In a previous issue of this newsletter we discussed the importance of building great strength on the very bottom of a pullup in order to improve one’s pullup reps.
A reserve of starting strength will allow you to take off fast and finish your rep using inertia. That means that the weaker muscles that help you to clear the bar with your chin, such as the biceps, will not be as challenged.
Last September we explained how to develop this quality with heavy partial pullups. Today we will show you how it can be done without added weight—while improving your pullup skill.
Today’s drill comes from the US Army physical training manual published in 1914. According to Dr. Ed Thomas, one of the top experts on the history of physical training in the military, the best high bar training instruction ever produced by the US Army can be found in this manual.
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| | A photo from the US Army physical training manual published before World War I
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| The manual goes over a series of simple moves you should have done as a kid: travelling on a high bar and switching the grip in a variety of ways. This child’s play called “brachiation” prepares the body and the brain for Tarzan moves far more impressive than pullups. The tissues get conditioned while the mind develops a subconscious understanding of what the shoulder blades are supposed to do and what muscles make them do it.
Since StrongFirst always prefers to keep things simple, we will zero in on one high yield drill from the US Army manual that does not require a long bar and delivers the same benefits: grip switches.
First we will explain the drill and then go over the safety.
Chalk your palms well. Start by hanging on the bar using a mixed grip, your right hand over and your left under.
Release the right and turn it to the undergrip... Then turn your left from under to over... Then your right from over to under… You get the idea: keep switching between the three types of grip (over, mixed, and under).
Do not crane your neck to see where you are gripping; use your eyes only.
Your elbows will naturally bend a little; let them.
Make sure to seize the bar with a deep grip every time.
Do your best to keep your abs tight. In the words of the US Army manual, “the body is drawn up slightly.”
Let your legs and your body swing but do not kick or kip.
Be ready to slip and peel off. Accordingly, do not go crazy with the bar height, unless you are a paratrooper or a parkourist.
As always, quit before you fail.
When you are competent at switches, start observing what your body is doing, especially your shoulder blades. Unusually, you are not trying to teach your body but to learn from it.
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| | Tactical Strength Challenge™ May 7, Worldwide |
| Onto safety.
Considering that you are briefly supporting your entire weight on one arm, grip switches are a serious exercise. If you doubt your ability to do it, save them for the future. Keep plugging away at your StrongFirst Bodyweight Fundamentals online course.
If you have a history of shoulder injury, especially subluxation or dislocation, check with your doc before trying it. Ditto for any biceps tendon issues.
Since you will be rattling the bar every switch, it must be rock solid. Do not even think about trying it on one of those doorway pullup bars that could be dislodged with a sneeze.
Ease grip switches into your pullup regimen, starting with one to two sets once a week and then building up using your judgment. If you are a relative beginner, do this drill right after your warm-up. Experienced athletes have many options for incorporating grip switches into their regimens. |
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