the pull-up makeover
So you’re working on your Pull-Up Program and looking to tighten up your form to make them easier than ever? This blueprint covers advanced movements to perfect and pull even more.
step 3: advanced concepts
the hollow body hold
first up...
Last year people were raving about the dead hang all over TikTok, but the dead hang has nothing on a hollow body hold. Let me show you the difference:
In the hollow body hold we should see:
The hollow body hold position maintains full body tension. A lot of times when people get on the bar with a dead hang, they have zero tension and even start to swing before they can pull. That swing and lack of control make it a much harder position to complete a pull-up from.
If you don’t have the negative pull-up down yet, then I’d work on some hanging hollow body holds to build your grip and core strength.
- Legs zipped up, toes pointed
- Hips in a posterior pelvic tilt
- Core activated
- Lats turned on (head slightly behind the bar)
- Legs zipped up
- Posterior pelvic tilt
- Core activated (press your low back into the floor)
- Lats on (arms overhead floating off the ground, chin tucked)
- Again - we’re going for banana
next option
previous option
you can also...
Basically - you look like a banana 🍌
Try 3 sets of 5-10 second holds a few times a week. You’ll know you’re in great shape when you work up to a full hollow body hold on the floor for 30 seconds. That is mega impressive and a true testament of core strength.
next, let's work on...
scap pull-ups
In a true dead hang, you’ll see people naturally hang where their delts are to their ears or shoulders look kind of shrugged. This hang is inactive, and your shoulder blades aren’t set to use the larger muscles that can help you get your chin over the bar.
A scapular pull-up is where you squeeze the shoulder blades down and pull the delts away from your ears. It’s really like a reverse shrug. You can try it with a PVC pipe overhead, arms long, and try to crunch and shrug your traps towards your ears. Next, complete the reverse of that and pull the ears away and shoulder blades down. That’s your scap pull-up!
next, connect the two
… and practice getting really comfortable completing scap pull-ups IN the hollow body hold position. That full body tension combined with setting your shoulder blades and lats will set you up for the most success.
It’s not easy to stay in that position, so realize that getting comfortable with the combination AND gaining the grip strength to hold for a period of time are all things to work on during your first pull-up journey.
want to pull it all together?
Movements like these are regulars in my app Stronger by the Day. If you’re working on the skills outlined in our Pull-Up Makeover Program, but feel like you’re missing the connection and direction that come with a full-fledged program, then Stronger by the Day is here for you.
Use code 'MAKEOVER' and get Stronger by the Day for $1
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with over 20,000 active members and member-only groups of women who know that strength is so much more than lifting heavy things
that coveted first pull-up
and build the baseline of strength needed to get that coveted first pull-up
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