Pull ups are one of my holy four. If I could only do four exercises from now until the day I die, it would be pullups, pushups, squats, and dead lifts. If I ever convince myself that 12 ounce curls really are a legitimate exercise then it will be my holy 5. Some guys can crank out pull up after pull up like its nothing. Guys like me, on the other hand, grunt and groan like a cow giving birth. I’m a taller, bigger guy. At 6’2″, 230 pounds, it is much more difficult to pull my chin over the bar than somebody who is smaller and lighter. If someone argues with me that I’m bigger and stronger, and therefore should be able to do more pullups one more time I think I’ll shoot myself in the face. Why don’t we put that myth to bed, shall we? It’s like saying that a linebacker must be able to do a hundred pull-ups without breathing hard. Thank goodness I don’t have to struggle for just a meager couple of pullups and can now knock out enough reps to actually build some muscle. Iron Woody bands have evened the playing field for the bigger, burlier athlete. I am hoping to one day progress beyond needing them, but for the time being, Iron Woody bands are a welcome addition to my gym.

Iron Woody bands are basically rubber bands on steroids. They’ve been color coded depending on their level of resistance and range between 5 lbs all the way up to 200 lbs of resistance. So when you need only a little assist, or enough to shoot you through the roof, Iron Woody bands have got you covered.

Iron Woody resistance bands resemble any other resistance band out there, just more rugged. They can handle almost anything you can throw at them. Pull ups, dips, curls inside the squat rack, they’ll deal with it. I’m certain they’d leave a heck of a welt too if you had a rubberband gun big enough.

I primarily use mine for pull-ups. Sometimes I will knock out a few dips using them if I’m feeling randy. I’ve seen people use them on their knees, but this pulls the crap out of my hair and offers significantly less resistance simply because it isn’t extended as much. I put mine on my feet, which is actually a bit of a workout on its own. It definitely requires some strategy, and if you aren’t careful you can pop the crap out of several very important parts.

If you want to improve your pullups, then you have to do pull-ups. Lat pull downs will make you better at lat pull downs. Plus, there are few things more satisfying than having the ability to complete several dead hangs successively while other guys are almost parallel to the floor every time they jerk on the lat pull down handle. If you’re like me and could use some extra help, then Iron Woody bands are definitely the way to go.