This week in the gym!
Bulletproof through the basics: Strength and Stability through the Strict Pull Up
Possibly one of the most daunting movements that the general population let hold them back from physical fitness is: The Strict Pull Up. We’ve heard it time and time again and the story usually goes something like this:
“There’s no way I could ever come to one of your CrossFit classes. I can’t even do one pull up!”
Usually, there’s one of two ways to go about it from here - either give up and avoid the one movement that could be beneficial for your performance for your strength and health in life OR do something about it!
Having struggled with the movement ourselves in the past, we can honestly say that there are a right and wrong way to go about it. Start checking in with yourself in preparation for the strict pull work
Strengthen up that core!
Keeping the body in the right position during the hang will prove to be essential for getting that chin over the bar. Without the core in a braced position, we are actually blocking ourselves from the full potential of our strength. Hanging with an open hip and an arched rib cage reduces torque on the bar and leaves you hanging from smaller stability muscles and ultimately leading to unstable shoulders. Learning how to hold the hollow body positions is huge for the pull-up game. We often programme these are a part of the warm-up for sessions that require a bit more a gymnastic effort
Tighten up that grip
Some of us actually have a surprising amount of strength in us to get our chin up and over the bar, but our grip from our forearms weakens first! Embracing the benefits that can be gained from farmer’s and waiter’s walks would be an excellent place to start. These movements not only aid your grip, but when done correctly will help to strengthen the stabilising muscles through the back, rotator cuffs and the core - all of which will help to bulletproof your shoulders and help to prevent injury in the future.
Another great way to work on the grip is to get to hanging off of that pull-up bar! Working on static hanging is a great way to get a feel for holding your own body weight for grip strength. Dynamic holds will also do you some good here, so working on jumping up to the top of the pull-up and holding with a tempo descent will give you some big strength gains for developing the pull from a dead hang.
Work on the pull
There is a right and a wrong way to pull. When the body is put under foreign tensions of movement it sometimes compensates by recruiting the wrong muscles. Through spending some time with a movement like the Ring Row, we can work on activating and developing the right pulling muscles while varying the body angle for our own personal level of difficulty. Getting strong chest to ring pulls can really help to strengthen the muscles needed to get through the final pull at the top of the movement. Bent-Over Row and Batwings are also killer movements for working on any asymmetries in pulling strength.
“But if I can kip why should I go back to basics?”
We are not shunning the kip by any means. It is in fact an adaptation of movement that has its time, place and need, however, the transferrable benefits from working on a strict pull up are far from endless. Let’s highlight just a few:
It will develop strength in the pull for your Power and Olympic lifts
Your rowing power output will rise noticeably
They will help improve your posture, especially if you’re stuck at a desk for +8 hours per day
Proper pull-up movement will develop stable and strong shoulders and prevent injury
WORKOUT OF THE DAY:
MONDAY - Pauline’s Leaving WOD
TUESDAY - [HEAVY DAY] Legs legs legs - set your 1 rep Back Squat!
WEDNESDAY - [BUILD+MOVE] This is a skill session focus on the Snatch movement followed by 17.1
THURSDAY - [SWEAT+GRIND] "Heavy Cindy" ...deadlifts & 1 round of Cindy
FRIDAY - [BUILD+MOVE] Tempo Front Squat cycle has started!
SATURDAY - [BUILD+MOVE] Find a heavy 5 Power Clean for the day followed by team of 2 workout
SUNDAY - [SWEAT+GRIND] The Big Sexy 2, getting you swole and sexy
OTHERS:
MONDAY [CHALK HR]- Learn more about your heart rate with Alan.
WEDNESDAY & SUNDAY [Barbell Club] - As strong as Jay!