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When you go to the gym as a beginner, you will probably see that chin-ups are something the more advanced clients do. If you have been neglectful of your fitness, chin-ups will be something you may not be able to do. Chin-ups are quite a challenge to execute, and even people who can do them love to hate them.

For some, they can only watch and see others do it while harboring no illusion that they can make one rep yet. However, chin-ups can do you a whole lot of good when it comes to building muscle strength in the upper body and improving on posture and appearance.

Equipment that You Need:

The only equipment you will need for a chin-up is a stable, stationary horizontal bar, preferably made of steel. The aim of the chin-up is to target your upper back and arm muscles and lift your body from a stationary hanging position. You have to develop strength with minimal movements.

There have been similar exercises that use minimal momentum as a conditioning program. Chin-ups are one of them but it develops upper body strength from a stationary position.

Step by Step on How to Perform the Chin Up

• Place a bench or a steeper under the pull-up bar. The pull-up bar should be at an adequate height above the ground. Step onto the stepper.
• Reach up and grab the bar with palms facing up and grip it tight. Use both hands.
• Stretch your spine and keep it long. Lift your chest and tighten the abdominal to create stability. A rigid body helps the entire upper body be pulled up in the chin up. Lift the chest to the bar by pulling your elbows past the rib cage.
• When you have reached the top stop briefly or pause. Lower your back to the starting position slowly. Going down slowly keeps the tension in the back longer, which helps give the body strength and definition.

What are the Muscles Chin Ups Work Out?

1. Back Muscles

The latissimus dorsi is a chest muscle at the back and is the biggest muscle involved in the chin-up. This is a big muscle that is located in the lower to middle back and runs along to the shoulders.

This muscle is the part which you feel sticking out of your torso. It tends to be visible when well-developed. The lats pull on your arms and move towards your body, which is integral to the chin-up movement.

Another back muscle that is also affected is the lower trapezius. This muscle is a small area that is located between your shoulder blades and your spine. It helps to start the pulling movement in the chin up. Other muscles targeted by the chin-up are the rhomboid major and teres major.

The rhomboid has a major and minor part, and these are small muscles located in your shoulder blade. They pull your shoulder blades closer together, which makes it retract down to your back. At this point, it affects the latissimus dorsi. The rhomboids start at the bottom of your shoulder blades and end into the shoulder.

2. Biceps

The Biceps are another part that greatly benefits from chin-ups. According to studies, chin-ups are one of the most effective exercises for the biceps, and there are few exercises that are better at conditioning it. You need a lot of arm strength when you pull yourself up the bar.

As you pull yourself toward the chin-up bar, you also flex your elbow and pull your hands towards your shoulders. This is the main role of the biceps in a chin-up exercise.

3. Chest Muscles

The chest muscle is also called the pectoralis major and is a muscle targeted in a chin-up exercise. According to a study that measures electrical activity in muscles, the chin-up activates the chest muscles as you pull yourself up. However, the major movements are still being done by the back and biceps muscles.

4. Abs

Your abs are also at work in a chin-up exercise since it keeps your body aligned and straight. It also controls your torso and legs to prevent your body from swinging.  

Final Thoughts

Chin-ups are hard but you need an extra challenge if you want to get fit. Another great thing about chin-up bars is they can be installed in your home.

In fact, you can buy the best chin up bar in Australia in many online stores. Mastering the chin-up will be a feather in your fitness cap that will not only give you great muscles but immense health as well.

Vibration machines are the newest equipment for weight loss. The instructions are simple – you stand or sit on a vibrating platform and let it burn calories through muscle contraction.

While the concept seems reasonable, a lot of people are wondering, will you lose weight with vibration machine exercise?

Vibration Machines and Weight Loss

The concept of a vibration machine is simple. Honestly, it’s too good to be true if you think about it.

I was first skeptical about the effectiveness of a simple machine where I’m only supposed to stand for 15 minutes in my weight loss journey.

There’s a vibration machine in one of the nearby gyms that I go to and I kept seeing women stay on that equipment for 10-15 minutes. All they do is stand, but some add a little twist in it by squatting.

By doing a little research, I found out that vibration machines make you lose weight through muscle contraction. The vibration causes muscles to contract constantly making it feel like as if you were working out.

But then it got me wondering if it was an alternative to exercise. Further research made me conclude that it isn’t.

It’s merely a good supplement to further increase the weight you will lose. But according to trainers, it is still no substitute to exercise.

Benefits of a Vibration Machine

Now you might be thinking that vibration machines are not that useful anyway.

But a review of everfit vibration machine will show you that this equipment can do more than just make you lose weight. Here are some of the benefits I found out:

1. Increased Balance

During my first try with the Everfit vibration machine, I thought it would be a piece of cake just standing on its platform. But I was wrong.

After 2 minutes in, my body felt like it was going to fall off with all the vibrations. This encouraged me to focus more on my balance and we all know how important balance is in being fit.

So if you constantly stay on a vibration machine a few times a week, then you will see a change in the way you stay upright.

2. Reduced Muscle Soreness

Even though your muscles will be contracting the whole time, amazingly, this still reduces muscle soreness.

It’s perfect for those who are recovering from an intense workout and just want to cool down but don’t want to move. With a vibration machine, you’re still exercising your muscles even if you’re not exerting much effort.

3. Improved Blood Circulation

It’s not just your muscles that get affected when you step on a vibration machine. There are also your blood cells that are able to flow through your body a lot easier.

This is because the movement you do on this machine is similar to a few cardio exercises like running, walking, or biking.

These workouts improve blood circulation as they increase your heart rate. The same effect happens on a vibration machine.

4. Better Strength

Now, this benefit is important especially for guys who want to go into weight training. Muscle strength is crucial for you to be able to withstand a number of weights and still be able to carry the heaviest load out there.

A vibration machine can help you here because the constant muscle contraction already conditions your muscles for an intense workout.

I, for one, spend at least 10 minutes on a vibration machine as a warm-up to build strength.

So with just 10 minutes of vibrations, you can already get all these benefits. I recommend that you try this before or after a workout as a warm-up or a cool-down exercise.

If you haven’t played cricket yet, don’t worry as you’re definitely not alone. Despite the fact that cricket is one of Australia’s favourite sports, not everyone knows that there is an indoor version of this popular Commonwealth sports. Believe me, I did, too. It’s like playing softball except that it comes with different rules. Regardless, it is still one of the most fun activities you can have with your friends. Here’s how you can enjoy a game of indoor cricket.

Watch the Pros

The first thing you really have to do is to watch how professional or even amateur bowlers, batters, and fielders accomplish the different tasks expected of them with each game. Watch these athletes as they play indoor cricket in Melbourne or any other major city in Australia. This will give you an idea as to just how fervent the spectators can be, cheering their team and even giving them the much-needed morale boost when scoring. Alternatively, you can watch a game on TV, although I personally recommend watching the actual games so you’ll get the vibe of the game.

Learn the Rules

Like I said in the beginning, a game of indoor cricket is pretty much like a game of softball or baseball except that there are certain rules and gameplays that are highly specific to indoor cricket. My suggestion is to read indoor cricket rules even before you watch a game. The idea is to have a better understanding of how the principles in the rule book are applied right out in the field. Or, you can watch a game now then read the rules later. At least you will already have a mental picture of how the rule is applied on the field. Trust me, for absolute newbies like us, it usually takes time before such rules become crystal clear. The good news is that once you understand these rules the more that you will enjoy the game.

Get Your Team Organised

Unlike cricket played outdoors, indoor cricket is only composed of 8 players in each team. That means you’ve got to organise your own team of 8, although you can go for 16 and then divide it into two when you’re ready to play the game. Here’s the tricky part. You will need to determine who among your team members can bowl the ball and not just simply throw it. This is one of the major differences between softball or baseball and cricket. There’s a certain way of ‘bowling’ the ball. The same is true with batting. You cannot swing the bat as hard as you possibly can like in baseball. Again, review your rules and try to see the different positions that the game requires.

Get Your Gear

The problem with indoor cricket is that you’ll be playing mostly on concrete floor. This will present some fundamental changes in the equipment that you use. The stumps will be different as they cannot be stuck in the floor. The cricket ball will also have a much softer centre than the conventional cricket ball. I did found out that you can use an ordinary tennis ball for such a purpose. As for the bat, it doesn’t really matter if it’s for outdoor or indoor. However, I do recommend getting a bat that you’re more comfortable swinging with finesse.

Get Ready to Score

Once you’ve got all these preliminaries settled, you’re ready to take turns batting and hitting the ball. Do take note that you’re also supposed to limit your opponents’ score. This makes a game of indoor cricket so much fun.

Learning to play indoor cricket is one of the best ways to enjoy the game, not as a spectator but as an active participant in the sport.