|
So you're training
at home and you don't have a place to put a chin-up
bar. Or you don't have a power rack with a chin-up
bar on it.
No problem!
I've got a couple
of simple items that are going to totally change
the way you look at hardware stores…
What are those items?
C-clamps…
|
Your basic
woodworking C-clamps, available at any hardware
store in the world.
All you have
to do is clamp those onto something solid
in your house (or outside) and you've got
yourself a couple of chin-up handles! I
have two clamps (the size I use is 4 inch
- it gives you the perfect size handle for
gripping on) attached to a rafter in my
basement.
It's a simple
matter of clamping those on somewhere high
up then doing pull-ups on them!
If you're
worried about damaging the surface with
the clamps, just slide a couple of smaller
pieces of wood in between the clamping surfaces
to spread out the load.
|
 |
This setup is not
only cheap and easy but very versatile. Because
you can clamp on anywhere you like, you can change
the grip width very easily. You can start with
close grip chins then move a clamp out further
and do neutral-grip wide-grip pull-ups.
You can set the
clamps on two different rafters and do regular
wide-grip pull-ups. Heck, you can shift the clamps
around to almost any position and do a HUGE variety
of mixed-grip pull-ups. The options are many.
At this point, I'm
sure you're thinking "sounds great, but are
they solid?"
Definitely.
I weigh about 200
lbs and once solidly clamped on, mine did not
budge the slightest bit. And this was with me
TRYING to pull them loose. I even did pull-ups
on just ONE clamp and it didn't budge.
So if you train
at home and have been looking for a pull-up solution,
head over to the hardware store a.s.a.p. and go
grab your C-clamps!
|
This pictures
shows the clamps on the rafter.
|
Stand
up on a bench or chair then grab the
clamps.
|
|
Now you're
set to do neutral-grip pull-ups!
|
Top position.
|
|
Here's
a further-away look.
|
Grip the
clamps like handles.
|
|
Start
position.
|
Top position.
|
|
This is
a closer grip version - the distance
between the clamps is about 6 inches.
|
Top position.
|
|
Hanging
Leg/Knee Raises
You can
also perform hanging leg raises and
knee raises (as well as
any other hanging exercise) with this
clamp set-up.
|
 |
 |
 |
---
On a side note,
you can also use those C-clamps to anchor training
bands. I use the clamps when I'm doing bench presses
adding band resistance (great training explosiveness
out of the bottom). The rack I have doesn't have
posts for attaching bands so I put the clamps
onto the bottom base rails and tie the bands onto
those. It's quick and easy and really works well!
Click
here to check out my preferred training bands
|
