Pull-ups have a reputation as one of the best functional exercises you can do for your back.
Looking at some street workout practitioners, pull-ups may seem simple, spoiler, it’s not!
This is indeed not an easy move and pull-ups require strength and technique.
Even those who think they are doing their pullups well often make a mistake or two.
Let’s take a look at the classic errors.
1. Bad grip of the bar
The classic pull ask for an overhand grip (back of your hands in front of you), but which spacing should you favor?
Generally, we opt for a shoulder width grip which will encourage the elbows to be tucked in towards the ribs in the high position and induce greater shoulder extension.
Wide grips, frequently requested by bodybuilders, abduct the shoulders more and encourage the elbows to point outward in a high position.
A prise large also means less range of motion.
On the other hand is the narrow grip which will tend to decrease the recruitment of the back muscles and involve the forearms instead, so you could end your series prematurely not because your lats are tired, but because your strength grip no longer allows you to continue.
Which grip to choose then?
It’s going to be up to you, if you feel comfortable with a wide grip and you feel your lats working, go for it.
If you are a calisthenics practitioner looking to develop your strength to progress to other more advanced movements (muscle up for example), opt for a shoulder width grip.
Know than socket 1.5 (hands slightly further apart than shoulder width) however seems to be the perfect compromise between activation of the back muscles, comfort and strength, especially since it allows maximum range of motion. In addition, avoid the suicide grip (your thumb must wrap the bar)!
2. Bad posture
When doing pull-ups, there are two possible positions:
- bas de dos archés,
- hollow body.
Bas du dos arché
This one is rather intended for beginners because it is easier to understand, it is a mix of traction and rowing.
It involves an arched position with the spine extended.
The more you arch your back, the more you will work your spinal erectors and glutes.
This technique decreases the distance to the bar because the chest is higher, so it is easier to achieve a full range of motion.
If you opt for this technique, contract your glutes to have complete tension throughout the body.
Avoid crossing your legs.
Opt for this pose if:
- you want to send more repetitions (to impress the girl watching you for example),
- you don’t necessarily want to gain strength, just muscle.
Hollow body
The hollow body position will engage the abdominal strap, with a retroverted pelvis.
We are lower, we have to pull more to reach the full amplitude, but we normally have more stability.
The legs are here stretched, joined, tight and in front of the hips, thus keeping the whole trunk under tension.
Opt for this pose if:
- you work your muscles up,
- you work weighted, insofar as the hollow body puts less pressure on the lower back.
3. Incorrect shoulder position
I have a scoop, pull-ups: it’s not just bending your arms!
To properly engage your back muscles, you should first:
- pull the shoulder blades down and back,
- then bend the arms while squeezing the shoulder blades together.
Many commit the error of rounding the shoulders and pull them towards the ears at the end of the movement, to compensate for fatigue.
It is an error that disengages most of the muscles you want to work, such as the lower trapezius, the anterior deltoids or the rhomboids, muscles that guarantee posture and good shoulder health.
To neglect them is to promote muscle imbalances, pain and potentially injury.
“Remember to do your pull-ups by bringing the chest to the bar (clavicle), the shoulders away from the ears, the body constantly in tension with the stability provided by the back and the rotator cuff.
4. Poor range of motion
A good range of motion in traction is:
- elbows outstretched at the bottom of the movement,
- a chin that passes the bar with each repetition, without lifting it.
Don’t make the mistake of increasing the number of reps by reducing the range of motion and speed.
Stick to a strict form of movement, don’t cheat yourself! Yes, it’s less pull-ups in the short term, but you’ll be a winner over time.
5. Not enough volume
If you want to be better at pull-ups, you’re going to have to eat it!
You might think that you can compensate with an exercise like the vertical pull-up, but research (1) tends to show that there is no correlation between the maximum repetition (RM) and the number of repetitions of pull-ups.
In other words, just because you’re able to pull 100 kg in a vertical pull-down doesn’t mean you’ll be able to easily send more than 10 pull-ups on the bar.
And for good reason, it is not the same muscle activation between the two movements.
So, you will have to increase the volume on the pull-ups, for that you can:
- add a pull-up session to your week,
- increase the number of sets and/or repetitions,
- add series of degressive at the end of your workouts.
For example, instead of doing 3 sets of 5 repetitions of pull-ups, we will do 10 sets of 3 repetitions, we gain in total
By doing more pull-ups more often, you will improve your coordination, your strength and your efficiency on the movement, see our article: This is what happens to your body when you do 100 pull-ups a day for 30 days.
Training protocol
Here is what we recommend:
- Aim for 30-40 reps strict per training session to establish a good base level.
- Over time, you want to do more reps in fewer sets.
If that may not seem like much, remember that your technique is strict and irreproachable, which changes absolutely everything!
Train close to failure with every set.
Put simply, this means leaving 1-2 reps under the pedal, which is a great indicator of intensity.
Take 2-3 minutes of rest between each set, the exercise is tiring and you must have fully recovered so that your form is not compromised.
Complete this workout 3 times a week to have a good recovery and make sure touse chalk!
The increase will not happen overnight, courage.
Conclusion
Pull-ups are a complicated exercise, no need to add more, here are the tips to remember:
- Grab the bar with a grip a bit wider than shoulder width (grip 1.5),
- Contract your abdominal strap and extend your joined legs slightly in front of your body to benefit from maximum stability,
- Remember to initiate the movement by pulling your shoulder blades down and back,
- Tow yourself with the idea of bringing your collarbones to the bar, don’t let your shoulders round, keep them in position throughout,
- The chin should go over the bar on each pull and the arms should be fully extended at the bottom for the full range of motion.
- Control your movement from A to 2, with your strength, not your momentum! We don’t want a pendulum, no kicking of the feet, no gesticulation…
Apply these tips and you can only progress on this movement!
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