The Physiology Behind Mastering the Pull-up

We’ve all been here: in front of you hangs a metal bar dauntingly suspended a couple of feet in the air — and you think to yourself, how do I do a pull-up?

Muscles used during a pull-up excercise. Image from [1].

For those who don’t yet know how to do a pull-up, there’s a long road ahead. But just like any other exercise, with proper training, mastery is possible by properly activating the groups of muscles involved through repetition. The muscle groups most involved in the pull-up are the rectus abdominis (one of the many muscles that constitute the core) latissimus dorsi (lats), middle and lower trapezius (traps), and biceps brachii (biceps) [1]. It’s especially important to understand the physiological aspects of each exercise to find the most effective ways to master it in the least amount of trips to your local gym. 

Image from [2].

Pull-up training begins with kneeling lat pulldowns. This variation of a lat pulldown, which is a common workout that targets your shoulder and back for an upper-body workout, activates muscles to a similar magnitude and pattern as pull-ups, more so than other exercises such as assisted pull-ups and seated lat pulldowns [3]. To properly perform a kneeling lat pulldown, you first kneel and use an overhand grip on a lat pulldown attachment. Afterward, set the weight until it is heavy enough to pull your knees above the ground by about an inch. Then, for the actual pulldown part, make sure that your back is aligned straight and pull your shoulder blades together to achieve maximum muscle activation. Make sure to do 3 sets of 5 reps!

Another great exercise is a negative pull-up, which essentially constitutes the downward half of the pull-up. Many studies have shown that this “negative” portion of the exercise (known as eccentric exercise) might be more effective at building muscle than performing the entire rep [4]. The negative pull-up is especially suited for beginners. Even though you might not have the strength for the upward part of the pull-up, many will have the strength to execute the downward motion with the right technique. To properly perform a negative pull-up, you first raise yourself to the top of the pull-up position using a stool or other high platform and simply do 5 sets of 1 rep [1].

With these two exercises, you will begin to see progress in your pull-up attempts. It might take a while, but we all have to start somewhere!

References

[1] AMM Fitness. https://www.ammfitness.co.uk/information-advice/pull-ups-benefits-muscles-worked (accessed Nov 15, 2021)

[2] Fitness Lane. https://fitnesslane.com/product/kneeling-lat-pulldown/ (accessed Nov 15, 2021)

[3] Hewit J.K.; Jaffe D.A.; Crowder T. A Comparison of Muscle Activation during the Pull-up and Three Alternative Pulling Exercises. J Phy Fit Treatment & Sports [Online] 2018, 5.4, 1-7. https://juniperpublishers.com/jpfmts/JPFMTS.MS.ID.555669.php (accessed Nov 15, 2021).

[4] Hedayatpour N.; Falla D. Physiological and Neural Adaptations to Eccentric Exercise: Mechanisms and Considerations for Training. BioMed Research International [Online], 2015, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/193741 (accessed Nov 15, 2021)

[5] Muscle & Performance. https://www.muscleandperformance.com/training/killer-pull-up-workouts/ (accessed Nov 15, 2021)

The Paleo Diet: Good or Bad?

In today’s world, everyone seems to be searching for a simple, sustainable, and healthy, yet tasty diet. Often, there are advertisements that claim that they have discovered a “new secret formula” that makes weight loss and good health quick and easy, yet as most people know, these diets are often too good to be true. There is, however, one diet that has been around since the dawn of humanity: the paleo diet. The paleo diet has endured hundreds of thousands of years of testing, yet it has stuck around. What makes the paleo diet so special?

First, let us address what a paleo diet is. It’s based on the foods that early humans most likely would’ve eaten. This includes lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Some foods to avoid are grains, legumes, dairy products, refined sugar, and processed foods in general [1]. The goal of the paleo diet is to return to a diet that is similar to what our ancestors ate thousands of years ago. The idea behind it is that our bodies are still genetically programmed to match a hunter-gatherer society, so we are mismatched to modern society’s diet [2]. This mismatch arose because of how much more rapidly agriculture evolved in comparison to our genome, leaving no room for our bodies to adapt to the changing conditions. By going back to our ancient diet, we are feeding our bodies the foods that it was meant to eat. 

Short term studies with the paleo diet have found beneficial effects: lower body mass index (BMI), lower blood pressure, lower triglycerides, healthier microbiome, mental clarity, reduced acne, and better appetite management overall [2]. These studies indicate that on a short-term basis, the paleo diet can provide numerous benefits. 

However, on the long-term basis, a couple concerns arise. As the paleo diet restricts intake of certain food groups, vitamin/mineral deficiencies can develop. For example, the diet excludes dairy products, a great source of calcium and Vitamin D, both of which are critical to bone health. In one study, researchers found that participants who followed the paleo diet had an average of 50% of the recommended daily intake of calcium [3]. Furthermore, while meats are a primary source of protein in the paleo diet, they are also high in saturated fats, which can result in elevated cholesterol levels and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke in the long term. 

Although the paleo diet has been around for millions of years, it’s most definitely not the “perfect diet.” While it can provide amazing health benefits, it can also increase the risk of certain diseases over an extended period of time. What’s most important is that your diet is balanced, which can be met through a variety of eating habits. 

References

1. Paleo diet: Eat like a cave man and lose weight? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/paleo-diet/art-20111182 (accessed Oct 18, 2020).

2. Health benefits of the Paleo diet https://www.brightwatermedicalcentre.com.au/health-benefits-of-the-paleo-diet.html (accessed Oct 18, 2020).

3. Lawler, M.; Cdces, L. G. R. Paleo diet short- and long-term effects to expect https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/paleo-diet/potential-short-long-term-effects-paleo-diet/ (accessed Oct 18, 2020).

4. Paleo diet [Image]. https://static.parade.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/paleo-diet-FTR.jpg (accessed Oct 25, 2020).