In this post, we’re going to cover some of the most common pull up for mistakes that people make. When people fatigue during a pull upset. 10 Pull-up Mistakes That Hamper Your Back Growth.
Gooseneck action.
One of the first mistakes is the old gooseneck action. Excessive neck extension is unnecessary and potentially dangerous. If the movement happens rapidly especially when this happens in a tired state your chances of injury are drastically increased. To fix this flex the neck by making a double chin and I want you to pull until the bar is level with your chin forgetting to chalk up your hands is a major mistake. This will result in a decrease group strength which can potentially ROB YOU OF EXTRA REPS.
Hunch back.
When people do pull-ups with a hunched upper back. They’re actually robbing themselves of max performance and the reason for this is the thoracic spine and the shoulder blades shared direct relationship. If your upper back isn’t in a good position your shoulder blades won’t be functioning as well which means your rotator cuff muscles won’t be in the correct or optimal length-tension relationship to produce maximum force meaning you won’t be as strong with this form. Make sure you keep your chest up nice thoracic extension and your performance will improve.
Pulling arc.
The direction of the pulling arc is very important. Most people line the pull up using arched version the subjects you to the temptation of swinging and using momentum. This is also a way people cheat when using added weight on a pull-up. We want to make the movement challenging and increase muscle stimulation through this by moving in a vertical fashion and you will feel a greater connection with your back.
Half repping.
Using an incomplete range of motion dart, This generally happens at either the top of the movement.
Or at the bottom range. When failing to enter full elbow extension between Reps always use a full range of motion for maximum results. Strength is joint range specific so therefore working the full range is optimal.
Dropping to a dead hang.
When doing pull-ups dropping in an uncontrolled manner into a passive hang between Reps is a really common mistake. This places unneeded strain through the shoulder complex and will drastically decrease the number of reps that you can achieve in a single set. Use an active hang between reps by keeping the scapula engaged when the arms are straight.
Think of pulling your shoulders away from your ears. If done correctly tension will be maintained in the shoulders and you will feel more secure.
Kipping.
This is a major mistake. If your goal is to increase muscle size and strength momentum reduces exercise intensity and will not adequately stress your nervous system. Specifically for the above goals. Don’t cheat yourself by kipping.
Disrespect.
Most people don’t respect the pull up as a main muscle building exercise. It’s very common for people to do a few reps of pull ups to warm up. And then when they start their workout they move onto weight training such as lat pulldowns and they assume that this approach is optimal. This is a major flaw in thinking as when the pull up is done at the right intensity enough volume is performed correctly through a full range of motion. It’s one of the best upper body exercises for you.
Pelvis position.
Pelvis position is vital an excessive anterior pelvic tilt is a common mistake. This disengages the abdominals which reduce force transmission to the back and the arms and neutral to the posteriorly tilted pelvis is recommended to create full body tension. For those of you involved in calisthenics this has a widespread application to other skills as well. Don’t cross the legs behind the body. This ties in with the previous clip where we discussed pelvis position. When you do this the lower half of the body is disengaged which often results in sloppy exercise full instead have the legs directly underneath the body or slightly forward of the hips actively squeeze the knees and ankles together.
This creates global body tension and will improve. You’ll pull up performance and form aesthetics.
Rest period.
Most people fail to rest for the correct period of time. This is because people are impatient and rest too little between sets. This ultimately results in form breakdown and a compromised number of total reps when working in the strength rep range 2 to 3 minutes is perfect when doing higher rep sets wants 2 minutes will be enough due to the lower intensity plays Choose the correct rest period depending on your objective.
Use chalk.
To recap correct exercise form for the pull-up use chalk. Engage your scapula a neutral neck at the top of vertical pulling arc not using momentum not keeping a full range of motion on every rep neutral to posteriorly tilt the pelvis and rest correctly depending on your goals.
