SCAPULAR PULLUP
This move teaches your stabiliz-
ing muscles to properly engage,
strengthening them and helping
forge a biomechanical pathway
in your brain.
Grip the bar and hang under-
neath it freely, relaxing your
shoulders and shoulder blades
to come into a dead hang. From
there, pull your scapulae down
and back, drawing them in
toward one another to lift your
body up several inches while
keeping your arms straight. Hold
briefl y, then return to the start.
NEGATIVE PULLUP
Negative reps will help you achieve
the strength and neuromuscular
recruitment required to perform a
strict pull-up.
Stand on a box and take the proper
grip on the bar. Jump straight up
to get your chin over the bar and
hold here, elbows down and shoul-
der blades retracted. Lower down
slowly, taking as much time as you
can to descend, even pausing at
diff erent levels if you can manage.
Drop from the bar, shake out your
arms and then repeat.
TIMED HANG
Your grip is often the weakest
link in your pull-up chain. Timed
hangs train you to hold your
bodyweight and withstand the
pull of gravity.
Stand on a box underneath the
bar and assume the proper grip
on the bar. Pull your shoulder
blades down and back, and
keeping everything tight and
contracted, lift your feet off the
box to hang freely underneath
the bar for time.
Note: Because they’re so
intense, negatives might make
you super sore. If you’re wrecked
from a previous negative
session, take another day off to
fully recover and prevent injury.