Exo-Cises
An Exo-Gym is the most versatile piece of fitness equipment you can invest in, and will last for years! To help you, here are some of the main exercises you can undertake on your Exo-Gym
What Exercises Can I Do On An Exo-Gym?
There are literally hundreds of variations of bar based exercises which we plan to demo over this year on videos on our website and social media pages. We’ve started by breaking down some basic movements on both chin up bars and dip/parallel bars - to get you started here are some of the main types that will help you develop your strength and condition your body.
Pull-Ups
First things first, the pull up (and it’s close relation the chin up) are two of the best exercises to strengthen and condition your body. They’re also what I call a “no hiding place” movement...they are not easy to master, but as an exercise are one of the best indicators of your strength, and your ability to support your own weight.
Build up with static hangs and use bands to support you, and build your way up from there. Because chin ups use your biceps in a position that gives them a stronger line of pull, don’t be surprised if you can do more chin ups than pull ups, often you will find that while you could do 10 chin ups, you’re only able to do 6 pull ups.
Current thinking is that these 2 exercises don’t make a vast difference, but chin ups will work your biceps and back more, whereas pull ups your lats and back.
For a pull up, start from a dead hang, palms facing away from you. Keep your shoulders back and your core engaged throughout. As you pull yourself upwards try and engage every muscle you can to assist your upwards movement. Move slowly and in a controlled way until your chin is above the bar, then slowly back down again until hanging, and repeat.
Chin Ups
Chin ups mainly work your biceps and your latissimus dorsi muscles (a.k.a. your back), but also force your entire body to work together in order to pull yourself up to the bar—making them a fantastic all around exercise.
Start from a dead hang with straight elbows, palms facing towards you. While keeping your chest up and your shoulders back, tighten your core, then pull yourself up so that your chest hits the bar before lowering back down.​
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For beginners, for both chin ups and pull ups, you can practice modifications like flex hangs, negatives, and jumping chin ups if you’re still working on getting your first one. And trust me, the sense of achievement and the confidence you will feel as you start to increase the number of reps towards the magic 10. In terms of how hard they are, the Royal Marines training course gives you maximum points if you can do 16 pull ups!
Hanging Knee Raises
Hanging knee raises will strengthen your core and prepare you for more difficult exercises like hanging leg raises and L-sits.
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Jump up and grab a pull up bar with your palms facing away from you, making sure that your hands are about shoulder-width apart. Ideally, the bar will be high enough that your feet clear the ground, but you can still do these if you have a low bar or a doorway bar—they’ll just feel a little bit more awkward.
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Pull your shoulders back and down while you tighten the rest of your body into a straight line. Keeping your legs tight together, tuck your knees up toward your chest. Squeeze towards your chest, then lower your legs back down into a straight line. If you’re using a low bar, simply keep your legs bent the entire time.
L-Sits
Although most people think of l-sits as a floor or parallete bar exercise, they can also be done hanging from a pull up bar to help increase your core strength.
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To do a hanging l-sit, grab onto a pull up bar with both hands and raise your legs up until they’re parallel to the floor. Rather than lowering down as you would in a hanging leg raise, hold that static position for as long as you can.
Feel the burn!
Muscle Ups
Without a doubt, muscle ups are one of the most badass exercises you can do with a pull up bar. I’m admittedly still working on mine—I’ve got the chicken wing muscle up down, but doing a clean bar muscle up is another story. I’ll get there!
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To do a muscle up, start by doing a pull up so that your chest hits the bar, then pull yourself up so that you’re in the top of a dip position. Lower down with control.
Most Effective Dip Bar Exercises For Beginners
If you're looking for an effective at-home workout, you can’t go wrong with dip bar exercises. These versatile pieces of gym equipment are ideal for targeting various muscle groups during bodyweight strength training.
While dip bars can be intimidating, there are plenty of beginner-friendly variations to get you started. Here are five effective dip bar exercises for beginners.
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With these exercises, you can build a strong foundation for using dip bars properly and effectively. Start with static holds and negative dips, then progress the movements as you build strength.
Dips
Dips emphasize the muscles of the triceps. To perform dips, stand facing the base of the bars and place one hand on each bar with your palms facing inward. To get into position, lift your body into the air with your knees bent and hold yourself up on the bars. Keep your arms straight to flatten your back. Next, bend your elbows but keep your arms squeezed to your sides and lower your body, stopping when your elbows make 90-degree angles. You may lean forward slightly with your upper body and look down, but keep your spine straight.
Leg Raises
To do leg raises and work your abdominal muscles, assume the same starting position as for the dips exercise, but face your body away from the base of the bars. With your arms and back straight, raise your legs until they are parallel to the floor. Keep your knees bent if it is too difficult for you to raise your legs straight and with control. Lower your legs straight and dangle them toward the floor to complete one rep.
Modified
Push Ups
Push-ups are an effective exercise for the triceps and muscles of the chest and shoulders. Using dip bars to perform push-ups places less weight on your upper body, making the exercise doable for almost anyone. Begin by standing to the side of the dip bars, facing them. Grab one bar with both hands, palms down and shoulder-width apart. Then bend your elbows out the sides and bring your chest toward the bar. Press your body back to the starting position to complete one modified push-up. Keep your spine straight throughout.
Modified
Pull Ups
Pull-ups target the lat muscles of your lower back, but the biceps and muscles of the shoulders also come into play.
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Doing a modified pull-up with a dip bar means that you do not have to lift all of your body weight each time. This version is more accessible to those not possessing great upper-body strength. To perform a modified pull-up, place your hands shoulder-width apart on one bar, with either an overhand or underhand grip. The hand position may be changed for variety. Then hang from the bar with your arms straight and walk your feet forward until your legs are straight and your chest is in line with your hands. Pull your chest toward the bar by bending your elbows. To finish the exercise, lower back down.
Extended Range Of Motion
Push Ups
A more advanced push-up variation is to utilise the negative space below the dip bars to extend the range of motion beyond a normal push-up and target your lower chest muscles more effectively. Climb onto both dip bars into a push-up position and stabilse, with right and left hands, and right and left feet/toes gripping the respective bars. Then, maintaining a tight core, lower yourself toward the floor, bending your elbows and keeping them tucked. Lower yourself as far as you can while maintaining form. Ideally, your chest will be below your hands. At the bottom of the movement, push yourself back up into the starting position.