Scapular Pulls

The first step toward a pull-up, and the step most people skip. You hang from a bar with completely straight arms, then pull your shoulder blades down and together (without bending your elbows) to rise a few centimeters. It looks like almost nothing is happening, but it's training the exact muscle action your shoulders need to start every future pull-up, muscle-up, and front lever.

Without strong scapular control, pull-ups feel shaky and shoulders end up cranky. Spending a couple of weeks owning this movement pays off later, both in strength and in staying injury-free.

More information here:

Video by Zack Henderson

How to do it

Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, arms fully straight, body relaxed. Without bending your elbows at all, pull your shoulder blades down and together. Imagine pointing your chest up toward the ceiling and tucking your shoulder blades into your back pockets. Pause briefly at the top, then let the shoulder blades shrug back up into a passive hang.

Target

• Sets: 3
• Reps: 10
• Rest: 90 seconds between sets
• Advance when: 3×10 with a brief 1-2 second hold at the top of each rep

Key tips

• Keep your arms completely straight. This is all shoulder blades, not biceps
• Think about pulling the bar down toward your hips rather than lifting your body up
• Hold the top position for 1-2 seconds to really feel the mid-back working
• If you can't hang yet, do the same pattern from a low bar with your feet on the ground

Progression

Easier variation: nothing. This is the starting point for vertical pulling. If grip is the limiter, practice simple dead hangs daily until you can hang 30 seconds.

Harder variation: once you own 3x10 scapular pulls plus a comfortable 30-second dead hang, start trying to bend the elbows from the top position. That's the entry into the Pull-Up Negative in Level 2.