Get strong before you kip

Let’s talk about all the different pull-ups. Everyone in CrossFit has a lust for the kipping pull-up or the butterfly kip. I feel your desire, I promise you I understand. Lets get you there in a way that keeps you on the bar this year and next year and the following year and out of the doctors office!

Think of what you’re doing in a kipping pull-up. You’re swinging using your arms like the chains on a swing. Remember being a kid on a swing set? Remember when the chains got slack in them and you clunked on the bottom of the swing and it scared you? This is what we want to avoid. We don’t want a clunk on your shoulders.

Why does this happen?

Lose of tightness in your midsection and your shoulders are not strong enough to control the decent (downward motion of the movement.). When your feet are swinging way behind you and your hips are all floppy it's near impossible to be tight in your midsection. It happens to us humans a lot, when we press over head we get soft in the middle and bang the bar goes on the floor.

Solution:

Gain better control of your midsection. Learn how to feel when your tight and when your not. Add some strong shoulders to it and you will be on your way.

The Recipe is long and you have to keep a control of your desire to swing and feel the wind in your hair.

Ingredients:

• Dead hang pull-ups – 5 to 10 of them (or more) with your hands facing forward, mixed grip and chin ups with your fingers pointing back at you. Good strong chin over the bar or chest to the bar or just as high as you can go.
• Learn how to do hollow rocks on the floor then on the bar.
• Mix in lots of Ring rows and get those shoulders pulling and that midsection strong. On the ring rows get as low as you can once that gets to be a piece of cake put your feet on a box and ring row. Ring rows are one of the best things to get your scapula's pulling back and activated for the pull-up.
• Stir into all that some pressing of Dumbbells, Barbells and Kettle bells with a tight mid section slam bam you’re going to turn into a pulling machine!

What you’re going to need the most is to be patient, dig in and plan to work hard. Your ego is going to have to wait for another day to show up. Although I will be super crazy proud of you when Fran comes around and your doing your ring rows or your doing dead hang band pull ups because that says mountains more to me then you swinging like a loose string of spaghetti on the bar!

Get strong and Pull!