reasons you aren't nailing your pullups
Why pullups are great!
Pullups are a great exercise for a number of reasons. Not only do they improve upper body strength but they are the perfect candidate for helping improve lumbo-pelvic stability. And let’s be honest…pullups are one of those exercises that you really just want to be able to nail! 😉 That feeling of being able to do a pullup is very empowering!
They are also super convenient as they do not require much equipment at all but are also very technically demanding.
Now this leads us to our topic today: Due to the high technical demand a pullup requires, what are the common mistakes you may be doing that are preventing you from being able to perform one?
Let’s discuss!
Overusing Arms
Often when we think of pullups, we immediately thing of nice strong arms pulling us up towards the bar right? Well, one of the most common mistakes you can make is overusing your arms to perform the movement! #saywhat
The idea is that you don’t actually want to “pull” with the arms. Instead, you want to focus on using the large, powerful muscles in the mid and upper back. To do this, you are required to draw the shoulder blades DOWN and in TOWARD the spine as opposed to towards the other hip.
Now, don’t get me wrong. The arms are still involved however they do not initiate the movement neither do they do most of the work.
Pro Tip: The elbows should not actually movement in the first part of the movement. Focus on drawing those shoulder blades in and down as your first point of call.
Not treating pull-ups as a whole body movement
Similar to above, pullups are generally considered an “upper body” exercise and thus, are not thought to be a whole body movement.
*Insert wrong answer buzzer*
The pullup in fact, utilises the whole body!
The whole body needs to move together as a synchronized movement so this includes the core, glutes and rest of the legs. It is vital to think about using the whole body whilst performing the movement to get a nice, smooth (and strong!) pullup.
Pro Tip: Set your whole body up correctly before beginning the movement!
× Either a straight line from head to toe or in a hollow rock position (dependent on your experience and preference)
× Keep your chin tucked- don’t reach at the bar with the chin! If you reach at the bar with your chin, you are likely to break your strong body position.
× Brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
× Again, your shoulder blades will be the first part of the body to move! Imagine pinching a pen between your scapulars. Shoulders should shrug to ears as opposed to roll forward.
× Not setting the body correctly up at the start can put excessive strain on the joints, tendons and muscles
Weak grip strength
Another common error in attempting to perform a pullup is simply not being able to hang onto the bar efficiently. Poor grip strength will prevent you from even hanging on the bar, let alone performing a pullup or a regression of a pullup.
Pro Tip: Use Farmers Carry or Plate Carry exercises to improve your grip strength
Plate Carry & Farmers Carry
× Engage the core, lats and muscles in the back
× Ensure feet are flat on ground with heels and toes all making contact
× Ensure scapular stability and pull shoulders back to engage lats
× Make sure head, torso and hips remain stacked and anterior core muscles are braced
× Ensure ribcage remains down
× Plate Carry: Hold a plate in each hand with thumbs and fingers “pinching” the plate whilst walking
× Farmers Carry: Hold a heavy kettlebell in each hand whilst walking. The heavier the kettlebell, generally the wider the handle.
Relying on band-assisted pull-ups
If you struggle to perform an exercise, what would you normally do? Perform a variation or a scaled version of the exercise right?
So in the case of pullups, people will usually scale back to banded pullups. But, if you want to nail a strict and full bodyweight pullup. DON’T rely on banded pullups. Here’s why:
Band assisted pull-ups provide assistance at the bottom of the movement but this is not where most people need the help!
Form can become sloppy with this assisted movement and people lose tension around the hips, spine and legs with a band. Additionally, bands let people get away with bad form so when they ditch the band, they struggle even more!
Pro Tip: Don’t be scared of trying without a band! Eventually, it will happen. The only way to get better without a band, is to TRY WITHOUT A BAND! We aren’t talking doing multiple sets, just a couple of attempts each time you are doing some pullups.
You’re not getting full extension and full range of motion
We want to NAIL the pullup right? So that means we should also want to do a complete repetition with full range of motion! Commonly, people will either not pull high enough or not drop low enough to get the full repetition. Generally, if its not a full repetition, you are cheating your body of the full effect of the pullup. So, leave your ego at the door- it’s better to do one full rep than 5 half reps!
You overuse kipping motions to do your pull-ups
It is important to remember that in terms of getting a strict pullup, speed shouldn’t be a driving factor! Once we try to perform fast pullups, the swinging motion called “Kipping” tends to come into play. However, you should focus on being able to complete a strict pullup before introducing the kipping motion into your routine. This will allow for you to nail the basics of the movement before falling prone to breaking form during the kipping motion.
Pro Tip: Build a strong foundation and position first before you worry about speed!
Exercises to help nail your pullup
Deadbug & Hollow Hold
× Helps to improve lumbo-pelvic stability
× It trains your anterior core to generate the tension to perform pull-ups efficiently
