Improve Your Pull-Ups With These 5 Exercises

When it comes to excelling at pull-ups and keeping your body feeling good, possessing the necessary levels of lumbo-pelvic stability and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility are paramount to your success. Many people make the mistake of training for pull-ups purely by doing pull-ups. This can hold you back from achieving top results. While it is obviously very important to perform pull-up specific exercises, it is also very important to perform accessory exercises that address the key components of pull-ups.

This week I am sharing 5 exercises that can help improve your ability to excel at pull-ups.

#1) Band Resisted Wall Slides

This deceptively challenging exercise is great for strengthening the often overlooked serratus anterior muscle. The serratus anterior muscle serves to protract and stabilize the shoulder blades, and also assists in the upward rotation of the shoulder blades. If you struggle with overhead mobility your serratus anterior muscle could be culpable. ⁣ ⁣⁣

Coaching Tips:

Adopt a split stance and set one foot so it is against a wall. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position. I like to use a canister analogy. Keep your chin tucked, and neck in a neutral position.
Put a resistance band around your wrists, and place your forearms on a roller. Start so the roller is roughly chest height.
While keeping your forearms in an ”11 o’clock” position, lightly press your wrists out against the band. When you do this you should feel the muscles around your shoulder blades kick in. Maintain this forearm position for the duration of the exercise, and do not allow the band to lose tension.
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. ⁣
At the beginning of each rep, press your body away from the roller. When you do you should feel your shoulder blades protract (move away from your spine and around your ribcage). Now slide the roller up the wall, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move. ⁣
Do not move the roller up the wall by hyperextending your lower back and flaring your ribcage, or excessively shrugging your shoulders (a slight amount of shrugging is ok).
For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, and do not allow your wrists to collapse in and elbows to flare out. Many people compensate for poor overhead mobility and a lack of scapular controlled mobility by doing some or all of the above.
In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#2) Kettlebell Screwdrivers

This exercise improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, grip strength, and to some extent, lumbo-pelvic stability.

Coaching Tips:

Lie on your back on the floor. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position.
Grab a kettlebell in a bottoms-up position. The knee that is on this side of your body should be bent, and the knee that is on the opposite side of your body as the hand that is holding the kettlebell should be fully extended.
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. ⁣
Now press the kettlebell towards the ceiling.
Repeat the same breathing, bracing, rib tuck, and glute squeeze. Now slowly rotate your torso and hips, and bring the knee that is bent across your body, and place it, your lower leg, and foot, on the ground.
Now pretend you are punching the kettlebell up to the ceiling a slight amount and protract your shoulder blade (move it away from your spine and around your ribcage).
In the starting position, your wrist and 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. Now perform the reverse movements and rotate the kettlebell so your palm is facing you. With both the pronated and supinated position, the top of the horn should be facing you. This line is a good benchmark to keep track of.
For the duration of the movements, use your adductors and really press your inner thigh into the ground.
Perform this sequence 3-5 times, and then perform the reverse movements and return your body and kettlebell to the starting position.
Perform the exercise using the opposite side.
Do not keep your shoulder blade pinned. It is meant to move. ⁣
For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, or ribcage to flare. Maintain the canister position.
For the duration of the exercise, make sure the kettlebell remains directly above your shoulder, and that your wrist remains in a neutral position.
In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

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#3) Band Resisted Knee Slides A From Bear Crawl Position

This unique exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility. To be clear, aside from your upper body, the rest of your body should remain in a relatively fixed position. This exercise is NOT a knee tuck movement.

Coaching Tips:

Fasten a resistance band around a secure surface, and loop the band around your ankles. Place each foot on a slider pad. You may also use towels (although the movement might not be quite as smooth.
For the duration of the exercise, do not allow the band to lose tension.
Get into a bear crawl position on your hands and toes. In the starting position your shoulders should be ahead of your hands, knees bent, and thighs in a vertical position.
Aim to keep your feet hip to shoulder width apart. Set your body so it is in a straight line from your head to hips.
Spread your fingers, and pretend you are suctioning them to the floor.
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.
Press your body away from the floor and protract your shoulder blades. Now using the muscles in your shoulders and around your shoulder blades, pull your body forward. In the end position, your shoulders should be directly above your hands.
Now perform the reverse movements and return your body to the starting position.
Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move. ⁣
To be clear, aside from your upper body, the rest of your body should remain in a relatively fixed position. This exercise is NOT a knee tuck movement.
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, excessively 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.
In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#4) Band Resisted Wall Walks

This exercise also strengthens the often overlooked serratus anterior muscle.

Coaching Tips:

Adopt a split stance and set one foot so it is against a wall. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position. I like to use a canister analogy. Keep your chin tucked, and neck in a neutral position.
Put a resistance band around your wrists, and place your wrists and hands on a wall. Start so your elbows are roughly chest height.
While keeping your forearms in an ”11 o’clock” position, lightly press your wrists out against the band. When you do this you should feel the muscles around your shoulder blades kick in. Maintain this forearm position for the duration of the exercise, and do not allow the band to lose tension.
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. ⁣
At the beginning of each rep, press your body away from the wall. When you do you should feel your shoulder blades protract (move away from your spine and around the ribcage). Now walk your hands up the wall, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move. ⁣
Do not move your hands up the wall by hyperextending your lower back and flaring your ribcage, or excessively shrugging your shoulders (a slight bit of shrugging is ok).
For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine or hips to rotate, and do not allow your wrists to collapse in and elbows to flare out. Many people compensate for poor overhead mobility and a lack of scapular controlled mobility by doing some or all of the above.
In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

#5) Prone I-T’s Using Yoga Block

This exercise improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility. Start out by performing the exercise without ANY weight. If this goes well you can use higher yoga blocks, and/or can add a very light weight. I’m using 2.5 lbs per hand, and this was more than enough. The main objective of this exercise is to develop shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, NOT to lift heavy weights. ⁣

Coaching Tips:

Lie down in a prone position, and on the ground. Keep your chin tucked, and neck in a neutral position. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position. Extend your knees.⁣
Place two yoga blocks so they are parallel, and are approximately just outside of shoulder width apart.⁣
Fully extend your arms, and elevate them so they are an inch or so above the ground. In this position your arms and body should resemble an ‘’I.’’ ⁣
While keeping your wrists and elbows in a fixed position, use the muscles in your shoulders and around your shoulder blade area to lift your arms over the blocks, and so your arms and body form a ‘’T.’’⁣
Pause for a count in the ‘’T position,’’ and return your arms to the starting position.⁣
For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your arms or hands to come into contact with the yoga blocks. You may lightly touch your hands to the floor in the ‘’I’’ and ‘’T’’ positions.⁣
Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move. ⁣
For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not compensate and perform the movements by hyperextending your lower back, flaring your ribcage, lifting your chest or head off the ground, or excessively shrugging the shoulders.⁣
Use a range of motion (block height) that allows YOU to maintain proper form. ⁣