By RealJock Staff

This exercise provided courtesy of Billy Polson, founder and co-owner of DIAKADI Body, which was voted best personal training gym in San Francisco by CitySearch in 2006.

Benefits
People who are concerned that they lack the upper body strength often avoid this exercise at the gym, but there’s no need. You can start out by using the Gravitron machine, which puts the pull-up in range for anyone interested in developing a strong back and defined lats.

Muscles Worked
Back (lats)

Starting Position
Position yourself facing the machine and hold the set of handles parallel to your body. Grip the bars with your knuckles facing your head and your thumbs around the bars. Your palms will be facing in towards each other Your elbows should remain slightly bent throughout the exercise (see Photo 1).

Exercise

1. From the starting position, pull yourself vertically upward while keeping your elbows close to your ribs, retracting your shoulder blades and opening your chest. Your shoulders should stay down, and your entire lower body (hips, knees, ankles) should remain completely stable and still throughout the motion to ensure that you isolate your back muscles (see Photo 2)
2. At the top of your motion, your head should be above your hands, your chin level with the bars and your neck in line with your spine. Your shoulder blades should be retracted and both your shoulders down (see Photo 3).
3. Lower yourself slowly to your starting position while keeping the movement in the muscle—do not simply let go or allow your elbows to lock. Repeat the pull-up 12 times, exhaling on the flexion (the upward movement) and inhaling on the extension (the downward movement). Note: If you can't do your full body weight, use a Gravitron machine and set the weight so that you can do approximately 75 percent of your body weight.

About Billy Polson: Billy Polson is the founder and co-owner of DIAKADI Body training gym, which was voted the best personal training gym in San Francisco by CitySearch in 2006. A competitive swimmer and triathlete in his own right, Polson has over 15 years of experience working as a coach and trainer, and was recently named by Men's Journal Magazine (December 2005) as one of the Top 100 Trainers in America.