Pull up & Shoulder positioning

Hi,

I am looking to improve my pull up form. My pulling strength is far weaker than my handstand strength and i suspect it is because of some poor shoulder positioning. I cannot pull my Chest to the Bar on pull ups and my. Shoulders roll forward (see end of video for still frames of shoulders rolled forward at top.

Any ideas on how to improve this? Working on improving the mobility in my pecs which are tight.

Thanks.

Your main problem is flaring your elbows out. Keep them tucked in and you should get better activation. You should eventually have your elbows pointing directly behind you.

Well from what I see is that you're not pulling your shoulders down and back before you engage the pull up, so working on that would definitely be a start. What I think the main reason is for the shoulders rolling forward is you're bringing the elbows out rather than trying to pull the edges of your elbows down towards your ribs in an externally rotated position. 

Stretching your chest will help, also stretch out your traps, as you mentioned your handstand strength is well developed 

Jake Lawrance said:

Well from what I see is that you're not pulling your shoulders down and back before you engage the pull up, so working on that would definitely be a start. What I think the main reason is for the shoulders rolling forward is you're bringing the elbows out rather than trying to pull the edges of your elbows down towards your ribs in an externally rotated position. 

 

Stretching your chest will help, also stretch out your traps, as you mentioned your handstand strength is well developed 

Hey thanks, what sort of trap stretching do. You mean?

RF91 said:

Hey thanks, what sort of trap stretching do. You mean?

Upper trap stretching. Sit on a bench and with one arm grab the edge of the bench, relax the shoulder and tilt your head in the opposite direction, then do the same but vice versa for the other side

Should you really keep elbows close to body during regular pull-ups?

For rows and chin-ups that's fine but pull-ups I always went with arms out to the sides thinking that's how they're done.

I think how flared your elbows are will depend on how wide you grip. With a shoulder width grip, you should be able to keep your elbows in. If your triceps touch your sides, that's a full contraction. With a wide grip this isn't possible

Well if you do go arm out wide you should still aim on bringing them down vertically towards the hips and slightly forward as to prevent the shoulders rounding. It is possible to do pull ups with a flat back without pulling the elbows in but it's best to learn how to keep the shoulders back before anything. 

Still, with a wide grip it is still possible to retract the shoulders by aiming to pull the elbows down to the sides - as demonstrated here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtoeAYZo1Pg   

I see, interesting

Yeah, you can still do as much as you can in terms of ROM for the wide grip pull-ups. But having your elbows touch your sides would be maximum shoulder adduction, which you can't do with a wider grip

Hey, 

Is this better? trying to keep elbows more tucked. Still cannot get my chest to the bar which is my goal right now. Find this odd because I can do 3-4 strict MU.

Thanks

Nearly beautiful. One problem, your right shoulder is higher than the other, try to engage your lower trap (depression) on the right side more. Fiddle around in the hang and try to feel even and if almost your neck is growing taller than the shoulders 

Also, it'd be a good idea to do a side shot so we can see the balance between retraction/protraction.

You are arched, both for pull ups and for rows.

You actually start ached, then there is a sort of spinal wave as you elevate.

I don't know what that means or how to correct it, but that is not "proper form"

Your rows ROM seems a bit limited (do not or hands barely reach the chest) - it may be you have very long forearms, or because you lack ROM and/or effort at the end of the movement.

We need to see your pull ups from a side view. And I'm not sure which variation of the pull up you want critiqued?

-Record one clip of you doing a slow, shoulder-width, elbows-in pull up with an arched back from start to finish, with a pause at the top of your maximum height / retraction.

-Record another clip of you doing a slow, shoulder-width, elbows in pull up maintaining a hollow body from start to finish with a pause at the top of your maximum height / retraction.

RF91 said:

Hey, 

Is this better? trying to keep elbows more tucked. Still cannot get my chest to the bar which is my goal right now. Find this odd because I can do 3-4 strict MU.

Thanks

 

Your camera is tilted, which makes it hard to see where you tilt, but based on still frames near the top it is clear that you seem to be elevating your left shoulder more than the right. You can see how the left covers the bar while the right is still below it if you watch yourself on the way up. It seems like you might be doing this a little in the hang as well, but it isn't anywhere near as severe (if it's actually happening). Based on what I am seeing, you are doing a better job of keeping the right elbow in than the left, and I think this is why you see yourself lean to the right as you go up. You may have to watch a few times, but if you look at yourself rising through the pull up near the halfway mark, you can see very clearly that you are pulling to the right. The most likely reason for this is that you're not squeezing that left elbow in enough, and that is a symptom of not using your left lat quite as much as the right. 

My suggestion for this is to start at the top, squeeze the elbows in so that they are in front of you and upper arms are next to the rib cage. Keep them there, and keep your body straight, and try to go down slowly without changing this. It will probably feel different, and will probably be harder, and you will probably notice your lats working a lot more.

We also do need a side shot to give decent feedback on body shape.

gohei_ said:

Should you really keep elbows close to body during regular pull-ups?

For rows and chin-ups that's fine but pull-ups I always went with arms out to the sides thinking that's how they're done.

Yes, it helps with bar muscle ups.