Hey, it’s Jennifer, I want to talk today about what you should be shooting for with pull ups and what good indicators are that, even if you can get your chin over the bar, maybe a band or a box, or some sort of assistance would be useful to help you maintain good technique.
A lot of people, including myself, tend to do what I call spank pull ups which is when you’re hanging on the bar and the first thing you do is kind of arch up to get the chin over the bar. You’re in this arch position and you kind of get yourself up with the arch. That’s not what we’re looking for when you want a pull up with really good technique. You actually want to maintain a haul position and do a pull that straight up so not pulling out first, and then up. The reason we all do this is because it’s easier to pull something horizontally than it is to pull it vertically which makes us kind of cheat because we aren’t strong enough. Here’s what you should aim for: A nice tall position, pulling straight up, maintaining your “banana” shape as you go.
Hopefully that’s helpful. If that’s a no-go for you, you can always use a band or hang on a low bar, put your feet in front and use your feet to assist you or grab a box, put your feet up on the box and practice that way. Hopefully you found that helpful, and I’ll see you next time.
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