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!
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.
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.
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