•
Chin-ups, when one's forearms are parallel with palms facing the operator closer together than shoulder-width, are a common exercise. The user works to pull his body upwards until his chin is over the bar. Chin-ups work the
biceps,
forearms,
chest, and several upper back muscles, particularly the latissimus dorsi,
trapezius, and
rhomboid muscles. •
Pull-ups, when one's grip is wide with the palms facing away from the user, are also common. One attempts to pull himself up and touch his chest to the pull-up bar. Pull-ups strongly involve the
latissimus dorsi muscle. •
Dips, exercises in which one 'dips' oneself between parallel bars, making sure to never bend the elbows less than 90 degrees, are also used to strengthen the
triceps and chest. Keeping the torso vertical can increase the amount of use of many of the involved muscles. • Deep or Atlas
pushups use the triceps and chest more thoroughly than standard pushups. The
knee raise exercise will work the lower
abdominals, and can also work the obliques (see
abdominal external oblique muscle and
abdominal internal oblique muscle) if one twists the
torso during the exercise. This version of the knee raise has been praised by fitness communities for its effectiveness, as working the
abdominal muscles. Previous research has shown that a captain's chair knee raise will elicit a greater
electromyography (EMG) response than the standard crunch. This means that the knee raise in the captain's chair will have more activation in the muscle than the standard crunch. However, 2013 research has shown that it has the same EMG activity as the standard crunch. This newer research is yet to be published. One aspect that both researches agree on is that there is no difference in activation of upper
rectus abdominis and lower rectus abdominis, as it is speculated that the muscle acts as one and cannot be differentiated. Advanced users may increase resistance by wearing a weighted vest or
ankle weights, holding a
dumbbell between the feet,
kettlebells on the toes, a resistance band tied from one's feet to the bottom of the tower, or other heavy weights. ==See also==