Started by EvolutionarySideSteps, July 6, 2013 · 22 Replies · 10,378 Views
I´m kinda revisiting some fundamental movements at the moment, starting with the pull-up.
So I´m wondering if the kind people on this board would share their best resources on pull-up technique, be it sites, books or videos. I´m looking for everything from basic to advanced. Basic posture for beginners, the strict dead hang pull-up using no momentum to CrossFit style kipping and other more advanced "efficiency techniques"...
Thanks alot!
I would just like to add that kipping pull ups are a waste of time. You are not going to workout your muscles as effectively as normal pull ups.
I don´t mean to be an asshole but if that was the sole purpose of your post, why bother? It wasn´t intended as a discussion about what techniques are the most appropriate but a request for resources on all different kinds of techniques that exist.
Hi,
In general you want full rom, beginning at a relaxed dead hang and ending at chin over bar minimum. Pullups when done as a strength exercise should be done without kip, squirming and seizures.
In general, when using pullups as as strength building exercises you have the following points of variation:
1. Grip type - supinated (palms facing you), neutral (palms facing each other), pronated (palms facing out). For most people supinated is easier than neutral which is easier than pronated, but it may vary. Let's call supinated position, chin ups and pronated position pullups.
2. Grip width - this varies a lot, but generally most people talk about 3 positions, hands nearly touching, hands shoulder width and wide which can be as wide as 1.5x. The wider the grip is the less the leverage you have so it's usually harder, but this can vary, for example close pullups can be harder than shoulder widget pullups. Let's call wide grip pullups when you use 1.5 shoulder width. Normally people don't do wide grip chin ups, as it's an awkward position.
3. Body position - By default, pullups should be done in a hollow position, with legs close, feet touching (I find toe point helps), but pullups with an arched body are also important. Their purpose is normally scapulae mobility, as the pullup should start with strong retraction of the shoulder blades and with arched body pullups this retraction should be mantained in the top of the movement. You can also change the body position by using an L-seat, which changes the leverage of the pullup a lot, as your center of mass is now more strictly below the bar. This makes the pullup a lot harder. An easier way is to use a tucked L-seat as a progression.
4. Body motion - You can pull so your chin is above the bar or you can pull so the base of the neck touches the bar. The latter is more difficult.
5. Number of hands/fingers on the bar - This is the domain of the one-arm pullup. Some progressions to build to it use assistance where you have one hand on the bar, but your other hand is assisting whether by gripping a towel, your pulling arm (between wrist and elbow) or an incomplete grip on the bar (such as only using two fingers for assist).
6. Weight - This is a no-brainer. Just add weight using a dip belt, weight vest or dumbbell gripped with your legs.
7. Grip type / apparatus - The pullup can be made harder by making the grip harder, like using a towel instead of gripping the bar directly, using a towel or other implement to make the bar thicker or some specialized equipment like a hangboard or pullup globes.
Kipping pullups are only a waste of time if they are used as a replacement or a progression to pullups. Kipping pullups like most dynamic exercises should only be done once basic strength is attained.
Some resources:
https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/1258-chinese-pullups/ . Here you have a technique Coach Sommer uses to teach kipping pullups.
Hope it gets you started.
I forgot one more important point:
As with all exercises, tempo is also an important variable. In pullups in particular, you can vary the tempo of the exercise and add pauses at specific points in the movement. Slower is normally harder, but having an explosive pull is also important. Some explosive pullup variations can including clapping pullups (pull explosively, let go of the bar, clap, regrip the bar) or for example switching from a pullup to a chinup grip.
These variations can then be combined. So you can have L-seat pullups done with a 5,2,5 tempo (5 seconds up, 2 seconds pause at the top, 5 seconds down - ouch !) 
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EvolutionarySideSteps said:I don´t mean to be an asshole but if that was the sole purpose of your post, why bother? It wasn´t intended as a discussion about what techniques are the most appropriate but a request for resources on all different kinds of techniques that exist.
I apologize for my unhelpful post. I just can't stand kipping pull ups. Just look at how ridicules they look. 
Hating on crossfit aside, here are some pullup tips I've stumbled across over the years.
1. Start in a dead hang. This doesn't mean actively pushing your shoulders up, but you should be loose at the shoulder before you start every repetition. Begin the movement with a retraction/depression of the scapula. Make sure to descend under control and pause at the bottom, so that you're not jerking around your tendons in your shoulders.
2. Grip. First of all, if you're working toward a muscle up you should be doing all your pullups in a false grip. Otherwise, the bar should be placed between the first and second knuckles of the fingers, not the center of the palm. Most people grip the bar wrong.
3. Hollow body. This is actually pretty important. It takes you from flailing about like the crossfit pullups above to a rock solid up and down motion, with no swing.
4. Try to touch your chest to the bar at the top of every rep. This one is pretty difficult, but with consistent practice you should get there eventually. With a chin grip this is an absolute must, but with a pullup grip this is much harder, and more important.
These are the main tips to make you get the most out of pullups, as far as I can see. There are other cues, like trying to hold a pencil between your shoulder blades, focusing on driving down with the elbows rather than pulling the body up, and so forth. But these are the actual biomechanics you need to focus on.
Dritar is pretty spot on with what he said above.
I don't and most gymnastic coaches I know do not allow efficiency techniques in any of the pull-ups. That is something that was invented to decrease the time to finish a WOD and really shouldn't be used. The overview of Chinese pullups is an excellent post by Coach.
Hollow body. This is actually pretty important. It takes you from flailing about like the crossfit pullups above to a rock solid up and down motion, with no swing.
You should not do all your pullups in a hollow body. There are times when you should be focusing more on retraction of the scapulae which will be better done arched. There is a time and place for both body shapes in pullups.
EvolutionarySideSteps said:I don´t mean to be an asshole but if that was the sole purpose of your post, why bother? It wasn´t intended as a discussion about what techniques are the most appropriate but a request for resources on all different kinds of techniques that exist.
His post was appropriate. This is not a crossfit forum.
gravy said:His post was appropriate. This is not a crossfit forum.
It is not a crossfit forum, but if you read coach's post on kipping pull ups then one can immediately see they are not a waste of time. They just need to be implemented correctly.
dritar and Bipocni: Thank´s alot for taking the time to explain so thoroughly, I really appreciate it!
One thing about the hollow position pullups though... As it seems to me from text and video in this thread, the hollow pullup has the shoulder blades and shoulders retracted. So it seems to me that the hollow position refers mostly to lower back as there is no arch. Whereas my conception (might very likely be wrong) of a hollow position includes the upper back with protracted shoulderblades?
Or am I completely off?
Thanks again!
Yes, you are completely off.
'Hollow' indicates scapular protraction and depression as well as posterior pelvic tilt.
Yours in Fitness,
Coach Sommer
Well that was actually the conception I had of a hollow position. But I must have misinterpreted the explanation above on a hollow pullup then?
From what I can see, the video says shoulders are retracted (at 0:25 and 0:30) and in the text that the pull-up starts with scapula retraction. It´s those two points I can´t really get to match with being in a hollow position.
What am I getting wrong here?! 
Hollow Pull-Ups are just pull-ups done without an arched spine. The back is straight (or somewhat kyphotic) in a hollow body position, but the retraction and depression used in a regular pull-up still applies.
Aadil Siddiqi said:Hollow Pull-Ups are just pull-ups done without an arched spine. The back is straight (or somewhat kyphotic) in a hollow body position, but the retraction and depression used in a regular pull-up still applies.
Pretty much this. I just use it to mean lifting your legs straight in front of you, like in a hollow hold. Not much, just enough to engage your core and center your weight under the bar.
What coach said about hollow meaning protraction ties in well with what daniel burnham said about arched pullups, focusing on retraction.
Bipocni said:..........................
What coach said about hollow meaning protraction ties in well with what daniel burnham said about arched pullups, focusing on retraction.
I´m with you on the hollow pull-ups, just not that last sentence?
On hollow pullups, you are going to move naturally, so you'll end up in a somewhat protracted position at the end. The point of that exercise is to build strength in the prime movers.
Arched body pullups have more of a mobility focus and should be done focusing on retraction at the top. Like most mobility exercise the movement is somewhat artificial because you want emphasis on the small muscles and likely you'll be able to do less arched pullups than hollow pullups.
dritar said:On hollow pullups, you are going to move naturally, so you'll end up in a somewhat protracted position at the end. The point of that exercise is to build strength in the prime movers.
Arched body pullups have more of a mobility focus and should be done focusing on retraction at the top. Like most mobility exercise the movement is somewhat artificial because you want emphasis on the small muscles and likely you'll be able to do less arched pullups than hollow pullups.
Hmmm, I can do more or less equal amounts of pull-ups in each position, but I find that in a Hollow Pull-up, my body "wants" to break into an arch. Meh, Hollow Holds should fix it.
I think we're starting to confuse the issue. 
Bipocni said:I think we're starting to confuse the issue.
I think you´re right.........
But still, I think the thread managed to cover the topic pretty well.
Thanks again!
EvolutionarySideSteps said:I think you´re right.........
But still, I think the thread managed to cover the topic pretty well.
Thanks again!
Ooh! Ooh! Do pushups next! 
Basically all you need to know for good pull-ups and chin-ups is to depress and retract your scapulae as you do the concentric (pull the elbows down and back). This applies to both arched pull-ups and hollow pull-ups. You won't be able to retract as much in hollow pull-ups than arched pull-ups, but you are to strive to get max retraction by the top.
Bipocni said:Ooh! Ooh! Do pushups next!
Yeah! We can debate the optimal amount of pelvic tit required! 