Holding your breath during intense exercise like pull ups, or simply breathing too fast in an uncontrolled manner, can cause light-headedness. If you feel dizzy while extending your neck and looking up during pull ups this could be a sign of “Top Shelf Vertigo”. Plus, if you aren’t properly retracting your shoulders you may be … Read more
Poor technique is the main reason you can’t feel pull ups in your lats You should arch your lower back, puff out your chest, pull your shoulders back, and ensure that your elbows remain directly under the bar throughout the movement. The 4 Checkpoints For the Perfect Pull Up Firstly, I think it’s important to … Read more
The armpit pain you’re feeling after pull ups is actually your teres major muscle. It connects the shoulder blade to the upper arm, and therefore is located around the armpit area. The teres major also happens to work in conjunction with the lats. So, if you’re training your lats, e.g. during pull ups, then you … Read more
Lat pulldowns, much like pull ups, will certainly train the lats, biceps, rear deltoids, rhomboids, and traps. However, there also happens to be a huge amount of core activation during pull ups, which is significantly reduced during lat pulldowns. A better alternative would be to do kneeling lat pulldowns (as opposed to seated), which activates … Read more
Ever wondered, “Why Do I Feel Pull Ups in My Chest?” Pull ups are viewed as primarily an upper back, lat, and bicep exercise. So, realistically whenever you perform pull ups you should feel it in these muscles. With that being said, a common complaint is that many people tend to feel pull ups in … Read more
Have you ever asked, “Why Do Pull Ups Hurt My Shoulder?” If so, you’re definitely not alone. In fact, shoulder pain during pull ups is an extremely common complaint. Plus, I know that this is something that I have suffered from myself. So, I’d like to discuss some of the most common causes of shoulder … Read more
It’s the timeless debate about pull ups – thumb over or under? Who’d have thought that the position of your thumb when performing pull ups would create so many opposing views? Surely there are more pressing matters to discuss when it comes to pull up? With that being said, thumb position does seem to have … Read more
Yes, you should lock out on pull ups, as this also trains the connective tissues, i.e. ligaments, tendons, and bones. If you never lock out these connective tissues will gradually become weaker, which is typically why injuries occur. You can still maintain full muscle tension even when you lock out. Why I Believe You Should … Read more
I’m never quite sure why many trainees wait so long to add weight to their pull ups. I guess this comes down to a lot of the advice given on this subject. In fact, you’ll usually hear that you need to be performing a certain number of perfectly executed bodyweight pull ups before you should … Read more
The main reasons you can perform chin ups but not pull ups include, your biceps are usually better trained than your lats, traps, and upper back. Your grip, forearms, and rotator cuff muscles may not be strong enough to perform pull ups. This may lead to avoiding pull ups completely, and even a mental plateau.