High Pull-up

What is High Pull-up:

The High Pull-up is an advanced bodyweight pulling exercise working the shoulder extensors and elbow flexors, primarily the latissimus dorsi and the brachioradialis. It requires explosive power to pull your body as high as possible, ideally bringing your hips to the bar. It targets the same muscle groups as other pull-up variations but with a greater emphasis on explosive power, which can be beneficial for muscle-up training, particularly the transition phase. With sufficient pulling height, you may even be able to skip the transition completely.

Key Benefits:

  • Size and Strength: Targets the back, elbow flexors, and rear deltoids, promoting muscle growth and strength improvement.
  • Explosive Power: Focuses on explosive pulling strength to bring the bar down towards hip level, enhancing power development in the upper body.
  • Building Muscle-Up Strength: The high pull-up effectively prepares you for the muscle-up by developing the explosive pulling power needed for the transition between the pull-up and dip phases. With enough height achieved in the high pull-up, you might even be able to bypass the transition phase altogether.
  • Joint Stability: Enhances shoulder and elbow stability by engaging supporting muscles throughout the movement, contributing to joint health and injury prevention.
  • Core Activation: Requires core engagement to maintain stability and control throughout the movement, contributing to core strength and stability.
  • 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 or any sturdy overhead structure, allowing for convenient training in various environments.

Variations:

  • Hollow Body Pull-Up: Performing the pull-up in a hollow body position, engaging the core muscles and enhancing stability.
  • High L Pull-up: It is a variation of the High Pull-up where you perform the movement with an "L" body position, engaging your core and keeping your legs straight in front of you, parallel to the ground.
  • Supinated High Pull-up: This variation of the High Pull-up utilizes a supinated grip (palms facing you).

How to perform High Pull-ups:

  • Starting Position: Hang from a bar with a pronated grip shoulder-width apart or slightly wider and arms fully extended. Engage your core and keep your legs together.
  • Execution: Initiate the movement by depressing your shoulders and pulling yourself upward towards the bar as explosive and high as you can, focusing on pulling your elbows down while limiting elbow flexion. 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.
  • Explosive Movement: This exercise emphasizes explosive power. Focus on generating maximum force with each pull to pull as high up as you possibly can. Due to the demanding nature of this exercise, lower rep ranges are recommended for optimal performance.
  • Pulling Cue: Imagine pulling yourself around the bar rather than directly under it. This movement resembles a lat pullover typically performed in a gym using a cable machine.
  • 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.
  • Shoulder Rotation: Maintain shoulder external rotation for better stability throughout the exercise.
  • Scapular Engagement: Maintain slight scapular retraction to keep a neutral shoulder position. You can also choose to relax your scapulae after each repetition or maintain scapular depression throughout the entire set, depending on your preference and training goals.
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    Additional Information:

    Ways to make it easier:

    • Focusing only on the Concentric or Eccentric phase
    • Decreasing the Range of Motion - start on your chest height, then work your way down
    • 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)
    • Doing it in an 'L' body position
    • Getting off the bar on the top portion and adding claps or any movement while on air
    • Adding resistance - wearing an ankle weight, backpack, weighted vest or dip belt with weight plates
    • Progressing to a harder variation/exercise