What Can You Do Instead Of Damaging Pull-Ups?

There are three options available to you, and the good news is that you can have your cake and eat it: you can do them all at once if you like.

First, substitute another upper-body pulling movement for pull-ups. Inverse rows are a great idea and can be weighted or — better yet — done one-handed as a badass core and upper back exercise. If you only have a pull-up bar, use a long towel or a length of rope and train a key limiting factor in pull-up performance — your grip — at the same time. If you’d rather use the weight room, try Croc rows — one-arm, high-rep heavy rows to full extension with a dumbell.

Specific exercises can work wonders too though, and here are the two you should be doing:

Lat Stretch

On the wall or on the floor, put your elbows higher than your shoulders and press forward gently into the stretch, keeping your spine neutral. This both stretches the lats and teaches you to move them independently of the spinal erectors.

Ab Wheel Rollouts

Stand up. Put the ab wheel on the floor. Roll it out. Roll it back in. Call an ambulance. Seriously, these are incredibly hard —  a five minute plank and a boyband 6-pack do not prepare you for these. Start on your knees; it’s where you’ll end up. What’s good about these is that they mimic the contraction pattern of a good pull-up with the loading in a safer place — laterally, not horizontally. They stretch out your lats dynamically, force you to stabilize your spine and work many of the same muscles as a pull-up does too.

Finally, Change The Way You Do Pull-Ups

Virtually everyone can do pull-ups safely — if they modify the movement to take you out of that end range of motion. One effective way to do this is to use a "neutral" grip - palms facing each other. Gyms often have provision for this. If not, try a TRX machine or rings, or even your trusty towel. Start at the top, and keep a few in the tank, working on form and lowering yourself very carefully into a more extended position. Let your shoulders ride naturally. Many trainers tell you to "pack" them, but this actually makes them less mobile and can help you to make a mess of them in the long run. As our reach extension, try to open your chest and extend your upper back. Keep your core tucked and a "banana" shape throughout your body — what gymnasts call a "hollow" — to protect your shoulders and spine from damage.

See Also: HIIT Training Works To Improve Your Stamina

If you’re having trouble with your pull-ups, or you used to until you found the magic bullet, share: I always check the comments!