9 Pullup Mistakes and How to Fix Them

[@WolfCoaching]

0:13 Opening remarks 1:07 Mistake #1 - Not enough ROM 3:25 Mistake #2 - Dead Hang vs no Dead Hang 4:43 Mistake #3 - No standardized ROM 5:43 Mistake #4 - Uncontrolled eccentric 6:35 Mistake #5 - Excessive Body English 7:35 Mistake #6 - Foot position and stability 8:38 Mistake #7 - Letting grip be the limiting factor 9:35 Mistake #8 - Not feeling your back 11:23 Mistake #9 - Going too heavy or too light/not progressing ROM over time/how to use assisted pull-ups 14:40 Concluding remarks

[@Horus-Lupercal]

Chur.

[@arminarmin6851]

0:13 1:07 1 3:25 2 4:43 3

[@Data_Uknown]

Its people like you that make this world of KZbin a better place 🤣

[@ogusifoh5735]

Life saver comment 😊😊

[@thatcoolrock1707]

Dude you’ve for this for like every video you are the man!

[@BLOEDVLEK]

For me personally I use a thumbless grip to do all pullups. When I wrap my thumb around several things happen, I feel my back much less, I feel my biceps ALOT, I think they take over a lot of the movement as they are pretty strong. After a few sessions I get quite bad pain in the bicep and then what feels like tendinitis in the elbow. Thumbless grip seems to cure these issues for me.

[@lj3307]

I've read that if you use thumbless grip too much then you develop elbow issues, but don't know if this is true or not. Been using thumbless for a few months and notice no issues. Have you had any issues with thumbless?

[@doughtyism]

LJ oddly, I developed medial epicondylitis with weighted full grip pull ups. Switched the thumbless and pain evaporated. 🤷‍♂️

[@lj3307]

@@doughtyism nice to hear man. I think I'll stick to the thumbless, it works so well anyways

[@AC-xi4yn]

How do you get elbow problems with double overhand? Usually this comes up in chin-ups or one arm progressions.

[@BLOEDVLEK]

@@AC-xi4yn its still a lot of weight to put through the bicep and forearm, which it will do with any variation as they are secondary movers of pulling motions. Bodyweight if you are heavy plus additional weight is a big stress for them.

[@anymouse6202]

Your enthusiasm is contagious!

[@utkucelep4940]

Finally, a very good explanation which did not spend the whole video on scapular depression/retraction, arching the spine thing. They take care of themselves, Dr. Israetel is right.

[@TheOxIshere]

I’m 3 minutes in and I’ve already learned a ton. Fantastic advice. 🙌🏾💪🏾

[@utewbd]

"But you're not in the gym to do as many pull ups as you can, you're in the gym to get a giant fucking back!"

[@ashleyhamby7146]

Victory is mine! I got my first pull up today!!! I'm pumped 💪💪😜😜 I did 1.75😅 I had been trying to do wide grip but one of my shoulders was always feeling pain. I tried a narrower grip today and bam! Thank you Dr.Mike Isreatal 🙂🙂

[@anandhua.b4589]

congrats, as someone who had to climb these hills quote recently i know how hard it is good luck and stay strong

[@DILFDylF]

Wide grip pull-ups can be ROUGH on the shoulders

[@defragsbin]

Awesome video. I'll throw in a tip of my own: if you initiate the pull with bent arms (rather than achieving a full ROM at the bottom), it's very easy to accidentally use too much biceps. Once I filmed my sets & fixed this, I've got much more endurance across several sets. Previously, my arms would get a huge pump after the first set, as my arms were taking over and then would fatigue as a result.

[@derekcunningham9803]

I’ve really been focusing on working on my pull-up game, especially with all these quarantine home workouts. This video is great help!

[@dsb1984]

14:19 - bold of you to assume I have friends. :'(

[@Aliens-Are-Our-Friends2027]

[@me0101001000]

Hey, man! I don't know you, but we got similar goals since you're here. Consider me a friend :D

[@anthonini66]

That diy assisted pullup is genius.

[@neub4321]

I'm glad you mentioned the assisted pull-up machines. I do 1 set unassisted, and the rest assisted to assure I get enough volume in my workouts.

[@oliver3390]

Would love to see „how to fix: squats“ :) Maybe you can show more reps of how correctly they are performed. Thanks

[@fitnessandmore8271]

exactly. There is huge exercise that is hard to deal with.

[@junixie1702]

There is many variations of the squat, so each one will be performed differently. General guide would be to choose a foot position that allows for maximal depth but don't go too wide so you don't sacrifice stability. And for most people a bodyweight squat or a BB squat will be more glute biased, because you will most likely get more hip flexion compare to knee flexion. If you want it to be more quad biased, heel elevation is a good choice, or do a Hack Squat. Hope this helps!

[@legolindirteso9430]

Check at Calisthenics movement channel and also Fitness FAQ . This two channels have few videos about that subject, bodyweight squats. FitnessFAQ has a forum you can go and also ask this kind of question. If it's with a barbell, you can go to Barbell Medecine channel.

[@Emmett_7321]

+

[@gerhardebenhart6481]

If you want one of the most comprehensive write-ups on how to perform the squat correctly, check out the guide by Greg Nuckols. He's a very respected figure in the evidence-based fitness community. Here's the link: www.strongerbyscience.com/how-to-squat/

[@embersandash]

Mike’s voice is so much lower nowadays.

[@pdannysan13]

It is from shouting over the sound of Lambos.

[@Buddhamind11]

Testosterone

[@blackstonecomics7371]

I lifted at the gym in philly at the same time as you for years and had no idea you had this awesome channel

[@Grigray80]

Unreal, RP is just the best advice for lifting by far. Keep it up Dr. Mike!

[@ericdickinson6880]

In one video you covered every question I've ever had about pullups. Subbed!

[@Ruffy112]

Rule 8 is what I needed to hear the most, thank you Mike! If I do medium underhand grip pullups, I can really feel my back. I'll angle my hole body slightly (knees forward tilt) and cross my legs behind me. Doing that I can rep out 6 nice full ROM pull ups, then I put my crossed feet on a bar behind me and can rep out another 4-5 "assisted" ones. If I go for the "one true wide grip", I can barely do 1 and I feel it in my bones, not muscles... But EVERYWHERE online and IRL I see people disparaging underhand. "It's not a pullup, it's a chin up" "That's cheating because you're just using biceps" and nonsense like that. Usually, I remain unimpressed but the sheer amount of comments and missing positions supporting underhand made me start believe it. Now my training for the next months is clear. Keep going, just fdo them more slowely, more controlled and get them from the chin to the clavicle to the sternum.

[@jamescrowell8884]

Just discovered the channel. Such great stuff. Can't wait to watch everything.

[@duncan7961]

I like the idea of increasing rom rather than weight, and the diy assist machine at the end sounds good too.

[@Blood_Rapture]

the weighted pullup hack is GOLD! Thanks Mike long time fan!

[@leGalliot]

I started watching tips for workout videos after I stumbled upon recent reaction videos of Dr. Mike, and the difference in his voice took me by surprise 🤭

[@kylesunfit]

Love the high quality advice as always from RP

[@NuclearSpinach]

This channel is a breath of fresh air. "Don't worry about your scapulae." YES

[@nicolaskeith8872]

when Mike goes "that's all for today, folks" I still stick around for the funny anecdotes at the end

[@5iv3head]

Boss the content you provide.. absolutely insightful and applicable to anyone and everyone. Surprised you don't have more followers.. this is what the people need to hear!!

[@lilylow17]

This video is a knowledge bomb on maximising development of your pull ups! Thank you for this video Dr. Mike and RP Crew!

[@johntrains1317]

The muscle gods have answered i prayers! Ya-Whey be praised. 4 min in and I got virtually every question i had clarified. You guys are killing it at RP

[@WarmDeck]

Lmao “Ya-Whey” 😂😂😂

[@damiandennis3740]

This is my second video of you ,you got my subscription. Thank you for your good information

[@4uto_4ddict]

Currently only doing to clavicle, I need to go for the extra credit and start going to sternum. Thanks Mike!

[@NofirstnameNolastname]

With all the thousands of videos on how to do pullups correctly it always baffles me how 90% of people in the gym still do it COMPLETELY wrong. It's just incomprehensive.

[@cosminiulianlocic5904]

SIIIIIIRRRR. I think i fell in love with you. the ideea to add weight and rope for my pull-up bar at home. It just never crossed my mind. It's amazing jesus christ, I'm an idiot. I had that pull up bar set up some years ago but never managed to do more than 3 clean ones and just gave up. Thank you soo much.

[@tyronmcalister9869]

i'm so happy i'm find your channel, your explanations are crystal clear ! really helpful

[@marvinisrael1671]

At 84 years old I have a lot of limitations like bad shoulders, a bad right elbow, and I'm 50 lbs overweight. I use 85 lbs worth of bands. I climb up a ladder with my feet backwards in order to get my foot in the bands. I can do 10 pullups, but no higher than my nose. My grip is okay despite plenty of arthritis in my hands. I don't use my thumb or my index finger to avoid a recurrence of golfer's elbow. I don't make any of the mistakes in the video.I can't use the hack with the rope and the weight because there is no one here to help. Nevertheless, I've gotten a lot of benefit both from doing one set of pullups and then two sets of seated rows with 70 lbs of bands and one set of arms abduction with a 16 lb band for my posterior deltoids. People tell me that my back is quite muscular and broad. When you're this old the best you can do is slow down the inevitable loss of strength. My grandparents ran away from the pogroms in Ukraine in the late 1800's and made sure to stuff me with food because fat babies were healthy babies in their opinion. It's still mental torture to restrict my eating.

[@Aliens-Are-Our-Friends2027]

I had elbow pain, so have focused on using only the pointer and middle finger to pull with a neutral grip, now focusing on back and lat muscles while moving. Thanks!

[@bountzee]

Jared looks like a monster doing pullups, Jesus. His back is insane.

[@798185xz]

The variability of foot position was perplexed me for quite a while. This series of technique videos include both critical analysis and old bodybuilder's experiences. Very nice!

[@caravaneerkhed]

Understanding technical failure in any exercise I think it’s very important. Super helpful for understanding where your limits are, keeping you humble, and helping to establishing new goals for the next day.

[@guantingliu1667]

I have this crazy obsession with chest-to-bar pull-ups, from the calisthenics society, and I love this content on the 'clavicle pull-ups' and 'sternum pull-ups'. It's funny when I noticed how Jared demonstrated the advanced pull-ups with pure strength, even adding pauses at the top. I myself am only an early intermediate, but I want to do the chest-to-bar so much that I am training for it specialised. It's eye-opening for me seeing Jared do the chest-to-bar so inefficiently, even clumsily, simply because he could.

[@pacman7328]

Yoo did you get to able to do chest to bar? If so how did you do it and some tips

[@guantingliu1667]

@@pacman7328 No, and I realised that's too unrealistic a goal to set, at least in short-term. I've slowed down and been accumualting volume, by doing normal pull-ups and rows.

[@sudenluola2241]

@@guantingliu1667 Where are your pull ups at now?

[@guantingliu1667]

@@sudenluola2241 hhhhhh getting nowhere. I mean I've bulked up a lot since the time I first commented, but haven't be specific about the chest-to-bar. I mean I still can't do more than 10 pull-ups now, heavy bodyweight.

[@NofirstnameNolastname]

I was able to do pullups chest to bar straight away simply because I started correctly, by using assistance. Just pick an assistance that allows you to get the chest there and there's no reason why you can't. I use a cable station and put a bar in between and sit on it because that's the only way I can do assisted pullups at my gym but it gets the job done. It allows me to pick the exact right amount of assistance and train in a controlled manner till I'm able to do a pullup without assistance. If you don't even have a cable station at your gym for some reason then I would just use more than 1 band if that's what's needed, though I hate bands for this exercise. But if chest to bar is your goal then create the circumstances at which that's possible. You might want to watch the video again because if a year later you are still not able to do it then you are doing something very wrong. Because in theory you can do it the very first time you ever try a pullup if using enough assistance. And then you can reduce the assistance from there. But it sounds like you are approaching pullups completely wrong since you are blaming your body weight which is not what this video is about. It is basically saying to train however you need to for whichever goal you have and body weight is not a factor when using assistance and you SHOULD use assistance. The way everyone in the gym trains for pullups is so bad, starting with their own body weight or a band that's too light and then only being able to do like a few reps with bad form, that's a great way to get injured and stunt your progress. But everyone keeps doing it like that for some reason even though there's 100.000 videos explaining how to do it right.

[@Unapologetic_Health]

Awesome video! Thank you Mr Israetel.

[@mfunf]

To say this is great advice is a big understatement . Thank you .

[@jameswells7232]

Love that Dr. Mike doesn’t trash talk kipping pull ups like so many other fitness professionals. They are not a bad exercise, they are just not an exercise for strength and hypertrophy.

[@godspeedelijah]

What are they good for then?

[@jameswells7232]

@@godspeedelijah metabolic stress and power training. Kipping pull ups are to strict pull ups what push press and split jerk are to overhead press. Using the whole body in a coordinated effort to generate speed and force. Doing slow and controlled reps is not the only way to train.

[@godspeedelijah]

@@jameswells7232 thanks for that info I'm not being sarcastic either. Truly, thank you.

[@gabrielcornejo5428]

@@godspeedelijah In functional perspective, they are good for get the work done. The easiest and efficient way to do pull ups with the less effort of the back. obviously, they are not gonna develop strength and hypertrophy by the momentum of the whole body.

[@santiago_n3651]

They are a bad excercise (for your joints)

[@vladislavshevchenko634]

I currently do 18 pull-ups, but my technique sucks on the last 5 reps. During the fitness test the point is to do the maximal amount of reps, not hit the target muscles that's why I use gravity to its full potential on the negative. Don't fully erect elbows at the bottom and go as fast as i can while my cardio allows, typically on the rep 13-14 i start panting and start fully erecting elbows between reps for some rest

[@MegaVRAK]

Dear Mike this was a very good video. I was looking for something like this on youtube for months.

[@CoachAgung1]

I know ropeclimbs are not so specific for hypertrophy training, but it would be fun to see a video of you guy breaking it down and sciencify it :)

[@CoachAgung1]

@Dr. Kelly Seedman, Supple Douchebag I'll let you focus a little bit the "not so specific" part. YES, you can use it for hypertrophy, but for me i view it more as a skill and a movement i personally use for work capacity. Just an opinion. Doesn't mean it's for everyone. If you wanted a an exercise more towards hypertrophy with the same grip you could do towel pull ups

[@CoachAgung1]

@Dr. Kelly Seedman, Supple Douchebag How about we let RP handle this? Or since you're apparently already at it. Make you own vid about it

[@CoachAgung1]

@Dr. Kelly Seedman, Supple Douchebag Just got your name and thing. Hahah, the worst of both worlds

[@sayheycarl]

Great video! Would like to see one on standard/wide barbell bench press and incline barbell bench press.

[@BikeHikeLikeMike]

Solid advice and very informative. Thank you for sharing that knowledge. I've added in the pronated grip and I can barely get 8 chin-above-bar quality range of motion reps. I have a lot of work ahead. I want to be able to do 10 chest to bar pullups. On the plus side, I was already averaging 350 chin ups per week (with good but not great form) and I can probably get close to 10 quality form chest-to-bar chinups. Also dead hanging for 40 seconds or longer at a time 3-4 sets at the end of workouts seems to have really elevated strength especially in my forearms.

[@MartinBarna]

Absolutely Epic, as always. It is not that I would not know a few things you said. It is how you can relate everything to the context, which is a key + the way you explain things really helped me to be able to explain things easier and better to my clients. Thank you Sir. I love this internet thing... if we lived 50 years ago I would not be able to get even a few of your papers...but now...wow!

[@jaredcorreafitness9666]

Solid tips and breakdown. Definitely beneficial in implementing these techniques.

[@Cryptocurrency1O1]

Great video. I will definitely use your advice at next back/ lat session

[@treebeard9352]

Brilliant video. How have I just discovered the Dr now.

[@giacomotrappolini]

Shrugs, is it better to keep your scapulae retracted? Externally rotate the shoulders, internally rotate them? Can you go through the better, safer and more optimal way to perform shrugs for upper traps hypertrophy?

[@jamess5630]

you just gave me another idea for things to do with this loading pin I bought. You the man. I want to make an assisted pull up set up just because after watching this

[@revanthshalon5626]

Such depth of knowledge 👍👍 I know I'm in good hands

[@Vladimirsgrig]

Dr. Mike is the best👍🏼

[@ernestomongalo4778]

Now a days I'm focusing more on the wide neutral grip. I found it's a fundamental grip now that I'm getting older and conserving my medial and lateral elbow areas.

[@ernestomongalo4778]

Neutral grip pull-ups are my new baby. They are great for the elbows.

[@twrecksemtwrecksem1020]

Shoulder joints are different for people slightly. For me, to find my range of motion, i raise my arm to the side comfortably then back down. Now place the dumbbell in that arm while keeping it in the exact same position. The mind muscle connection will always be there for you because that's the ROM for YOUR BODY

[@mikke906]

Thanks for the info. I've been feeling like I haven't had progress with my pull ups and I've been using resistance bands. Now I know that might be the reason why. I'll definitely try the weight with some car straps I have

[@brianisagoodperson637]

rad video! if you put a quick graphic up showing what muscle youre referring to, that would be even cooler! thanks!!

[@fa113nreturns5]

Nice vid just what I needed. Tired of doing chest, arms and legs as I have no equipment and have been in quarantine. Just got a pull up bar thingamajig installed.

[@633frost]

Great f'n video Dr. Mike!

[@lastsonofkrypton3918]

Great tips, thank you!

[@SolomonWolfson]

Excellent. Thanks!

[@Skars911]

Mike Israetel is just great :)

[@BetterWorse-ge6ci]

What I'm getting from this is: up and down consistency

[@ricardomendez8655]

I got a pull up assisted machine. Going to use it to do the sternum pull ups using a little assistance and just full develope my back in the sickest way

[@50_Pence]

Rp is so good.

[@anymouse6202]

Thanks for the video!

[@michaeljamesjr8325]

Show a video of your last suggestion about the weight and rope to do assisted pull ups

[@ivelinnikolaev4638]

Amazing video! Subscribed !

[@danielsheltraw8773]

Element26 Isogrips are excellent for grip and keeping those callouses from ripping.

[@iroveashe]

I've been stalled with pullups for years, tried many things and I seem to keep getting weaker

[@Aspengc879]

eat more food

[@djbray7]

Try some TRT, if you're as old as your profile picture looks.

[@amandaellen444]

Same

[@SirAlexanderdeLarge]

@@djbray7 that's Picasso, you peasant!

[@defragsbin]

What rep scheme, rest, volume etc are you doing? I tended to get stalled around the 11-12 rep max (91kg bw), but have been able to improve by using these tips (many of which feature in this video), namely: * Film your sets and watch them back -- be honest with yourself! * Slow down the reps * Be more controlled * Use consistent ROM etc. * Don't go to failure unless I want to AMRAP the last sets (going to failure every set works for some people, but it's not for me). I figured out my limitations by recording my sets with my phone. I thought I had a full ROM, but I was bullshitting myself -- I thought it was an active hang, but my arms were noticeably bent -- I was cheating. I also found that if I don't have straight arms at the bottom of a pull-up, initiating the pull with slightly bent arms tends to activate my biceps too much and fatigues them very quickly. After the first set of 10 or 11 reps, my arms would have a huge pump -- a pretty big sign I was not 'feeling my back' as per this video. I'd also tend to rush my last reps at the expense of quality/consistency. Once I slowed down my reps and achieved a full extension (straight arms with packed shoulders in my case), my biceps fatigue much more slowly and I feel it much more in my back muscles. My old style of training was maybe do something like 11, 8, 6 reps and my arms would be crazy pumped after the first set. Now I'm doing something like 9, 9, 9 reps, then another 3 or so sets of 5s afterwards. I've increased my ROM, increased the rep quality, quantity and consistency. Slow it down, film your sets and be honest with yourself. It's also a reality check, I could do 12 pull-ups with cheaty ROM, and the first session I did with full ROM cut my max reps to something like 8 -- pretty humbling :(

[@5milemacc737]

As an ottermode asshole I’m a goddamn beast at pull ups. 6’2’’ 152lbs 😂

[@GabrielAKAFinn]

"You're not in the gym to the the most pullups" Crossfit gyms would close worldwide

[@taylorcarpenterpersonaltra2345]

Would love to see a belt squat video, a good morning video

[@shaneduquette]

What's the downside to doing sternum pull-ups for a few reps, clavicle pull-ups for another few reps, and then ending the set when the chin fails to clear the bar? If I stop earlier than that, I feel like I'm not working that hard. And if I do just the chin-clearing variation, I miss out on the benefits of being able to pull my sternum all the way to the bar for the first few reps. Am I missing something?

[@midlFidl]

That's a drop set. Nothing wrong with that, as long as you know you're doing a drop set.

[@philclarke3660]

also a bit more of a hassle to track progress

[@shathaan1763]

thank you brother

[@barsenovic]

6:19 hahahahh fucking love it bro!! so so true ok I totally SUBSCRIBED at this point... just one golden nugget after another

[@wowandrss]

I was terrible with pull ups, bands with slow-controlled eccentrics did help me a lot. Of course I wouldn't have any idea if me not doing a single one that way and instead jumping up to bar and doing it that way would've made faster progress though.

[@eyalschnider]

i looking to see you in isrsel after corona.

[@spidy10]

Standing overhead barbell press video needed

[@johnnyb620]

Just ordered tshirt from website cuz I wanna be like Mike! Also, what does Dr. Mike think about one arm pullups?

[@diesertyp7822]

Probably that he can't do it and doesn't care.

[@alperenozen7582]

If you can't do pull ups then try elevated Jackknife pull ups aka rack chins. It mimics the pull ups with reduced bodyweight. Nice video sir could you make this type of video for dips ? It would be great.

[@danjones7046]

What about pulling with a neutral grip? Could you make. Video on neutral grip.

[@spidy10]

Really got a ton fron this... 👏👏👏👏

[@novideohereatall]

The standard range of motion does not apply to newbies. If you can’t do even one, do eccentric pullups instead. Halfway pullups is also better than nothing. Just make sure to complement with another exercise that you can keep full ROM.

[@daneo617]

I just watched a gymnist do pullups and he points his feet forward legs together and he was doing sets of 15 high pullups with no extra body movements. TETO 😎

[@danielmillward9947]

It's because the abs and legs tighten so every muscle is explosive 💣

[@DrVictorLopez]

Epic video!!!

[@Romanuno]

Mike, how about dips? Both for pecs and tris. Thanks!

[@ashraffaridharis5570]

I have to disagree with Mike on #2, just with regards to my case. I have scoliosis, so my arms don't pull evenly. My first year of training pullups was just spent trying to pull as hard as possible. I've since learnt I get far more balanced results when I make sure the scapula on both sides are being activated properly. Took me a few years tho, to know what this feels like.

[@ashraffaridharis5570]

Fo sho, but scoliosis ain't that uncommon either :) Hope someone with the condition sees my comment and understands the pain of just pulling with all your might but inevitably pulling lopsided.

[@yoelmorales208]

Amazing video

[@paragon1782]

That rope weight trick is gold

[@fitnessandmore8271]

PLEASE!!!HOW TO INCLINE BENCH

[@cloystreng]

I appreciate all your content. With the pandemic and gyms closing and no home gym to turn to, I've switched over to bodyweight exercises to keep training. Getting the detaisl of these movements is really helpful. I never even considered going to the sternum!

[@TheAragus]

Pull ups are strange beast for me, I am around 5 kg from 60 kg weighted chin up (40 kg weighted pull up and 25 kg for 8 reps). Never could do 20 bw reps (17 is my best). I much prefer them as lower rep movement and use pulldowns for higher reps if I go to proper gym (home gym user). Quite surprised by mentioning the option to pull do nipples, usually bw crowd does that.

[@GLvDOS]

Mike definitely did some curls before shooting this video! That shirts about to burst. 😂

[@mylesjoseph]

New to your channel. Very informative video! Are you from Trinidad? I peep the flag in the back

[@invisipunk]

Can you do dips please. 🙏

[@anabolismenjoyer495]

This is for the really exotically strong *jared doing for reps paused*