Exercise Four: Variable Pull-Up Station
This exercise is great for building mass and increasing upper-body strength. The
two main variations of this exercise are the Pull-up and the Chin-up. The Pull-up is
performed with your palms facing away from you. The Chin-up is performed with
your palms facing toward you. Pull-ups are usually more difficult than Chin-ups,
so if you’re a beginner, start with Chin-ups. In either exercise, if you can only do
one or two repetitions, release the bar, wait 30 seconds, and do one or two more.
Chin-Up
With your palms facing toward you and hands placed slightly wider than shoulder
width, pull your body upwards towards the bar, bringing your chin above the bar.
Lower your body back down in a controlled movement and repeat. Concentrate
on using the back muscles.
If you can’t pull yourself up, grip the bar and just hang as long as you can, while
pulling your shoulder blades toward each other slightly to engage the back
muscles. This too, will engage the same muscles used in a pull-up. Then add little
movements, contracting the back muscles and as you progress.
Pull-Up
Same technique as a Chin-Up, but with your palms facing away from you.
Exercise Five: Knee Lift/Dip Station
Knee-Lift
With your back against the backboard, facing away from the unit, lock the
forearms into place on the black pads while gripping the handles, allowing the
feet to dangle. Lift both legs together, bending the knees and using the
abdominal muscles to crunch the legs upward into a tucked position. Slowly
lower your legs and repeat.
Dip
Facing the unit, grip the top handles and lift yourself up to hold the body in
position, supporting yourself with just your arms. Slowly lower down by bending
at the elbow, then press back up. The range of motion is up to you. Doing slight
bends and back up is a great way to begin. As you progress, go deeper.
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