Why Ranbir Kapoor’s workout is going viral: What are hand-clap pullups?

Hand-clap pullups are quite useful for your fitness regime because they engage with various parts of your body.

Ranbir Kapoor has been seen doing hand-clap pullups in viral videos online, (Image: Instagram)

3 min readNew DelhiNov 25, 2024 04:57 PM IST First published on: Nov 25, 2024 at 04:57 PM IST

Many of you have asked me about the benefits of hand-clap pullups after the videos of actor Ranbir Kapoor doing them went viral (in the video the actor can be seen effortlessly pulling off intense pullups, while clapping in between).

What are hand-clap pullups?

In this exercise, you perform a standard pullup, but at the top of the movement, you pull yourself up so high that your hands leave the bar. While in mid-air, you clap your hands before grabbing the bar again on descent.

One can only pull up with strength; however, there is also an urgent need for fast hand-eye coordination to clap before regripping the bar. This variation is much more intense than a regular pullup.

A hand clap pull demonstration. (Image: muscleandfitness.com)

How do hand-clap pullups help?

Hand clap pullups engage with various facets of physical development. Here’s how they help:

(1) They increase upper body strength as they work the lats, biceps and shoulders. They use your chest, triceps and core.

(2) They allow muscles to execute quick, powerful movements. That’s why this routine is good for athletes who require explosiveness in sports such as basketball, gymnastics and martial arts. They are good for working on fast-twitch muscle fibres.

(3) They help in core activation. You need to stabilise your body during the pulling up and clapping mid-air, hence activating your core muscles, specifically your abs and obliques, helping improve general strength and stability of your core in a way.

(4) The hand clap calls for a test on the grip of the bar because you should regain your grip quickly in a way that’s controlled; this helps build better hand strength.

(5) The challenge of this workout requires concentration and willpower, thus it is not only a test of physical prowess but also of mental strength.

What works well with hand-clap pullups?

You must incorporate a variety of calisthenics exercises into your training regimen to develop strength. power and stability. Here are five exercises that complement the benefits of hand-clap pullups:

(1) Muscelups combine a pullup and a dip, hit the same upper body muscles – lat, chest, triceps, and shoulders – and ramp up your power and coordination. Begin with a pullup and then swing over the bar using your chest and shoulders to push yourself up into a dip position.

(2) Clapping Pushups: Pushing up with enough force to lift both hands off the ground for a clap, you can develop greater strength and stability in the chest, shoulders and triceps. Clapping pushups work by improving upper body strength, shoulder stability and reactive muscle control.

(3) Plyometric Pushups: Push yourself up high enough off the ground to get your hands back in position without clapping. This challenges the chest, shoulders and triceps. Increases muscle endurance as well as the ability to quickly generate force, which are straight transfers to hand-clap pullups.