Why can I do kipping pull-ups but not a strict pull-up?
A kip starts from the hip swing. A strict pull-up starts with the shoulder blades moving down from a still hang, and that is often the part that stalls.
A kipping pull-up and a bar muscle-up get their start from the swing of the hips. The body is already moving upwards before the arms take most of the load, and the stretch at the bottom of the swing helps the muscles fire.
A strict pull-up has none of that. From a still hang, the shoulder blades have to move down and in first — the lower trapezius, the latissimus and the serratus anterior — and only then can the elbows bend. If that first part is painful, or those muscles are slow to switch on, the pull stalls right at the start, which is where a kip carries you past.
That is a common pattern, not a diagnosis. The same symptoms can have other causes, and only an examination can tell them apart.
The program for this trains that first part on its own — the active hang and the scapular pull-up, with straight arms — then loads the whole range slowly, and only then goes back to the strict pull-up, checking the pain rule at every step.
Warning signs: see a clinician first
Do not start, or stop, if any of these apply to you:
- The pain started with a fall, a dislocation, or a sudden pop or tear, and you cannot lift the arm since.
- Numbness, tingling or pins and needles running down the arm or into the hand.
- Weakness that is getting worse, or the arm suddenly much weaker than the other.
- Pain that wakes you at night and does not ease when you change position.
- Swelling, redness, heat or a fever with the pain.
- Pain in the chest, jaw or left arm with breathlessness or sweating — call emergency services.
- A visible lump, change in shape, or the shoulder looking different from the other.
These are general reasons to have a shoulder examined. They are not a complete list.
Drills for this
Active hang
From a relaxed hang, draw the shoulders down away from the ears and hold, arms still straight.
3 × 10–20 s
Camera checks itScapular pull-up
Repeat the active hang as reps: shoulders down, pause, back up to a relaxed hang.
3 × 5–10
Camera checks itStrict pull-up
From a still, straight-arm hang, pull until the chin is over the bar, with no swing.
3 × 1–3
What it works
In the program
Phase 1 — Set the shoulder blades — Shoulder: kipping works, strict pull-ups do not
Hang again without pain, and learn to draw the shoulder blades down from a hang with straight arms.
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.
Other questions
- 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?
- Are band-assisted pull-ups or lowerings better for getting back to a strict pull-up?
- How long should I hang from a bar for shoulder rehab?
A general answer, built from the program and drill pages. It cannot say what is going on in your shoulder; only an examination can.