Are you struggling to do your first pull-up ever, or build up your number of reps? This common pull-up mistake might be holding you back from achieving your pull-up goals!! This is a mistake that is made by people of all fitness levels and abilities, not just beginners. Here is how you can address and correct this key mistake so you can excel at pull-ups!
Also, be sure to check out this article where I share 8 of my top exercises for learning pull-ups.
Common Pull-Up Mistake – Lack Of Tension Around The Torso, Spine, Hips, And Lower Body
When many people perform pull-ups and pull-up regressions, they struggle as they fail to generate enough tension around their torso, spine, hips, and lower body.
When this happens you’ll be forced to pull needless deadweight. Moving an unstable object will feel significantly more challenging than moving an equally weighted stable object.
Another way to think about it… Bench pressing a 225 lb barbell + weights will feel SIGNIFICANTLY easier than trying to bench press a limp 225 lb person. Same with deadlifting a 225 lb stable bar + weights versus trying to deadlift a limp 225 lb person from the floor. Why? The barbell and weights are STABLE!!
Secondly, if you are not stable around your torso, spine, hips, and lower body you’ll be more prone to swinging and will have a longer and less efficient path to the bar. The shorter and more efficient path to the bar you have, the better.
Lack of stability and an inability to maintain a pull-up position can result from a lack of lumbo-pelvic stability. I am going to share 3 of my top exercises for improving lumbo-pelvic stability.
Lack of stability and an inability to maintain a pull-up position can also result from a lack of awareness. I am going to give you several of my top coaching cues that have helped many of my clients (and people who are following my Ultimate Pull-Up Program) correct this common issue.
In the video below I highlight what proper pull-up form should look like (how I like to do AND coach pull-ups). As you can see, my body is in a relatively straight line from my head to feet (slight hollow body position), my torso and hips are in a stacked position, and my ribs are down. I am very stable, and my path to the bar is short and efficient.
Here are 3 top exercises for improving lumbo-pelvic stability (think core stability)
1) Hollow Body + Weight Lowering
This exercise, which is extremely anti-extension in nature, improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility.
Coaching Tips:
- Lie on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Lift up your legs so they are in a vertical position, fully extend your knees, point your feet away from you (plantarflex).
- Hold a weight plate (or dumbbell/kettlebell), and extend your arms so they are vertical, and so the weight is over your chest.
- Now slowly lower your legs towards the floor, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
- Before each rep (of the weight lowering), take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core muscles (360 degree brace around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt).
- While keeping your head, torso, and hips in a fixed position, and legs fully extended and feet plantarflexed, reach back and lower the weight behind you, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
- Gain a moment of control, then return your arms and the weight to the top/starting position.
- When you return to the starting position, pause and do a proper reset.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your shoulders to shrug.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hips to leave the floor.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and flex your glutes and quads (specific to pull-ups).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
2) Dead Bug + Isometric Roller Press
This is one of the most deceptively challenging dead bug variations that exists! I’m performing dead bugs while steadily applying pressure against a roller with my thigh, and the forearm that is on the opposite side of my body. My roller is fairly long, so you may use a shorter roller.
Coaching Tips:
- Lie on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Press your hand and opposite thigh (just above your knee) into a roller. Maintain this pressure for the duration of the exercise.
- Fully extend your other leg and maintain this position for the duration of the exercise, or keep your knee bent at 90 degrees. For most individuals, I recommend starting out at 90 degrees.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core muscles (360 degree brace around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt).
- Now slowly lower your leg and opposite arm towards the floor, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form. As you are performing these movements, steadily exhale.
- Gain a moment of control, then return your arm and leg to the top/starting position.
- When you return to the starting position, pause and do a proper reset.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hips to leave the floor.
3) Body Saws
This exercise strengthens the serratus anterior muscle, improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability. The serratus anterior muscle plays a key role in the upward rotation and protraction of the shoulder blades, both of which are key for pull-up performance.
Coaching Tips:
- Place each foot on a slider pad/towel.
- Get into a plank position from your forearms and feet. Set your body so it is in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels.
- Adopt your preferred foot width. You may place your feet so they are together, shoulder width apart, or somewhere in between. The farther apart your feet are, the more stable your base will be.
- Press your body away from the floor/towards the ceiling and protract your shoulder blades (spread them apart, and move them away from your spine, and around your ribcage). This movement is here fairly subtle. Do not mindlessly hang out on your shoulders.
- 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/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes.
- Now use the muscles in your shoulders and around your shoulder blades and press your body backwards.
- Once you hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), perform the reverse movements and pull your body forward, and return to the starting position.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move. As you press your body backwards your shoulder blades should spread apart and should move away from your spine, around your ribcage, and away from your opposite hip. As you pull your body forward your shoulder blades should perform the reverse movements.
- For the duration of the exercise, aside from your upper body, the rest of your body should remain in a fixed position.
- For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, hips to pike or collapse, or weight to shift from foot to foot.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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Now that I’ve given you three of my top exercises for improving lumbo-pelvic stability, and these are just three of many exercises I use, here are two top coaching cues for helping you generate tension around your torso, spine, hips, and lower body.
Cue #1 – “Dead Bug” or “Wrinkle Shirt”
- Before you initiate the pull, imagine you’re about to do a dead bug in terms of your rib position, brace, and tension.
- You can also imagine you are trying to wrinkle the front of your shirt like you would while performing dead bugs or hollow body holds. When I’m coaching someone, one key I like to look for during dead bugs, hollow body holds, and pull-ups is a wrinkled shirt. If your shirt remains wrinkled it likely means your torso and hips are stacked, ribs are down, and you are generating enough tension. If you lose your body position and tension and arch your lower back and flare your ribs (and I’m not talking about when people do pull-ups with an intentional arch), the shirt often smooths out.
- Maintain this tension and body position for the entire set, but also do a quick “reset” in the bottom position before the next rep, or during the eccentric component right before you reach the bottom position.
Cue #2 – Flex Quads And Glutes
- This cue is great for people who forget to keep tension in their lower body and glutes.
- If someone is doing pull-ups with their knees bent, it’ll be “flex hamstrings and glutes.”
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