Movement Mistakes - Volume 1 - The Pull Up

As a "movement specialist" I take pride in my ability to spot a faulty movement pattern.  When I see a particular individual commit one many possible movement faux pas, I do my best to deliver the correct coaching cues to get them in the right position.

One of legendary coach John Wooden's methods involves showing the individual how to do something right, then showing them what it looks like to do it wrong, and finishing up with showing how to do it right again. Sometimes in order to master movement, we need to know how it feels to do it wrong in order to do it right. As such, I thought it would be a good idea to begin an ongoing series covering some of the movement mistakes I see on a regular basis.

A strong back is essential to any fitness related goal, which is where the pull up comes in. Whether your goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or picking up heavy things, the pull up is an essential tool that can help accomplish it. When performed correctly, pull ups will improve your posture, make you stronger, and help you look better naked. So why do so many people struggle with this fantastic exercise? Here are a few reasons why:

• Overweight
• Weakness
• Poor posture
• They are just plain doing it wrong!

A pull up seems pretty straight forward right? Grab the bar, pull yourself up, repeat. While this is true, many people manage to screw it up. As with any exercise, in order to get the full benefit it offers you must do it correctly.

Now here are three examples of mistakes that make my eyes bleed.

#1 - Poking the Head Forward

This one is probably the most common. The phrase "chin up" is a bit of a misnomer because it encourages one to pull the chin over the bar in the manner indicated in the photo above. When the head pokes forward, it causes the shoulder blades to tilt anteriorly(forward), as well as anterior migration of the humeral head. This places excessive stress on the neck and shoulders. As you can see in the photo above, it also throws his whole kinetic chain out of whack. Not pretty.

The Fix

• Stay Tall - This facilitates a more neutral alignment, which I have discussed extensively before. I didn't say these were Quasimodo pull ups.
• Pull the Chest to the Bar - Simply changing the focus can make a world of difference. Forget about the chin and focus on pulling your chest up. This will help maintain T-spine extension and keep the neck in a more neutral position, allowing the shoulder blades to travel down and back around the ribcage.

#2 - Pulling With the Arms

I don't know how many times I've had someone hop down from the bar and say "that kills my arms!". I believe this mistake comes from a lack of understanding of the movement. Many don't understand that the prime movers involved in the pull up are the muscles of the upper back, NOT the arms. The biceps are a "synergist"; meaning that they assist the upper back muscles in executing the movement.

The Fix

• Picture Your Hands as Hooks - Again, all we are doing here is changing the focus. If you think of your arms as hooks hanging from the bar, you eliminate the focus on the arms and will magically use more back.
• Pull Through the Elbows - The lats are the prime mover in any pull up/chin up variation. The chief function of these muscles is to pull the humerus (upper arm bone) down toward the ribcage. Focusing on pulling through the elbows facilitates this exact motion.

#3 - Kipping

Kipping occurs when one uses hip drive and momentum to complete the rep. This usually occurs near failure and can be observed as one violently kicking and thrashing to get over the bar.

Just to clarify, I'm not discussing "kipping pull ups" which are typically seen in your Crossfit gyms or gymnastics facilities. If kipping pull ups are your goal, then by all means go ahead. However, I recommend mastering the basic pull up before progressing to the kipping version.

The Fix

• STOP KIPPING! - When you reach the point where you need to kip to get over the bar, just stop. If you need to kip to do a single pull up, use a resistance band for assistance.

The cues above should go a long way toward helping you clean up those ugly excuses for pull ups/chin ups. If you are going to do something, you might as well do it right. One should rarely sacrifice quality for quantity.

Don't Forget to Have Fun

Why do you train? Some train because they just want to stay healthy and feel good about themselves. Others train because they have a specific goal. Often times chasing a specific goal is what makes us feel good about ourselves. The daily pursuit of getting better is what makes us feel alive.

Maybe you want to set a better example for your kids. After all, you owe it to them to be the best version of yourself right? Maybe you just want to impress the opposite sex so you can make hanky panky with the lights on.

Regardless of why you train, the constant pursuit of getting better can be quite an exhausting endeavor. I have been chasing maximal strength goals for about 4 years now and there are definitely days where I just don't feel like it. It can be pretty mentally challenging when you have already put in a 40 hour workweek by Thursday, then have to psych yourself up to squat above 90% after work. Physique transformation can be even more challenging. You have to be focused on training, food prep, portion size and macronutrient content from morning to night if you want to be successful. There are always some days you will dread going into the gym or prepping another week's worth of food.

Part of accomplishing any goal is about personal sacrifice. I always say: "Incredible results take incredible effort". Sure, I'd love to skip putting a shitload of weight on my back today, lay on my couch and watch reruns of Dexter while eating myself into a diabetic coma, but will that effort get me any closer to my goals? This constant sacrifice in the name of a higher cause can eventually wear you out. All of a sudden you find yourself wondering; "What happened? Training is supposed to be fun!"

I think along the way we need to remember that we only get one go around at this life, so we had better make the most of it. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step away from the grind and have some fun with our training. Here are a few of my favorite ways to inject some fun into your workouts.

1. Get Outside

Its stinking hot in the Carolinas right now, but fall is coming. That means mild weather and gives one the perfect opportunity to get outside and do work. Playing outside takes me back to the days of my youth. Its just plain fun.

It doesn't really matter what you do here. Vitamin D is good for you! Take your dog for a walk. Do some strongman training. Throw your kettlebell in the car, head to the park and swing that thing around, run some sprints, and do some calisthenics. Hell, recruit some of your buddies and make a day out of it. Challenge each other and have some fun. Everybody brings food and drinks and have a cookout afterward.

2. Challenges

Challenges give you the opportunity to break up the usual monotony of training and put all that hard work you have been doing to the test. Here are a few of my favorites.
*I use the term "fun" loosely here, but if you are a little masochistic like me, you will enjoy these.

• Bodyweight (half your bodyweight in each hand) farmer's walk for distance.
• Cliffhanger pull ups or dips - as many pull ups or dips as you can do until you can't hang on to the bar anymore.
• 10x10. Pick any compound lift, estimate 60% of your 1 rep max, and complete 10 sets of 10 reps resting only 1 minute between each set.
• 5x500 meter row. Row 500 meters, take a one minute break and repeat.
• Alternating arm Turkish Get Ups done for the duration of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird". If you thought it was long before, wait until you try this.
• The Mantathalon
• 100 Kettlebell swings with approximately 1/3 your bodyweight.

There are plenty more out there on the interwebz. Feel free to get creative and make up some of your own!

3. Experiment

The gym is your movement laboratory. Take the opportunity to try a new experiment. If you have never tried Turkish Get Ups, or a different squat or deadlift variation before, give it a shot.
Sometimes placing expectations on hold for a day feels good.

Just to be clear, if you feel the sudden urge to stand on an unstable surface, feel free to uppercut yourself in the face. If I had a transporter, I would beam around the world and pop every BOSU ball in existence.

Regardless of what your end game is, I think we need to remember that training should be fun. If you find yourself dreading going to the gym every day, maybe its time to take a step back and implement some of the strategies above. It might breathe some life back into your training.

Stuff You Should Read Because I Said So - 8/5/13

Its hard to believe it already August! This year seems to be flying by. It has been a pretty busy summer between work and personal stuff, so I haven't had a ton of free time to blog the last couple weeks. With that being said, I hope to have some quality knowledge nuggets for you all very soon. Enjoy!


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