There is something empowering about being able to pull your dangling torso up by sheer will and strength. That feeling of empowerment is why chin-ups and their close cousin pull-ups are a goal for many people.
The first time you accomplish this feat of strength, you almost can’t believe that it is happening. One day you can’t do it, and the next day, after months of hard work, you walk up to the bar and grip it, and you find yourself magically elevating off of the ground.
So how do you get to this euphoric state of chin-up? There are many ways to get there, but one of the most satisfying ways is by using bands to assist your chin-ups.
The band allows you to mimic the motion, get you used to griping and hanging off the bar. Finally, the band auto-adjusts resistance; when you are in a full hang, you are at your weakest, but the band is at its strongest; as you pull yourself to the bar, you are at a better angle to pull, and the band is not assisting you as much.
Bands are a great way to get you closer to completing your first bodyweight chin-up. Here are the steps to do it.
Increase Range of Motion
The first step is getting used to doing a full range of motion chin-up. Full range is different than a dead hang, where you feel your shoulders disengage from the shoulder sockets, which is not good. Full range is around 145 degrees of shoulder extension. You also want to be able to get your elbows in line with your sides.
The key is finding the correct tension of band that allows you to go from about 145 degrees hanging position to a top position where your elbows are in line with your sides.
Partial rep chin-ups are fun, but it will make it deflating when you have to address range of motion later down the road when progress has stopped.
Increase Reps
Once you have your band selected, your first path to progression is to increase reps. Once you can do 6-8 full range of motion chin-ups for multiple sets (2-3), then you should move on to the next step.
Lower The Band
Were you able to do 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps? That is great!
I know you want to decrease the band size, but before we do that, the next path of progression is to lower your band’s height by a notch and start steps one and two over again.
Change Band
After you have completed 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps and have lowered the band by one notch, it is time to go back to the first band height and try a different band size.
The best way to do this is by mixing and matching band size because smaller bands have a smoother rate of band tension.
Example of what this looks like:
If you had a band that had a 50lb (blue bands) of tension and want to progress to the next band size, which is 25lbs (yellow bands) of tension, you would want to use two 25lb bands. They still equal the same total resistance at the bottom position, but you will have to work harder to pull yourself back up because they have a smoother tension rate.
Progression Cheat Sheet:
- Blue Band
- Two Purple Bands
- One Purple, one yellow
- Two Yellow
- One Yellow, two orange
- Four Orange
- Three Orange
- Two Orange
- None
If you follow these steps, you will be on your way to chin-up euphoria.
Your Fitness Sherpa,
Coach Josh
