lower yourself as
slowly as you can. You can use a
flat bench to step up and get into
the top position, or have a partner
cradle your feet to assist you
upward. (By the way, beginners
who can’t do a regular pullup can
start with just negatives, along
with static holds at the top of the
rep, which helps develop the
strength to progress to the full
exercise.)
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