The Pull-Up is a great back exercise...there's no question about that! Now let's take it to a whole new level...

Because as you get stronger with it, you have three options to progress (and they should be done in this order)...you can do more reps, you can add resistance or you can use more challenging variations.

THIS is one of those more challenging variations...the Two-Band Pull-Up.

It does require a bit of special equipment in the form of a pair of thick training bands.

I get my bands from here and HIGHLY recommend this company as a source for them (the multi-band packages are the best deal).

Good bands (not the thin, cheap "aerobic" elastics) are an invaluable training tool that, in my opinion, should be in every serious trainers toolkit. Once you get a set, you'll likely never have to buy them again...my bands have lasted me for more than 7+ years now and I work them HARD with all kinds of crazy stuff.

The Two-Band Pull-Up is a very simple concept...instead of gripping onto a pull-up bar, you're going to gripping onto bands.

1. This provides massive instability (the bands are bouncy). This bounce also "unlocks" the joint, allowing for more pain-free movement in the shoulder joint.

2. It gives you major freedom of movement (you're not locked into any specific movement pattern) during the pull-up. Shoulder issues can be a big problem with bar pull-ups done for high frequency and/or high volume. Bands move freely allowing your shoulder joints to move as they need to. This also allows you to pull up in the best path your body can follow because there's no bar to get in the way.

3. The bands dissipate some of the force that your lats generate to move your body, making every single rep harder....i.e. every time you apply force to the bands, they stretch. You have to therefore exert MORE force to move the SAME weight.

4. You can use that bounce to "spot" yourself. For example, if you're stuck and stopped at a certain point, let your weight drop down and use the upward rebound force to accelerate your body up and past that point. This keeps the tension on the muscles while still give you the extra kick past that sticking point.

How to Do It

The setup is simple...just throw your bands over the top of your pull-up bar...or pretty much ANY solid object that's high enough and solid enough to bear weight.

In my basement, I don't have a high enough bar, so I use C-Clamps (from the hardware store) clamped onto my rafters. These can be used as grips for regular pull-ups and chin-ups, or you can simply loop the band through them.

Put your right hand through both loops of the bands.

You're not going to be gripping onto the bottom part of the band loops. That makes grip a limiting factor. You're going to put your wrist through to bear the load THEN grip onto the bands a little higher up. This basically attaches your arms to the bands, taking grip out of the equation.

Now you're ready to start.

Come down into the bottom position. Maintain tension in the lats but get a good stretch. I have to bend my knees so that my legs don't touch the ground. You may have to do this with your setup, too.

This is also why it's important to use bands that are thick enough to bear your weight. If they're too thin, you'll just pull them down and stretch them...you won't have enough tension to actually pull yourself off the ground.

Pull yourself up as high as you can. Every moment your body is suspended above the ground, your lats and arms are firing strongly to support yourself...the constant movement of the bands allow for NO break.

Lower yourself down slowly and under control (or as much control as you can muster with the bands!) then repeat.

To really see the springiness of the bands in action, I HIGHLY recommend you watch the video of this exercise in action.

This still pictures show the procedure very well but they don't do the actual MOVEMENT justice.

As well, in the video, you'll see how to use the rebound-tension I mentioned above to spot yourself and get more reps. It's an AWESOME technique and will really work you HARD.

Bottom line, if you're strong enough to do 8 to 10 reps of good pull-ups, and you have a set of bands, give this variation a try. It's extremely challenging and incredibly effective...and a lot of fun!

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If you want even MORE cool exercises like this, be sure to check out my books "The Best Back Exercises You've Never Heard Of" and/or "The Best Bodyweight Exercises You've Never Heard Of" and/or "Hybrid Training"

These books are PACKED with unique and powerful (and slightly insane) exercises, just like this one!