Prison Workout: "Beam-Ups"
Prison Workout - "Beam-Ups"
I invented "Beam-Ups" because I do not have a chin-up bar in (or near) my home. Someone else probably already thought of these but I like to think beam-ups qualify as a classic exercise in any prison workout. In this video clip I am griping two sides of an I-Beam with my fingers. I won't lie, it hurt like heck the first few times I tried it.
Format: wmv
Duration: 00:01:07
How to do "Beam-Ups"
Grab the I-Beam (or bar of some sort) from both sides, palms facing each other. Hang below the beam. Then pull yourself up while leaning your back and to one side slightly so that you can come up past the bottom of the beam. Try to pull your chest right up tot the beam. Lower yourself down slowly to get a full stretch of your lats. Work for the greatest range of motion possible.
What Does they Work?
Beam-Ups are somewhere between chin-ups and reverse chin-ups so (I'm guessing) this exercise works the latissimus dorsi and teres major. The biceps brachii and brachialis contract and because the palms face each other the brachioradialis is also used.
Tip: Do beam-ups with dry hands only. Wet skin blisters and tears more easily.
Variations
I saw this variation while watching Morgan Spurlock's show "30 Days", the Jail episode. (BTW, that is a must see. It illustrates how dejected America's prison situation is.) Anyhoo, I would like to say that seeing this inmate doing improvised pull-ups inspired me to try beam-ups. But I had already been doing them for quite some time before the show aired.
Note: Unlike this video example, I recommend doing these slowly and strictly, so you really target your lats. Oooh I can feel the forearm burn just saying that. Yiieee!