⚠️ 1st MISTAKE ⚠️
Elevating the Scapula — Shoulders shrugging getting closer to the ears as you pull up or lower down.
☝🏽COMMON REASON WHY THIS HAPPENS
You have a hard time dissociating the “pulling via scapula” vs “pulling via arms”.
Relying too much on your biceps + having a weak scapula awareness is the perfect scenario for this to happen.
✅ THE CORRECT FORM
Keeping the Scapula Depressed — Starting the chin up with a scapula depression (pulling shoulders away from the ears) and keeping it.
✍️ RECOMMENDATION TO FIX IT
Scapula Pull Ups are a great exercise to strengthen and improve your scapula awareness.
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⚠️ 2nd MISTAKE ⚠️
Excessive Internal Rotation of the Shoulders — Basically, flaring the elbows.
✅ THE CORRECT FORM
Keeping the Elbows Close to the Body. On Chin Ups the emphasis is shoulder extension, unlike Pull Ups which is shoulder adduction.
☝🏽COMMON REASON WHY THIS HAPPENS
1 - You have a hard time activating the external rotators.
2 - You aren’t familiar/experienced with the proper technique.
✍️ DO THIS TO FIX IT
1 - Technical cue: As you pull up, think about bending the bar towards your body. (Works with Pull Ups as well)
2 - Technical cue: Pull your elbows down and back, as you keep them close to the torso.
3 - Warm up your external rotators prior to doing Chin Ups. (AKA Pre-Activation)
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⚠️ 3rd MISTAKE ⚠️
Making a big “C” shape when you pull yourself up.
✅ THE CORRECT FORM
Pulling as straight and vertically as possible.
🧠 REMEMBER THIS
Curved Pull = Longer Path = Inefficient
Straight Pull = Shorter Path = Efficient
☝🏽COMMON REASON WHY THIS HAPPENS
1 - Going from arched back to hollow. Not keeping a Thoracic Extension throughout the movement.
2 - Relying too much on strength to compensate a poor technique.
✍️ DO THIS TO FIX IT
1 - Keep your chest open (Thoracic Extension). It will give you a mechanical advantage by matching the Lat fibers with the direction we want to produce force.
2 - Keep a scapula depression — check the 1st mistake.
3 - Look at the bar for feedback (so you know of you aren’t pulling yourself away from the bar)
Note…
~ If you eventually want to do Weighted Chin Ups nailing the vertical pulling path is key.
The practice goes on.
Sending you love, family!
- The SM Team
