Monkey Pull-Ups
21. Apr, 2011 
4 Comments
Pull-ups might very well be one of the best upper body strength exercise and it amazes me why so many individuals never even attempt to try a pull-up. Maybe embarrassment that they can not do one, its easier to do a lat pull-down, or could it be that many find it to be a boring exercise.
If your excuse is that pull-ups are boring then Monkey Pull-ups might just be what you are looking for. I learned of this exercise variation years ago from the Diesel Crew guys (Jedd & Smitty) and have used it with my athletes ever since. I am not sure if they called it monkey pull-ups back then, but they demonstrated it on a cable cross machine, climbing around back and forth on the crossbar.
Monkey Pull-ups: Basically, you are performing a pull-up and each time you complete a rep you take one hand and change the grip position. As you can see in the video, I have adapted this into my half racks with all my different pull-up grips, climbing rope, swivel grips, and the rack frame itself.
This is extremely taxing on the upper body, core, and grip. By challenging my athletes, they really start to try and better themselves each time they do a set. These are not easy. If you are looking for some variety and you are pretty good at pull-ups; give these a try. Ironically, you will find yourself starting to think they are fun.
If you have any other pull-up variations to add to this post; let me know or put it in the comments section below. It is great to share training information with each other. The benefits are for everyone!!
To your health,
Jerry
Great video Coach Shreck. I’ve used the rack’s rectangular framing itself for a thick grip pull-up.
Awesome! Thanks for the comment Niel!
Awesome, another variation to try! Thx!
Spence,
These are great! They make pull-ups more fun and will really work your grip strength as well!