5 Tips to Get Better at Strict Pull Ups

5 Tips for Better Strict Pull Ups

A Note on Pull Up Grip

For all of these pull up exercises, you should be using a double overhand grip positioned just outside shoulder width with your thumbs wrapped around the bar, not on top. There’s a time and place for thumbs on top, but it’s not for strict pull ups.

1. Dead Hang for 1:00

Also known as a passive hang, the dead hang from a pullup bar may look like nothing is really happening, but set a timer for just one minute and see how long you can make it. When your forearms and shoulders are screaming, you’ll know for sure there’s more to it.

Hanging from the bar for as long as you can challenges your grip strength, stamina, and overhead mobility. Relax your shoulders and start with :20-:30 seconds at a time. Don’t underestimate the dead hang. Take your time to build up to one minute.

2. Work on Scap Pull Ups

From the dead hang, activate your scapula by pulling down on the bar, squeezing your shoulder blades, and moving your shoulders away from your ears. Don’t let your legs and back get loosey-goosey. Keep your core tight and maintain a hollow body so your feet are slightly in front of you

Holding this tensed position is called an active hang and it’s the very first part of a strict pull up.

You don’t just use your arms when doing pull ups. Your “chicken wings” or scapula muscles in your upper back are some of the primary movers. Being able to control them on their own is necessary for effective pull ups.

Move between passive hang and active hang by relaxing your shoulders, then pinching them together again. Now you’re doing scap pull ups.

3. Do Holds & Negatives

Use a box or bench to jump up into the top position of a pull up with your chin over the bar and your elbows bent. Again, keep your core tight and don’t let your back arch or your legs swing. Point your toes for extra credit. Hold this position at the top of the pullup for as long as you can, then lower down into the negative.

For the negative, slowly lower down from the hold position with a 3-5 second count. (This is considered the eccentric part of the movement.) Keep the negative slow and controlled through the entire movement all the way to the bottom of a dead hang—straight elbows and relaxed shoulders.

If you can master holds and slow eccentric negatives, you can master strict pull ups.