While most of the exercises I use to train pull-ups are fairly fundamental, I do like to incorporate some innovative exercises from time to time. Make no mistake, while most of the exercises I’m sharing here are creative, they make sense to do.
This week I am sharing 5 exercises for improving your pull-ups that you might not have seen before.
#1) Single Leg Isometric Glute Bridge + Bottoms-Up Kettlebell Screwdrivers + Single Leg Lowering
This exercise provides a huge bang for your buck and strengthens the glutes, improves lumbo-pelvic stability, shoulder and scapular stability, and grip strength. All of the above play a role in your ability to do pull-ups.
Coaching Tips:
- Set yourself up as you would when you are performing regular glute bridges.
- Hold a kettlebell in a bottoms-up position, and perform a bottoms-up press. Make sure your shoulder blade remains in a protracted position for the duration for the exercise (move it away from your spine and around your ribcage).
- Extend your hips by pressing through the back portion of your foot and squeezing your glutes, NOT by arching your lower back. Your body should form a straight line from your knee to shoulders.
- Extend your other leg so it is in a vertical position. If you cannot fully extend your knee, or if you are unable to maintain proper form, you can keep your knee bent at a 90 degree angle.
- Contract your core muscles (360 degree brace), and slowly lower your leg to a range that allows you to maintain proper form.
- Once you hit your end range, return your leg back to the starting position.
- For the duration of the exercise, perform kettlebell screwdrivers. In the starting position your palm should be in a neutral position. While looking at the kettlebell the entire time, rotate your wrist, forearm and elbow so your palm is facing away from you. Pause for a count, then perform the reverse movements and rotate the kettlebell so your palm is facing you.
- Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hips to drop.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#2) Pull-Ups With A Pause In The Top Position (neutral grip)
While this exercise isn’t innovative, it is one many people do not perform. When many people get to the top position of the pull-up they think they are ‘’home free’’ and they do not complete the top portion of the exercise, and fall short with both their scapular and elbow movement. This will rob you of your results.
Coaching Tips:
- Set your body so your head, torso and hips are in a stacked position. Fully extend your knees, and squeeze your glutes and quads. If you don’t have the option of fully extending your knees, keep them bent, and squeeze your glutes and hamstrings.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection), and squeeze your glutes.
- Initiate the pull-up by using the muscles in your mid and upper back, and move each shoulder blade in towards your spine and down towards the opposite hip and drive your elbows in towards your sides and down towards the floor. Do not initiate the movement with your arms, and do not allow your shoulders to elevate towards your ears, or roll forward.
- In the top position, do not allow your elbows to flare out. They should remain at approximately a 45 degree angle with your torso. Hold this position for 3-5 seconds. Focus on completing the scapula movement (downward rotation, retraction, and depression).
- Make sure your chin passes the bar, but do not look up and reach with your chin.
- Lower yourself to the bottom position with control. During the lowering/eccentric component, do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are supposed to move, and should perform the opposite movements as during the pulling/concentric component.
- Do not allow your shoulders to shrug towards your ears. Keep your shoulder blades depressed.
- Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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#3) Hollow Body Hold + Band Resisted Overhead Presses
This exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility. This exercise mimics the mechanics of the pull-up, and uses pull-up specific body positioning.
Coaching Tips:
- Attach a resistance band around a secure surface, and loop a dowel through the band. There should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise.
- Lie on the floor. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Lift your head and neck so they are several inches above the floor. Keep your chin tucked and neck in a neutral position. If this bothers your neck, you may rest your head on a yoga block.
- Grab onto the dowel, and adopt your preferred hand width. Lift up your legs so they are in a vertical position, fully extend your knees, and point your feet away from you (plantarflex). To note, I was not plantarflexing my feet in this video, but I usually do.
- To make this more specific to the pull-up, contract your glutes and quads.
- Brace your core muscles (360 degree brace around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection).
- Now slowly lower your legs towards the floor, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form (and feel your anterior core muscles). Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise.
- While keeping your body in a fixed position perform an overhead press. Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. Return your arms and the dowel to the starting position. In the bottom/starting position, do not let your elbows flare out.
- Do not allow your shoulders to shrug, lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, or hips to leave the floor.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#4) Band Resisted Prone Bodyweight Pulls
This exercise strengthens the “pull-up” muscles, and improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility. This exercise can also be a great way to work on your pull-ups if you don’t have access to a bar.
Coaching Tips:
- Fasten a resistance band around a secure surface, and loop the band around your ankles. Or you may do what I did, and may secure the band by putting one end under a closed door. There should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise.
- In the starting position, your arms should be fully extended, and in an overhead position.
- Now draw your shoulder blades in towards your spine and down towards the opposite hip, and pull your body forward.
- When you reach the end position, your elbows should be at approximately a 45 degree angle with your torso, and you should really feel the muscles around your shoulder blades and lats working.
- Gain a moment of control, then perform the reverse movements and press your body backwards so your arms return to an overhead and fully extended position.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move. Do not allow your shoulders to shrug towards your ears. Keep your shoulder blades depressed.
- Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#5) Prone Serratus Roll-Outs With Feet Elevated
This exercise strengthens the serratus muscle, improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability. When it comes to pull-ups, and overhead mobility, the serratus is a key player.
Coaching Tips:
- Place your forearms on a roller (you may also use a towel).
- Get into a plank position from your forearms and feet (from the floor or on an elevated surface). Tuck your chin, and keep your neck in a neutral position.
- Adopt your preferred foot width. The farther apart your feet are, the more stable your base will be.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- First of all, press your body away from the roller and protract your shoulder blades (move them away from your spine and around your ribcage). Do not mindlessly hang out.
- Use the muscles in your shoulders and around your shoulder blades and slide the roller forward. Once you hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), perform the reverse movements and return to the starting position.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move.
- For the duration of the exercise, aside from your upper body the rest of your body should remain in a fixed position.
- Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, weight to shift from foot to foot, or hips to pike or collapse. Your torso and hips should remain square to the floor.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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