Today we will look at barbell exercises for mass and their benefits. Working with your own weight is always less traumatic compared to using sports equipment and equipment. In addition, pull-ups are suitable for every person, even an unprepared beginner, for whom so far - so far only in plans.
How to gain mass by doing the horizontal bar?
For many horizontal bar athletes, gaining mass is a challenge. It is necessary to perform special exercises on the horizontal bar for muscle mass, as the usual ones develop strength and endurance. Additionally, you need to change the training program and diet.
It is necessary to deal with the implementation and other additional weight, since without it, exercises on the horizontal bar for the mass will be ineffective.
You can use a backpack with heavy items or a homemade vest with pockets filled with sand. Much depends on financial capabilities and ingenuity.
With a diet and rest, everything is more difficult. If you train well on the horizontal bar, but eat poorly and have little rest, you will not increase the mass. We will not delve into the topic, but we note that you need to eat well and preferably up to five or six times, focusing on carbohydrate and protein foods. For the best effect, you should pay attention to special sports nutrition. - a topic for a separate conversation
Best moves
As for the exercises on the horizontal bar for gaining muscle mass, everything is simple here: pull-ups with a narrow and wide grip are considered the best. In both cases, all muscles are involved, but some work more and others less. Pulling up with a narrow grip, the arms are loaded more, and the wide grip shifts the load on the spinal muscles. The second option is considered a classic, as it works out the back better - give it preference.
There are other basic exercises on the horizontal bar and parallel bars for mass, but you should not spray and waste energy. Focus on wide-grip pull-ups and classic dips. The latter work well on the chest and triceps, making the physique even stronger.
You can try the underhand grip to shift the load on the biceps, but the back muscles will also work well. On our site you will find other exercises on the horizontal bar for the back, which will help you effectively pump the lats and trapezium.
How to make a program for weight gain on the horizontal bar?
A set of exercises on the horizontal bar and bars for gaining mass can be different - there are many options. Here is one of the options for a four-day program, from which you can build on and create new programs:
- On the first day, we pull ourselves up with weight. We cling a belt with a weight to the belt and fix the pancakes with our feet. pull up with a wide grip, slowly lowering down. Do 3-4 sets for the maximum number of repetitions. Next, you can do several approaches on the uneven bars.
- The second day - pull-ups with a narrow grip. Make sure that the elbows are parallel, and not diverging to the sides. The second exercise is pull-ups with a wide grip on the head. Climb up until your ears are level with the bar. Keep your back straight and do everything smoothly. Both movements - 3-4 sets of 8 repetitions.
- Pull-ups with incomplete extension of the arms at the elbows. Try to rise to the level of the load and fix the torso at the top for a few seconds (3 sets to the maximum). The next exercise is push-ups on the uneven bars.
- Alternate pull-ups on one arm. The exercise is not given immediately, so if it doesn’t work out, just do regular pull-ups.
A set of exercises on the horizontal bar for mass: video
When compiling a set of exercises on the horizontal bar and bars for gaining mass, we recommend alternating exercises to engage all the muscles of the upper body. The main principle is to perform several approaches with a small number of repetitions - no more than eight.
Allows you to increase strength and endurance. The result of the precise performance of pull-ups is the strengthening of the back, biceps, forearms, and abs.
Exercise technique is the basis of success
The question of whether it is correct is reflected in technology:
- Use a full grip with your thumb on the bar. This is a basic rule that allows you to load well and, therefore, take a step towards rapid progress.
- Cross your legs or bend at the knees to prevent rocking of the body and pelvis. The answer to the question of how to pull up correctly is obvious: only the arms and back.
- You need to learn pull-ups slowly - do not try to do the maximum load immediately, do not work for speed.
- Breathe measuredly: when lifting, inhale, at the point of maximum - exhale.
- Keep the working muscles in tension throughout the exercise, even when lowering. It works to increase strength.
Asking how to pull up correctly, beginners usually do not know where to start training. Each lesson is preceded by a warm-up - you can’t immediately jump on the horizontal bar, this increases the risk of injury to muscles and joints. For those who do not know how to learn how to pull up correctly and are not able to do even one repetition, excellent advice will help - you should hang on the horizontal bar for a minute or longer. As soon as the grip gets stronger, you can add weight in the form of a backpack with dumbbells, and then try pull-ups. Partial repetitions can be given for half an hour a day, the main thing is regularity. When you manage to do one full-fledged pull-up to the chin, it is the turn to improve the technique.
Basic elements of progress
There are a few essential rules to remember:
- Don't take breaks out of laziness. Each missed week is a step back, a loss of results.
- To learn how to pull up correctly, you need to give all your strength: it is better to do five repetitions with a chin raise above the bar than 10 partial pull-ups.
- Start training with pull-ups, which require a lot of strength, because any exercise performed before them reduces efficiency.
Many advise you to learn how to properly pull yourself up on the uneven bars before mastering the horizontal bar. This exercise is called when the legs are located on the floor or on a dais, and the body rises to the crossbar due to the strength of the arms, shoulders, chest and back.
Features of building muscle and strength on the horizontal bar
Bodybuilders are concerned about the question of how to pull up correctly to build mass. You need to rise quickly, descend slowly and with muscle tension. Do not chase the number of repetitions, perform no more than 10 times in a row, rest about 3 minutes between sets. You need to load the muscles about twice a week, give them a good rest, and also replenish energy with high-calorie foods (lean meat, cereals, cottage cheese, eggs).
Strength work involves the reverse approach: slowly rise and fall quickly, increase the number of repetitions, reduce the pause time between sets. You should train on the horizontal bar to increase endurance more often, you can use the game moment - include training on the principle of a pyramid or superset (typical for crossfit).
Over time, you can make pull-ups more difficult with additional weight, but only after the usual exercise seems too easy.
One of the three basic exercises for any powerlifter is the deadlift. In the case of sports progress - a deadlift, to increase the total mass - a t-bar pull is used. Both of these exercises mimic the classic yard pull-ups for strength.
Differences between traction and pull-ups
Why professional athletes use deadlifts is very simple. Classic pull-up, has a limit on its own weight. While the T-bar row allows you to lift weights up to 300 kilograms. If you use large weights (own weight + 150-200 kilograms), then this imposes certain restrictions.
Firstly, it is technically difficult to implement an approach to the projectile. Secondly, such weights are very stretchy and can damage even the strongest spine. But if you look at the situation outside of powerlifting, then classic pull-ups for strength have a lot more advantages compared to weightlifting:
- More natural trajectory of movement;
- Significantly less injury risk in the absence of serious burdens;
- The ability to independently regulate the load;
- Reducing the likelihood of "overtraining";
- More muscle groups involved in the work.
Horizontal bar - debunking myths
At the same time, a number of conflicting myths have formed around this exercise. All of them are connected primarily with the new Workout fashion culture, which in the CIS has acquired very specific forms. As a result, "turnstiles" and "rollers" do not accept each other's points of view. The first, deny the benefits of iron, considering it ineffective. The latter deny the benefits of a simple exercise, completely excluding it from the programs. The most popular myths and their rebuttals.
- With the help of pull-ups, it is impossible to build serious muscle mass. This exercise, like any other in athletics, requires a constant progression of loads. To increase not only endurance, but also mass, you need to progress not only in the number of approaches, but also in the total weight load.
- Pull-ups - develop sharpness and explosive power. Partly true. With the right training complex, this, like any other exercise, you can develop speed-strength qualities.
- Pull-ups develop relief. Not true. Pull-ups, like any other basic multi-joint exercise, cannot affect muscle relief. This is the responsibility of proper nutrition.
- Depending on the type of grip, the lower back / chest is worked out, and the muscles work from a different angle. The load when changing the width of the grip changes within 1-5%, while the wide grip reduces the amplitude, which negatively affects the overall load. Therefore, there are only two variations, both working through the full complex of muscle groups. Direct and reverse. In the first case, it is necessary to strictly observe the technique in order to exclude biceps flexors from work. In the second, the emphasis is on the flexors.
How to train correctly?
Before you start doing pull-ups, you need to clearly build a plan for future workouts. To do this, you need to understand a few basic principles that will significantly increase the effectiveness of pull-ups for strength and mass.
The first principle is additional exercises. Pull-ups are a basic multi-joint exercise in which the latissimus dorsi plays the greatest role. But you can run into a power plateau if the rest of the muscle groups start to lag behind. And they will start, in the absence of additional insulating loads.
Therefore, you can add standing arm curls (dumbbell / kettlebell / barbell) to pull-ups, shrugs - to increase the power of the trapezoid. And most importantly - diamond-shaped exercises - implying any frontal traction.
The second principle is the progression of loads. Like any other exercise, pull-ups cannot be done without increasing the weight. At the initial stage of training, it is enough to increase the number of approaches and repetitions. In the future, it will be necessary to steadily increase the total weight load. Otherwise, instead of strength, strength endurance will increase, and white fibers will be trained, which will neither add mass nor strength.
The third principle is rest. A pull-up training program can be formed in two ways. The first is daily hard training, which is likely to lead to very modest results. The second is the classic bodybuilding schemes, with a day or even two days of rest between workouts.
Only by observing these three principles, as well as using the right technique, you can achieve impressive results and a really wide massive back.
Technique
The technique of the exercise is extremely simple. However, it has several nuances.
- Before approaching the projectile, you need to choose the most suitable horizontal bar for growth. When hanging on it, do not touch the floor with your socks.
- Next, you need to hang on the projectile, and while maintaining a straight state of the body (legs are even, not tucked in), evenly, without jerking, tighten your body. At the same time, you need to pull not with your hands (since in this case the load is strongly shifted to a small muscle - the biceps), but with your elbows - making the most of the latissimus dorsi and rhomboid muscles of the back.
- When performing the exercise slowly, you do not need to fully extend your arms when lowering, since during the reverse rise you will have to deal with the 30-degree phase, when most of the load falls not on the muscles, but on the ligaments that prevent lifting your own weight. In the case of explosive training, this rule can be neglected.
Some variations of pull-ups for strength differ somewhat in the overall execution of the technique, for example, they have their own characteristics.
Pull-ups wide
When developing pull-up strength, a wide grip is often used, which allows you to remove the load from the flexors of the arm as much as possible. However, for proper execution, it is necessary to adhere to a more rigorous technique.
- Hands become 2 palms wider than shoulders.
- Traction is carried out exclusively with the elbows. In the case of using hands, the risk of injury increases significantly, and efficiency decreases.
- The rise is carried out until the chest touches the crossbar.
- The body descends to full extension at the elbow joint.
Parallel pull-ups
Pull-ups on parallel bars are considered the simplest and least traumatic. At the same time, their effectiveness is no less than a wide grip. Simplicity is achieved through the natural position of the hands, which provides a more natural trajectory.
Basic Rules:
- Keep the body straight, bending it back slightly at the highest point of the movement. This allows you to connect a large round and rhomboid muscles, due to the reduction of the shoulder blades.
- Rise until the chest touches the projectile.
Reverse pull-ups
Reverse grip pull-ups were never welcomed in school, as they were considered “cheating”. And this is true, because a significant part of the load is eaten by the biceps. But you have to be extremely careful. Since in case of incorrect technique, the biceps will stop growing at all, having received the “stubborn muscle” syndrome, as often happens with the calf muscles in athletes with an incorrect squat.
Technique:
- Turn your hands with your palms towards you, using a full lock (type of grip);
- In the lower phase of the movement, pull with your hands;
- In the upper phase of the movement, switch to traction with the elbows;
- To go down, not bringing to full extension of the elbow joint.
Strength pull-up program
There can be no special programs and recommendations regarding progression, because. each has its own level of anabolism, initial weight, and preparation of the accompanying muscles. But the most approximate, giving results, are considered to be pull-ups on the horizontal bar in the program for strength and endurance lasting 34 weeks.
With an increase in exclusively power characteristics, the athlete should be interested in the first 5 weeks.
| A week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Approach 1 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Approach 2 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Approach 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Approach 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Approach 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Note: If it is impossible to achieve the goals of the program, it is recommended to divide the numbers by 2, and after 5 weeks, try again.
We continue to progress with weights
Why exactly 5 weeks? Because it is in the range of 5 to 7 repetitions that the body can successfully increase the development of pull-up strength. According to most powerlifters, maximum strength is developed exclusively when working in the 3 to 6 rep range. But how to progress with such a small amount? To do this, you need a backpack, or a power belt. In the case of street training, the first option is preferable, for the gym, due to better balancing, the second option will be the ideal solution. How to optimally select the weight? It all depends on how much you, as an athlete, are in a hurry to get in shape.
Slow progress - an increase in total weight of 1.5 kilograms every 5 weeks. In this case, the body will be able to work according to the principle (one step back, two steps forward), which will significantly reduce the likelihood of a power plateau. Due to the fact that every 5 weeks, the load will decrease (due to the decrease in the number of repetitions), the first week will seem easier than the 5th, previous circle. With such a meager increase, in a year, the total weight can reach 15-18 kilograms, and not all athletes can achieve such a result in the first year of professional athleticism.
Fast progress. In this case, everything is somewhat simpler - after the end of the 5th week in the program, another 2 weeks are done with the progression of the load without weight (for example, 12-10-9-8-7), after which, in a new circle, such a weight is selected, with which it will be hardly possible to complete the required number of repetitions (i.e. back to back), it may turn out to be about 3-5 kilograms. On the one hand, the growth of power indicators will increase markedly. But:
- There will be a risk of overtraining;
- There may be a strength plateau that will need to be overcome either with assistance exercises or weight reduction;
- The load on the joints and the unprepared spine will dangerously increase.
At the same time, the overall progress for the year can be the same 18-23 kg, with rapid progress in the first months, and much slower in the last. Remember that pull-ups for strength and endurance are completely different programs that require a fundamentally different approach to work and technique.
The horizontal bar is a universal projectile and, perhaps, the most affordable projectile. After all, it is not only in gyms and on sports fields. You can buy it and hang it at home, which saves you money and time. But it all depends on you and your choice.
Many are interested in the question, is it possible to build muscle mass with pull-ups? Of course you can, for this you need perform pull-ups on the horizontal bar to the mass. There is a special program for this.
Pull-up program on the horizontal bar
If your goal is pull-ups on the horizontal bar to the mass, then you should know a few important nuances. You need to pull yourself up on the crossbar quickly, and lower yourself slowly. When lowering, your muscles should be in tension. The number of approaches remains constantly the same. Rest between your sets should last no more than three minutes.
This mass pull-up program is designed for 15 days of 5 sets daily, on days 6 and 11 you take a break and rest, allowing your muscles to recover.
But besides the program itself, you need to know pull-up technique, which will help you reach your goal faster and avoid injuries and sprains. Never do several programs at the same time, because the effectiveness of the programs is greatly reduced. Pull-ups should be done without inertia, using only the strength of your own muscles. Never arch your back or swing in a hanging position by bending your knees and crossing your legs.
It is worth remembering about proper breathing, exhaling with effort and inhaling with relaxation, and in no case hold your breath. Do not eat before training, and if you feel hungry, then it should be a light meal.
Hello dear friend! There is an opinion that it is good to swing and gain weight only by doing strength training. However, this is far from the only way, quite worthy results can be achieved by doing the horizontal bar and uneven bars. The great advantage of this type of training is that they can be practiced outdoors, in the gym, at the stadium, on the sports ground and even at home (with a horizontal bar).
What muscle groups can be pumped up
By doing exercises on the horizontal bar for mass, you can work out all the muscle groups located in the upper body. The horizontal bar is designed for pull-ups, and the bars for push-ups, respectively. During pull-ups, the biceps, latissimus dorsi, and rear deltas are loaded. During push-ups - triceps, pectoral muscles, front deltas. To achieve the maximum effect and result, various types of pull-ups and push-ups are combined, which are performed with different grips and hand positions.
The advantage of this method in front of the gym is that doing on the horizontal bar and uneven bars, you can stretch the muscles well, and on simulators this can be problematic. As far as it is well known, muscles grow when they stretch to the maximum and tear a little. Here the weight of a person (his body) acts as an ideal burden.
Preparing muscles for stress
A mandatory and necessary stage of training is warming up the muscles. The workout includes:
- stretch marks
- jogging
- wide hand movements
- jumping rope
- finger warm-up
- exercises as when charging (warm-up of arms, legs, head)
Warming up should be given about ten minutes, performing all exercises calmly and smoothly. If you do not warm up before the main workouts, then there is a risk of serious injury.
Exercises on the horizontal bar and parallel bars for mass gain
The program contains two types of workouts that alternate with each other. You can do it in 1-2 days, but it is better every other day, for the best effect.
I advise you to do 3-4 sets per exercise for the muscles of the back, shoulders, arms and pectoral muscles. For the press, you can do 3 approaches. Each exercise should be done for 15 repetitions maximum. If you do more, then it will affect the development of endurance, and not mass gain. In the case when 15 repetitions are easy for you, you should use a weighting agent - a belt or weight on your legs.
This program is designed for those who already know how to pull themselves up on the horizontal bar and do push-ups on the uneven bars. If you have not yet reached this level, then you should start small.
How to start developing muscles
The very first and basic exercise: grab the horizontal bar and hang on it for a few minutes. Then hang again, but only this time start to slowly contract the muscles and reach up. And stopping at the top point, linger in this position for as long as possible. After that, start to slowly lower yourself down. When you get down, straighten your spine as much as possible, hang a little and carefully jump off.
I also advise you to do push-ups and pump the press at home, this will allow you to keep fit when it is not possible to do it on the horizontal bar and parallel bars, and if you are already doing this, then the buildup will go much easier and faster.
If your body has not yet adapted to the loads that lead to weight gain, you need to gradually increase the intensity of training, in proportion to muscle development. For example, do a warm-up (as described above), and pull yourself up on the horizontal bar as many times as possible for you at this stage. Then rest for a couple of minutes and pull yourself up again several times. Rest one more time and do the third set. At the very beginning of training, one should not expect outstanding results from oneself, and in the absence of such, in no case should one be upset or engage in self-flagellation. Everything takes time.
Here are some fundamental exercises that will help you gain mass on the horizontal bar:
1) Pull-ups to the chest with a wide grip
Grasp the horizontal bar with a straight wide grip, while inhaling, pull yourself up to a position where the chest is on the same level with the horizontal bar itself, while the elbows are fixed and in the same place. After holding this position for a fraction of a second, slowly lower yourself to the starting position at the exit.
2) Pull-ups on the uneven bars
Grasp the bars with your hands with a regular grip so that your palms look at each other. At the same time, throw your legs back on the bars, fixing them with your feet. After that, hang on straight arms, and begin to pull yourself up as high as possible, keeping your back straight.
3) Push-ups on the uneven bars
Get into exactly the same position as described in the previous exercise, and do push-ups, as from the floor. At the same time, try to keep your back straight, and you can even bend lower so that the amplitude of muscle contraction is maximum.
4) Narrow grip pull-ups
Grasp the horizontal bar so that the maximum distance between the palms is about 10 centimeters. At the same time, the hands are closed into a fist. And pull yourself up to a position where your wrists touch your chest. With a direct grip, the maximum load goes to the biceps, and with the reverse grip, the muscles of the forearm.
5) Wide grip pull-ups with a bar at the back
A very powerful exercise for the development of the shoulder muscles and the latissimus dorsi. It is necessary to take the crossbar with a straight as wide grip as possible, and pull yourself up so that in the raised position the head is in front of, and not behind the crossbar, and the horizontal bar touches the stove from behind.
Also, do not forget to eat well and satisfyingly so that the muscles can take the necessary amount of proteins and amino acids for growth. Good luck!
