Scapular pull-up
Repeat the active hang as reps: shoulders down, pause, back up to a relaxed hang.
Trains the shoulder blades to move first, again and again, through the range a strict pull-up starts in.
Starting dose: 3 × 5–10, resting 75 seconds between sets. One-second pause at the top of each.
You need a bar.
Step 3 of the pull-up progression, from a hang to a strict pull-up (7 steps).
How to do it
- Hang with straight arms.
- Pull the shoulders down so the body rises a few centimetres. Keep the elbows straight.
- Pause for a second at the top.
- Lower slowly back to the relaxed hang. That is one.
Think about
- Straight arms the whole time
- One-second pause
- Slow on the way back up to the ears
Watch for
- Bending the elbows
- Kicking the legs
- Bouncing out of the bottom
Easier: Feet on a box, taking some of the weight.
Harder: Hold the top of each rep for three seconds, or move on to lowering from the top of a pull-up.
What it works
See all of them on the body model →
Checking it on camera
From the front, two to three metres away, whole body and bar in frame, at about chest height. See it in the filming guide.
The pain rule
- 0–3 out of 10 during the drill: fine, carry on.
- 4–5: do less — a smaller range, fewer reps, or the easier version.
- 6 or more: stop that drill for today.
- Worse the next morning than before the session: that session was too much. Step back.
- 6 or more on waking, any morning: rest the shoulder that day.
Sharp or catching pain, or pins and needles, means stop regardless of the number.
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Where it is used
- Phase 1 — Set the shoulder blades — Shoulder: kipping works, strict pull-ups do not
- Phase 2 — Own the top and the way down — Shoulder: kipping works, strict pull-ups do not
- Phase 3 — Strict again — Shoulder: kipping works, strict pull-ups do not
Questions about this
- Why can I do kipping pull-ups but not a strict pull-up?
- Why does my shoulder hurt at the start of a pull-up, from a dead hang?
- What muscles start a pull-up?
- Scapular pull-up vs active hang: what is the difference?
- How do I get a strict pull-up back after shoulder pain?
- Should I keep kipping while my shoulder is sore?
- How much pain is OK during shoulder rehab drills?