Tips to Do More Pull-ups for Girls
A pull-up is an exercise where you grab a steady bar above you and pull yourself up with your arms. The goal of the exercise is clear the bar with your chin, a feat that requires muscle strength. This difficult exercise is employed as a fitness regimen in the military and for gymnastics. If physical fitness is being taught at an early age, young girls can benefit from learning the effective way to perform pull-ups. It will strengthen their arm muscles and prepare them for any extracurricular activities.
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Difficulties
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Pull-ups are recognized for their difficulty. The U.S. military notes how men and women seldom perform them correctly in training. For training a young girl, it might be helpful to express the difficulty associated with the exercise as a challenge. Good motivation can help her to challenge herself to practice executing pull-ups.
Negative Pull-ups
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If the girl is not pulling up well, you can train her to perform negative pull-ups. Negative pull-ups are considered half pull-ups and will strengthen her arms to support her weight. The girl is lifted by a spotter to the pull-up bar so her chin meets the bar. The girl then lowers herself slowly until she is hanging on the bar with her arms outstretched. She should not touch the floor with her feet. Instead, she should be hanging off the pull-up bar. Eventually, this technique will strengthen her muscles to support her weight.
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Flexed Arm Hang Test
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One way to increase muscle flexibility and strength to perform a pull-up is to perform the flexed arm hang test. The flexed arm hang test is like the negative pull-up, only the girl needs to hold her position as her chin is up on the bar. The benefit of this exercise is that the test increases a girl's endurance when she performs negative pull-ups. Eventually, the girl will use her new endurance capabilities to slowly progress toward a full pull-up.
More Challenges
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Sadly, there is a consistent myth that girls and women in general cannot do pull-ups. Although several sources debunk this as simply sexist, including military sources, you as a trainer can use this as an advantage for the girl. Inform the girl about such myths and encourage her to challenge such sexist myths by practicing hard to successfully do pull-ups. The personalizing of a pull-up goal will help her perform more pull-ups.
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References
- Photo Credit exercise image by .shock from Fotolia.com
