I talk a lot about push-ups, planks, squats, lunges, head, and handstands — using your body as your gym.
Expect nothing different here, except this routine goes to a whole other level and is not for the beginner.
However, if you are at the beginning of your fitness journey, it’s a great routine to know and gradually work on mastering.
It’s tough even for the fittest and for me too! If you don’t stay with it, you won’t progress and you may lose your strength.
Just as I did in the last 6 months!
Disclaimer:
I quit pull-ups for logistical reasons 6 months ago. I went from 4 sets of 15 to 3 sets of maybe 5 pull-ups!
I felt a little embarrassed and decided to do something to get back to my best fitness levels. So I’m writing this to inspire you and me!
Luckily I found a great little setup of bars on the beach close to where I live. I looked at the bars, they looked back at me and said; come on, show us what you got!
With local lifeguards watching, I sheepishly followed the bars’ instructions and went for a test ride! Oops — embarrassed again, I barely made 3 decent pull-ups.
Oh crap, I said to myself and laughed, as did the guys watching.
On I went to the dips, I did better there but still noticed I lacked my previous strength and skills.
Now I’m going back to the spot every two days to practice, and that’s what you have to do — push yourself to improve.
No slacking if you want gains!
But, as always, it’s essential not to push yourself too hard or long. I limit each session to 15-minutes and whatever I can muster in that time.
Let’s get to the routine.
The logistical problem with this one is that you need the bars, which means going to a gym (which I don’t) or finding the contraption elsewhere.
As long as you have access to these two sets of bars, it’s easy to perform this routine, and building these bars at home is simple, cheap, and worth it! So I suggest you look into that, especially now winter is coming.
The Pull-Up.
You can either make the pull-up or not. Most can’t complete one!h
If you’re a beginner, there are two ways to build your strength and improve over time.
1) Get Help.
Your workout buddy or friend needs to hold you by the waist and then lift you as you pull yourself up. Then, let go as you release down as slowly as possible — the release part breaks the muscles down to rebuild them more robustly.
Repeat as often as you can.
2) Alone.
A similar concept. But as you can’t pull up, you have to jump up as far as you can and again lower yourself as slowly as possible.
Repeat as often as you can.
After a few sessions, you’ll be strong enough to pull off a few complete push-ups.
Keep this up for a couple of weeks, 3 times a week, and you’ll soon be at 5 to 10 push-ups a set.
The Chest Dip.
This one is easier. Jump up onto the dip bars with your arms locked and straight. Then lower yourself as far as you can without, and go back up.
Push yourself deeper down and repeat as often as you can, again and again!
Each time you try this, make sure you go down deeper into the chest dip. Eventually, you’ll be able to go all the way down and repeat 10 to 20 times!
You’re on a roll now!
The Leg-Raise.
Again, pop up onto the dip bars with both arms straight and locked. Then all you need to do is raise your legs as far as you can.
But you have to keep your legs straight and not let those knees bend too much; otherwise, the resistance is missing, and you won’t make any gains!
Start small, but keep raising your legs further up each session — you’ll soon get to 10 reps and more!
This move is excellent for your core, arms, and shoulders!
Reverse Incline Pull-Ups.
Using the dip bars, crawl underneath and get into a hanging reverse pull-up position. Now pull up as close as you can to the bar, aiming to touch your chest — or as far as you can.
Repeat until exhaustion.
The exercise is a fantastic method to work out and build your upper back, shoulders, arms, and core.
How many Sets?
That’s not important. Do your best to repeat the exercise as many times as you can, take a break, and go for another set if you feel up for it.
Once you feel physical exhaustion, please stop. And always make sure to limit the session to 15 to 20 minutes max (with breaks).
In Summary.
This unique upper body workout isn’t easy, but anyone can master it. You may think, damn, I can’t do any of this stuff right, so why bother?
Don’t think that! Go for it, you’ll master it eventually, and in return, you’ll feel amazing in body and mind.
Your confidence in your abilities and self will rise dramatically, and you’ll naturally build a strong upper body and core. Your mind will thank you for this.
Thanks for reading,
Rob
