The A-Z Of Pull Up Training from Crossfit London: Part 2 (N-Z)
By Graham Hayes
N – Negative Pull Ups Negative pull ups are where the athlete lowers themselves slowly from the top of the pull up to the bottom of the hang. Typically you get to the top by doing a jumping pull up. These are another good tool for building strength in beginners. However these will make you very sore if abused.
O – One Arm Pull ups The one arm pull up is an otherworldly feat of strength that very few will achieve. There are easier versions like holding onto the wrist or the biceps of the pulling arm with your free arm. These are legitimate exercises in their own right and may help you in a quest for the true one arm pull up.
P – Push At The Top On the ascent of the kipping pull up the path of travel is a curve, to return along the same path you must “push the bar away” at the top of the pull up. Failure to do so means travelling in a straight line downwards, not only is this slower but also destroys your swing so energy created coming down doesn’t transfer into the next rep. Training tip: If you notice yourself muscling the descent then you’re not pushing the bar away at the top sufficiently.
Q – Quality In your training have a standard of what a good pull up is, and stick to it. Don’t count reps that fail to make the standard. A good standard to have is full extension at the bottom and adams apple over the bar at the top.
R – Rings. Elite Rings are an alternative to the horizontal bar. You will find it very difficult to kip on rings so the upper body is better worked. Training with or even just fooling around on rings will develop huge upper body strength which will transfer into more pull ups. Training tip: If you don’t have rings get them ASAP, if you can’t afford Elite rings then Judo belts or heavy duty lifting slings make very adequate low cost substitutes.
S – Strict Pull Ups The strict pull up is the default pull up of the bodybuilding world. Luckily even this hasn’t tarnished its reputation as a first class exercise. Doing 20 of these consecutively is very respectable. Training tip: As a CrossFitter you wouldn’t want to do these in a WOD but they make for a very good warm upi or cool down exercise.
T – Tap Swings The tap swing is the method by which you can learn the beginning phase of the kipping pullup.It’s performed from the hang with arms extended and heaving the chest forward and feet back to get the “C” shape. Then swinging back to a hollow shape with the chest closed and the feet forward but not lifted. Then swinging back to the “C” shape. Training tip: If you’re just beginning to learn the kip, or need to tidy it up practice tap swings in your warm up.
U – Underhand/Overhand/Mixed Athletes will generally favour one style of pulling up grip. The overhand or pronated grip is generally the most popular and most amenable to kipping. The underhand or supinated is generally better for L-pull ups and weighted pull ups. The mixed grip is good for most styles of pull up. Training tip: In high volume WODs change your grip frequently when breaking up pull ups.
V – Visually Directed Look up at a point on the ceiling when doing pull ups. This will help you lead with the chest. The temptation when tired to drop the head will only make you more tired and end in an prematurely terminated set.
W – Weighted Pull Ups Adding weight to the pull up is a fantastic way to build pulling strength. Their are a variety of ways in which the weight can be added. Holding a dumbbell between your feet is a good option for CrossFit style circuits where the weight can be dumped easily. Using a dipping belt or a rucksack is better for heavy weights.
X – Xposure Ask a demolition expert what recipe of explosives he would require for a particular job, you’d probably hear “P” for plenty. That’s the same recipe for explosive (I know its cheesy) gains in pull ups. Keep exposing yourself to more and more pull up work and the big max sets will come. If you take anything away from this article make sure it’s the need to do lots and lots of pull ups.
Y – Your Plan So how are you going to get to thirty pull ups? You need a plan, are you going to do grease the groove? Gradually increment the number of reps you do in your warm up? How often will you test your max? Keep a journal and write your training down. Little dips in performance now and again are normal. Little dips in workload now and again are beneficial. But the general trend will be more pull ups and more weight. If you notice you’ve stagnated, or you’ve been doing the same number of pull ups in your warm up for about three months, just add some more. You can always manage another rep, and that’s progress.
Z – Zero Pull Ups? The most important thing when training and learning of otherworldly standards is that progress takes time. There are no shortcuts. It doesn’t matter where you start it’s where you end up that counts. If can’t do any pull ups then make jumping pull ups your default pull up. Throw negatives in occasionally and heed the warning of their propensity to make you sore. If you have access to an assisted pull up machine then use it, slowly and incrementally reduce the assistance. Practice tap swings, and hanging from the bar. With a little bit of effort you will soon have your first kipping pull up then the flood gates are open and you’ll soon be on your way to thirty.
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