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Started by DieKatze, December 1, 2014 · 23 Replies · 677 Views
I am unsure about the perfect form for bulgarian pull ups. are we aiming for hands, elbows and shoulders in a single plane (like in bulgarian ring dips, although the video does not really look like it) or is the single thing we really focus on pulling the hands apart at the top of the rep?
thanks in advance. i will post a video after my session later today for you to judge.
A single repetition:
Starting point: While hanging pull hands apart first
Ascension/Concentric phase: Keeping your hands pulled apart pull your body up so that your upper arms and forearm form a 90 degree angles, plus your torso and upper arm form a 90 degree angle.
Descension/Eccentric phase: Keep your hands pulled apart until you reach the starting point.
Doing both variations of Bulgarian pull ups fairly slow is worth it.
Quote taken from Building the Gymnastic Body:
Focusing on simultaneously pulling the shoulder blades down and slightly back during the ascent, will make this is an excellent supplemental movement for iron cross training.
At the top of the XR Bulgarian pull-ups, strive to have two 90° angles; one between the upper arm and torso and the other between the upper arm and the forearm. If you find yourself with less than a 90° angle between either the upper arm / forearm or the upper arm / torso; next repetition attempt to pull the rings even further apart at the top of the movement.
bulgarian must be ended with the shoulders, the hands and the rings on the same plane. this for sure requires to retract the arms and scaps in the final portion of the ascent movement, without it the repetition will end with arms in front of shoulders.
thanks for yours answers. just to be clear: elbows DONT have to be in line with ring, hands and shoulders? from what i see on the video i need to retract more but i think thats possible. this was my first time doing them since more than a year (before i started foundation) and they feel so much easier and cleaner now. i guess i still have some work to do.
I may be wrong but I think Alex means the shoulders, hands and rings on the same horizontal plane. So from your video, you need to be going higher to get your hands (and rings) to your shoulders.
Unless for some reason Coach Sommer has changed his mind. Coach is going to be looking for a total of four ninety degree angles. One at the elbow joint (Upper arm and forearm) of each arm and one at the shoulder joint (Upper arm and Torso) on each side of your body.
Think the opposite of the Bulgarian ring dip.
Now that I think about it, Bulgarian ring dips prepares our body for lowering down into Iron Cross and Bulgarian pull ups prepares our body for pulling up into Iron Cross.
What Alex says contradicts coaches post. If you have hands shoulders and rings on the same horizontal plane then the angle will be less than 90• in which case as coach posted you should bring your hands further apart.
It doesn't really make sense to me though. It feels like if you are only going to 90 degree angle then you are only doing half rom.
Is recommend checking the video for correct rom I think coach may have revised it since the old btgb book
Im on my cellphone right now and cant check the video but i am pretty sure the video does not show the upper arms at 90degree to the upperbody?!
I'm talking about the top position, I think some of these posts are talking about the bottom position?
LateStarter@46 said:I may be wrong but I think Alex means the shoulders, hands and rings on the same horizontal plane. So from your video, you need to be going higher to get your hands (and rings) to your shoulders.
Alex means the Vertical plane, or more specifically the Coronal Plane. Watch the example video, Dillon passes through the 90-90 position Coach refers to, he continues to pull down is all.
Elbows need to be fully to the sides.
As always go by the video and not by what was written in the btgb then?
There is no conflict between the two auswe. The pictures used in BtGB are stills from the exact same clip shown in the course demo video.
Ok so i guess i definitel should pull higher.
I still dont know though if elbows, shoulders and hands should be in a single plane (just like bulgarian dips). The video still does not look like it is 100% like that. Does anyone have side view of a perfect bulgarian pullup?
DieKatze said:Ok so i guess i definitel should pull higher.
I still dont know though if elbows, shoulders and hands should be in a single plane (just like bulgarian dips). The video still does not look like it is 100% like that. Does anyone have side view of a perfect bulgarian pullup?
Pull your body up in between the rings.
The conflict I saw was between btgb description and the video. The description says pull to 90 degrees and the video clearly pulls past that.
ausswe said:The conflict I saw was between btgb description and the video. The description says pull to 90 degrees and the video clearly pulls past that.
For the sake of demonstrating mastery while Coach Sommer is watching. The ninety degree angles mentioned in BtGB description will be what Coach Sommer is looking for. In training for mastery pull your body up, in between the rings, as high as you can while you keep your hands pulled apart.
did more sets today and focused on pulling higher and keeping everything (hips/shoulders/elbows/hands) in line. any pointers?
and sorry if i repeat myself but does someone have a video of a perfect bulgarian pullups in sideview? thanks as usual 
DieKatz, I do think you're looking pretty good there. side view is always the gold on this one. Hard to tell if your elbows, shoulders, and hands are all in same plane. It looks like they are. Your strength looks good. On the next PE you will be forced to not let your torso drift back by means of adding an L-sit. But in my opinion you are looking fine on your form here. More work will come with the next PE, but judging from your strength here I don't think it'll be too much of a problem for you. (and for the record, i agree it looks in the course video as if his elbows are a little forward of the rest of the body's vertical plane, but i think the goal is for it to be in the same plane).
Nice improvement in ROM, it does look like yo hare pulling back from your elbows. try to use your scapula more so the forearms remain vertical.
thanks guys. i will focus on my elbows, get a side view the next time (wednesday probably) and keep you updated.
i feel, as of now, as if it is much easier to keep my elbows in the right position during the negative of the movement. i also feel a nice strain (dont know if thats the right word) on my lats there.
In your second video it looks like you are not getting 90 degrees at the elbow. Try and pull wider with the arms.
how do these look? i´m tempted to move forward...(4th and 5th set 5x5 of the day)
thank you!
With your palms facing each other actively pull your hands apart before you pull your body up.
The last rep in fifth set is the closest to how the pull ups should be done.
When you get to the l-sit variation pulling your hands apart first before pulling your body up is the only way to keep your legs level with the ground.
Take your time with this progression and the next one. You will need the shoulder girdle strength that gets developed for later progressions. Namely RC/PE14 and RC/PE15. The hard work you put into mastering RC/PE6 is really helpful with both variations of Bulgarian Pull ups and the SE progressions.