Body And Fitness Blog

This is a great exercise to do if you are not yet strong enough to perform a set of pull-ups. Some gyms will have a specific machine for this exercise, if it’s a good machine, it will have a clamp that you can pull down onto the top of your thighs to stop you from being lifted up when you pull the cable down. If you gym doesn’t have a specific machine, just use the ordinary cable machine, using the top pulley, and kneel beneath it, allowing you to pull the cable down and perform a similar action to a pull up. Using a close grip will really work the biceps as well as the back muscles.

To get the most out of this exercise, it’s best to start the rep with your arms fully extended above your head, pulling the bar down until it is level with your chin, just as you would a pull up. Do each rep slowly and hold the weight when bring the bar down to your chin, so that your muscles are holding the contraction, slowly releasing and bringing the weight back down to the starting position. Breathe in on the way down and out on the way up.

It’s a great exercise to perform in a super-set with seated cable rowing, to give your back a good all over workout. You can go much heavier on a close grip than you would on a wide grip as close grip uses more of the bicep and lats, whereas wide grip uses the biceps less and the rear deltoid more.