As I talk about ALL the time, pull-ups are a moving plank, or hollow body depending on what body position you choose to adopt. If you cannot generate and maintain enough tension and stability around your torso, spine, and hips you will be more prone to pulling needless deadweight and swinging. The end result is each rep will feel so much tougher than it should.
Here are 5 core exercises that will help you generate tension, maintain the pull-up specific body position, and will therefore improve your ability to excel at pull-ups.
#1) Hollow Body Hold + Band Resisted Overhead Presses
This exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility.
Coaching Tips:
- Lie on your back on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Loop a resistance band around the bottom of your feet, hold the band in each hand, and get into the bottom position of an overhead press. There should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise.
- Lift up your legs so they are in a vertical position, fully extend your knees, and point your feet away from you (plantarflex).
- 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 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 overhead presses.
- In the top position of the press your elbows should be fully extended. Do not perform the overhead pressing movement by shrugging your shoulders, arching your back, flaring your ribcage, or a combination.
- Gain a moment of control, and perform the reverse movements and return your arms to the starting position. In the starting/bottom position, do not allow your elbows to flare out.
- During the overhead presses, do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move and should upwardly rotate, protract, and elevate (spread apart and move away from your spine, around your ribcage, and away from your opposite hip). During the lowering your shoulder blades should perform the reverse movements.
- When you return to the starting position pause and do a proper reset. Most people rush and do not 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.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes and quads (makes these more specific to pull-ups).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#2) Renegade Rows From Bear Crawl
This exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability, shoulder and scapular controlled mobility (on the side that is moving), and stability (on the side that is planted).
Coaching Tips:
- Get into a bear crawl position. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Place your thighs so they are in a vertical position, bend your knees, and keep them a few inches above the floor.
- Your shoulders should be above your hands/the weights.
- 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.
- Perform a single arm row. In the top position, do not allow your elbow to flare out.
- Lower the weight to the starting position with control. Your shoulder blade should perform the reverse movement (protraction) as it did during the rowing/concentric component. Think about moving your shoulder blade away from your spine and around your ribcage. Do not keep it pinned.
- Pay attention to your non-working/supporting side. Push your body away from the dumbbell/towards the ceiling and protract your shoulder blade (move it away from your spine and around your ribcage). Do not mindlessly hang out.
- 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, 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.
#3) Prone Roller Serratus Roll-Outs
This exercise strengthens the serratus muscle, improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability. The serratus plays a key role in the upward rotation of the scapulae and overhead mobility.
Coaching Tips:
- Place your forearms on a roller (you may also use a towel).
- Get into a plank position from your forearms and feet. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to heels.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around the 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.
- First of all, press your body away from the roller 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.
- 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, your body should remain in a straight line from 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, weight to shift from foot to foot, or hips to pike or collapse.
- 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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#4) Dead Bugs With 2 Kettlebells + Banded Press-Out
This exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility.
If you don’t have kettlebells you can also use dumbbells.
Coaching:
- Lie on your back on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Place a resistance band around your wrists. Hold a weight in either hand.
- Extend your arms so they are in a vertical position, and are above your armpits.
- Lightly press your forearms out against the band (laterally), and maintain this press for the duration of the exercise.
- Fully extend your knees and maintain this position for the duration of the exercise, or keep your knees bent at 90 degrees. For most individuals, I recommend keeping the knees bent.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air 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 contract your core muscles (360 degree brace around your spine), steadily exhale through your teeth, slowly lower your leg and arms/weights towards the floor, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
- Gain a moment of control, and then return your arms/weights and your 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.
#5) Hollow Body Hold + 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 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, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core muscles (360 degree brace), 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, return your arm 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).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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