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Arch Body Pull-Up

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Exercise Overview

What is Arch Body Pull-Up:

The Arch Body Pull-Up is a bodyweight pulling exercise working the shoulder extensors and elbow flexors, primarily the latissimus dorsi and the brachioradialis. Unlike the standard pull-up, it involves arching your back and retracting your scapula, requiring more engagement from the erector spinae, rhomboids and middle region of the trapezius. This form makes it more challenging as it requires more effort to maintain scapular retraction and spinal extension, particularly during the concentric phase.

Key Benefits:

  • Size and Strength: Targets the back, elbow flexors, and rear deltoids, promoting muscle growth and strength improvement.
  • Joint Stability: Enhances shoulder and elbow stability by engaging supporting muscles throughout the movement, contributing to joint health and injury prevention.
  • Functional Strength: Improves grip strength, upper body pulling strength, and overall fitness, translating to improved performance in daily activities and sports.
  • Versatile and Scalable: This can be performed with or without added resistance, making it adaptable for all fitness levels.
  • Convenience: This can be performed using a pull-up bar, rings, or any sturdy overhead structure, allowing for convenient training in various environments.

Variations:

  • Chin Up: Performing the pull-up in a supinated grip, emphasizing biceps engagement.
  • Neutral Grip Pull-Up: Performing the pull-up in a neutral grip, engaging the brachioradialis more by putting the biceps at a mechanical disadvantage.
  • Hollow Body Pull-Up: Performing the pull-up in a hollow body position, engaging the core muscles and enhancing stability.
  • Weighted Arch Body Pull-Up: Intensify the exercise by adding resistance with a weight belt or wearing an ankle weight for advanced practitioners.

Exercise Classification

Primary Muscles (red)

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Lats, Teres Major, Rear Delts, Brachialis, Brachioradialis

Secondary Muscles (blue)

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Triceps Long Head, Middle & Lower Traps, Infraspinatus, Biceps, Forearm Flexors, Erector Spinae

Other Muscles

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Core Muscles, Scapular Muscles, Rotator Cuff Muscles, Arm Muscles

Exercise Type

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Strength

Mechanics

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Compound

Muscular System Showing the Targetted Muscles of the Exercise

Note: This may not be 100% accurate, but it's good enough as a reference.

Execution Technique & Tips

How to perform Pronated to Neutral Grip Ring Pull-Ups:

  • Starting Position: Hang from a bar with a pronated grip slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and arms fully extended. Extend your spine to lift your chest upwards, depress and retract your scapula, and maintain it.
  • Execution: Initiate the movement by pulling yourself upward towards the bar until your elbows reach the side of your lats or your chest touches the bar, focusing on pulling your elbows down to or past your sides and further retracting your scapula. Hold the top position briefly, then lower yourself back to the starting position with control.
  • Repetition: Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Breathing Technique:

Proper breathing is crucial for maximizing performance and maintaining stamina throughout the exercise. Experiment with what you're comfortable with and let you perform your best. For starters, you can try the following:

  • Inhale: Inhale at the starting position or as you lower your body back to the starting position.
  • Exhale: Exhale at the top/end position.

Exercise Tips/Pointers:

  • Chest to Bar: Whether you touch the bar with your chest or not doesn't matter when it comes to lat engagement as long as you pull your elbows towards your lats or at least close to it. To touch the bar with your chest, you only have to strengthen your rhomboids and middle trapezius to get stronger at scapular retraction for your chest to touch the bar as long as you pull high enough.
  • Grip: Grip the bar around the middle of your palms and the base of your fingers, and grip them tighter as you pull up. As you grip the bar, maintain a slight wrist flexion to better engage your forearm muscles and improve your grip.
  • Grip Width: Choose a grip width based on your preference and goals. A wide grip (frontal plane/shoulder adduction) allows you to bias the lower region of your lats, while around shoulder-width grip (sagittal plane/shoulder extension) allows you to bias the lats' upper region.
  • Elbow Cue: Focus on pulling your elbows down towards your sides or lats to effectively engage the shoulder extensors rather than simply thinking of pulling yourself up towards the bar.
  • Shoulder Rotation: Maintain shoulder external rotation for better stability throughout the exercise.
  • Scapular Engagement: You can choose to relax your scapulae after each repetition or maintain scapular depression throughout the entire set, depending on your preference and training goals.

General Tips:

  • Keep your head neutral throughout the movement to promote proper spinal alignment and muscle engagement, and move only when necessary.

  • Include pauses in specific areas or positions to improve your conditioning, gain strength in those parts of the movement, address weaknesses, and enhance your overall performance.

  • Focus on maintaining proper form throughout to ensure optimal muscle engagement and and reduce the risk of injury.

  • Perform each repetition with controlled and deliberate movements to maximize the effectiveness of the exercise.

  • Keep your core muscles engaged throughout the entire movement, especially during the concentric phase, to enhance stability and efficiency.

  • Pay attention to your breath, syncing it with the movement. This not only enhances performance but also promotes a mindful and focused workout experience.

  • Aim for a consistent range of motion with each repetition. If the intensity becomes too high and you can no longer modify it in other ways, it's acceptable to reduce the range of motion. Begin at a comfortable level and gradually increase the range up to the standard active ROM for the target muscle or full ROM for mobility purposes as you build strength.

  • Focus on performing each repetition with proper form rather than rushing through the exercise. Quality repetitions yield better results and reduce the risk of injury.

  • Pay attention to any discomfort or strain during the exercise. Adjust your form or intensity accordingly, or stop the exercise if needed.

Additional Information:

Comment:

Might as well watch the full video to better understand the different pull-up techniques.

Ways to make it easier:

  • Focusing only on the Concentric or Eccentric phase
  • Decreasing the Range of Motion - partial reps, only go as far as you can handle
  • Using external force for support - resistance bands, a partner or something
  • Regressing to an easier variation/exercise

Ways to make it harder:

  • Playing with the Tempo & adding an Isometric phase (pause/hold)
  • By pulling until your chest level
  • Adding resistance - wearing an ankle weight, backpack, weighted vest or dip belt with weight plates
  • Progressing to a harder variation/exercise

Note:

It's important to keep in mind that muscle activation can vary based on different factors such as form, execution, and individual anatomy. Additionally, certain exercises may engage multiple muscle groups, and the listed target muscles may not be the only muscles involved in the movement. For instance, the antagonists muscles would often act as stabilizer to support joints and prevent excessive movement that might cause an injury.

Injury Prevention:

Before doing any exercises, be sure to warm up first. This helps to prepare your body prior to the exercise and helps lessen the risk of injury.

This is just one the many ways to reduce the risk of injury. Be sure to implement other techniques for a pain-free and enjoyable fitness journey.

Disclaimer:

While we strive for accuracy, there may be details that are subject to change in the future. If you come across any inaccuracies or have feedback/suggestions, please inform us. Your input is valuable, and we appreciate your assistance in maintaining the accuracy of our content.