Exercise Spotlight: CHIN-UPS and PULL-UPS

By now you're probably thinking,

"I love the GET RIPPED system, but I'm not used to getting this much quality for FREE!  When can I start SPENDING MONEY??"

Well, here's something you can go out and buy from your local sports and/or fitness store:

  A CHIN-UP BAR

They're about $20, and you can install them in pretty much any door frame with a drill and a screwdriver.
Jenna, my super-awesome fiance, let me install mine in the doorway to our kitchen.  I spend a lot of time in or near the kitchen, and every once in a while when I go by, all I have to do is reach up, grab the bar, and BANG OUT A FEW REPS.  Here's what it looks like:

As you can see, CHIN-UPs are a two-step exercise.  Start out ALL THE WAY DOWN at the bottom (Step 1), then just pull yourself up until your chin's higher than the bar (Step 2).  Then lower yourself ALL THE WAY back down to the bottom and start over.  You might have to bend your knees to keep your feet off the floor, but try not to kick your legs around to help push you up.  This is an arms and middle-part exercise ONLY.


Chin-up bars also work for doing PULL-UPS.  C.U.s are when you grab the bar underhand, like in the diagram above.  P.U.s are when you grab the bar overhand, with your palms facing away from you, and are way harder.

RIPPED TIP:  During C.U.s and P.U.s, you might get distracted and forget to breathe. This is bad.  To help you remember, try taking one breath for each rep.  I breathe IN on the way UP, and OUT on the way DOWN, cause that's what feels normal to me.

When I first got the bar, I could do maybe 5 C.U.s and only 2 P.U.s.  Now, just a couple months later, I can do 10 C.U.s and 9 P.U.s.  If you look to the left, that's where I'll be keeping track of my MAX REPS.  Expect those numbers to KEEP GOING UP!

...and THAT'S what GETTING RIPPED is all about: Personal Improvement and PUSHING YOUR LIMITS! As long as you can do MORE REPS now than you could before, you're moving in the RIGHT DIRECTION!