In the previous TSC training tip about using your lats, I mentioned practicing get-ups instead of pullups. There is a caveat to this recommendation, but the guidelines below should help you decide on the best course of action for your specific situation.
Train get-ups instead of pullups when you are either not close to being able to do a pullup or are able to do 6-16 pullups.
If you are not close to doing your first pullup, your TSC preparation time is best spent practicing snatches and deadlifts to increase your strength, conditioning, and technical skills.
Adding get-ups will build strong, stable, and resilient shoulders (and lats) and prepare you for following a pullup development program after the TSC when you are under fewer time and adaptive constraints.
If you can already do some pullups, practicing get-ups will have two benefits. First, it will modestly improve your snatching and pullup numbers due to the shoulder benefits mentioned above. Second, it will serve as an excellent restorative exercise to counteract the volume of “pulling” movements—deadlifts and snatches—in the rest of your TSC training.
Train pullups instead of get-ups when you are very close to doing your first pullup or can do either 1-5 pullups or 17+ pullups.
In any of these situations, adding a few supplemental get-ups will provide some of the benefits mentioned above. However, practicing the skill that you are trying to improve will produce the greatest returns for the TSC.
If you’re in the 1-5 range, practicing pullups will solidify the abilities you’ve already developed and nudge them forward. Pullup veterans in the 17+ category will need to follow some type of specialized pullup program to see their numbers improve while also carefully skirting potential overuse pains. And those who can almost do a pullup are likely to achieve that magical number one by following a program that includes pullups performed in an “artificial controlling environment” fashion. Again, a tip for another time.
