The exercise you’re probably overlooking.

One of the strongest guys I’ve ever known, was a stocky ex-con. At 5’7” and 190 lbs, this guy could move people and things with an effortless ease most guys well over 200 lbs couldn’t. When I asked about his workout routine I was surprised at his arsenal, mostly consisting of body weight exercises, he told me the close grip pull up was king. While he was doing his bid he saw a lot of big muscle guys get taken down by smaller raw strength guys and pretty much swore by the law of pullups. So when I came across this video, I had to share the simple magnificent of the close grip pull up.

While I don’t totally agree with a low weights approach, incorporating body weight exercises is the perfect way to add definition and strength into specific areas. In the video below, Muscle “Mutant” Johnnie O. Jackson shows you the correct way to the close grip pull down. The exercise focus on the erector spinae muscles (the big cable muscles running directly north to south on your back) and the traps. These muscles are responsible for big power moves and helping you stay upright. This exercises is known for bringing out genetics most people didn’t even know they had, leaving you with a back ridge a stegosaurus would be jealous of.

Use this exercise to build flexibility in strength that you can transfer over to lifting heavier weights, leading you to… wait for it… massive GAINS!