Do you really know how to use the "carving knife" of muscles?

Q: Mr. Kuhlmann, I heard that you like to train with the pull-up machine. How can I use it to improve my physique?

Coleman: Using various rowing exercises made me a five-time Mr. Olympia, and that's because I really like using large free weights and strictly isolated pull-up exercises. I often see and hear people marvel at the biceps and triceps I show, while being amazed at the perfect shape of my lateral pecs and most of my muscles. In fact, many of the advantages of my chest muscles are due to the pull-up bar. Pull-up bar exercises have brought symmetrical and proportional development to my muscles.

Proper use of the pull-up bar for training can take your physique to a higher level. Here are some exercises that I like and that may surprise you.

1. Chest

Chest Press: You can be the best bench presser in the world and have the biggest pecs, but the bench press won't make your muscles stand out unless your inner pecs are deeply separated by a median groove and filled with steel striations. The only way to get inner chest definition and shape is with the chest press. Under normal pressure, the contraction of the chest muscles only means that the arms are stretched straight in front of the chest, but the chest clamp allows you to squeeze the chest muscles to the maximum, stimulate the chest muscles by crossing your arms, and keep the chest muscles tense. I get an extra "burn" in my pecs each workout by squeezing them as hard as I can for 1-2 seconds. You'll get the best results if you place the chest press at the end of your chest training. At this point the main part of the pectoral muscles will have reached failure. During the exercise, you need to use your inner chest muscles to do all the work, focusing on the upper and middle parts of the chest muscles, preferably using an oblique form.

2. Biceps

1. Double-arm tensioner curl: It can keep the biceps tense throughout the entire range of motion. There are two forms of exercises: one is the double-arm lateral puller curl, which requires the two upper arms to always keep parallel to the ground; the other is the standing double-arm puller curl, which requires the two upper arms to be close to the sides of the body, the puller is pulled up in front of the body, or the puller wire rope is between the legs and pulled up from behind. Sometimes I use the double-arm cable curl as the last exercise of a biceps training day. Sometimes, in order to make the biceps reach exhaustion earlier and encourage blood to fill the biceps as quickly as possible, I use it as the first exercise in biceps training.

2. Single-Arm Cable Curl: If you've ever wondered how I split the biceps on that towering peak, deepened the crack and widened the bulge, and made the brachialis so prominent, this exercise is the answer. When I do the one-arm cable curl, by rotating my wrist so that my palm faces down and out, I can isolate any part of the biceps without having to exhaust a secondary muscle first while strengthening the biceps alone.

3. Triceps

1. Press down with the puller: It can put pressure on the triceps for a longer time and make a difficult peak contraction at the bottom. The last few exercises will produce a burning and swelling feeling, which has a good strengthening effect on the deep layer of the triceps to the upper part of the horseshoe.

2. Arm flexion and extension behind the neck with a pull-up bar: It is mainly used to shape the lines and shape of the triceps. Low intensity, medium weight and multiple repetitions are used. Peak contraction is performed in the contracted position of the muscle as much as possible, eventually making the triceps feel a burning sensation.

3. Single-arm reverse grip puller arm extension: By rotating the wrist so that the palm faces up and down, you can isolate and stimulate any part of the triceps to make the muscles stand out, especially the medial and lateral heads of the triceps.

Remember: the purpose of pull-up exercises is not to increase muscle mass but to shape muscle lines and shapes. Use a strict exercise form and keep the number of times to about 12 per set. Practice should be accurate and targeted, and practice wherever it is needed. Don't be afraid to add some cable exercises to your training, it will only add spice to your workout. They are essential in my training and I hope you will cheer for the correct use of cable pull-ups.