Scapular Pull Ups: Great exercises to not only progress our pull ups, but to build strong healthy shoulders.
A full range of motion pull up begins in a dead hang. In this position, the shoulder blades are elevated, protracted, and in upward rotation with the lats on full stretch. From here, the first movement should not be from the arms, but from the shoulder blades themselves.
If you pull with arms directly from the dead hang, you will under-recruit the lats and over-recruit the teres and arms. This can lead to not only a constant struggle to progress but also irritation.
Instead, start in the dead hang, and then pull your shoulder blades back and down to engage the lats and put them in a more favorable position to complete the movement. Then engage the arms and pull. ...
