The Most Common Pull-up Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Most people would be happy to do any pull-up , but you still need to follow the basic rule of strength training: use the right technique and form. This video from Buff Dudes will help you kick some common bad pull-up habits.
Pull-ups are dependent on strong strength in the upper back, lats , arms, torso, and grip. For many people, weak lats are the limiting factor, so the common tendency to “cheat” a pull is to jerk the legs and, as a result, the impulse totake off upward (similar tobending ).
It may seem like you are doing pull-ups, but you are depriving yourself of the main benefits of the exercise for your back and overall strength. So, if your legs are swinging, you need to strain your body. In addition, Buff Dudes points out other common mistakes:
- Elbows in the wrong position: When pulling up (not pulling up ), consider making your elbows drop and come back as if you were trying to “stick your elbows in your back pockets.” When your elbows are too close to each other and facing forward, you engage a lot more biceps (which is fine if you are going that way).
- Shoulders are not “dropped and back”: As with your elbows, keep your shoulders back to engage the right muscles and also reduce your chances of pulling on something unpleasant. Earlier, we shared a tip to help you imagine what “shoulders and back are” .
- Incomplete Range of Motion: Full range of motion starts with dead hover and ends with the chin rising just above the bar. It’s really just a matter of taking full advantage of this power movement.
Pull-ups are a great demonstration of overall strength, but they are definitely not easy (here I am doing my first wide-grip pull-up after doing some work on it). If you’re still working on your first pullup, work on small sequences . It helps to develop grip strength simply by lifting heavy dumbbells and barbells, back strength in rows (suchas inverted rows and seated rows), and biceps strength.
5 Common Pull-Up Mistakes To Avoid | Buff guys