Pullups & Pulldowns

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General guidelines for all Pull-Up and Pulldown movements
(unless specifically stated otherwise)

back flat / abs tight, elbows in as close to body as possible (avoid letting them flare)
attempt to remain perfectly vertical throughout (avoid leaning / throwing hips back)
keep wrists, elbows & forearms in a straight line as close to perpendicular to the ground as possible
relax the arms to minimize their involvement, focus instead on stabilizing from the back
contract the scapula (shoulder blades) & lats throughout while pulling through the elbows (as opposed to the hands)
on the concentric, pull the shoulders back, aim chest to the bar, & drive the elbows simultaneously towards the floor & away from each other; avoid any ‘shrugging’
on the eccentric, extend / protract the scapula & let the shoulders roll forward at the extreme
‘shove’ hands outwards throughout (intent)
when performing with an overhand-grip, don’t allow the elbows to come behind the body (drive them towards the lats). When performing with a neutral / underhand-grip, end the concentric with elbows as far behind torso as possible, chest touching the bar.

Pull Ups / Chin Ups (incl. ‘Assisted’) – overhand / neutral / underhand grip

At the top

variable hand grip and spacing is acceptable (besides very narrow) from workout to workout – though stick with the same choice during each individual workout
if / when performing Assisted Machine Pull-ups, place knees at the back of the pad unless directed otherwise.

Ring Pull-Ups

during the exercise, consider your hands like hooks – do not pull with the biceps or forearms
allow pronation of the shoulders at the bottom of the rep (you may need to rotate your hands / arms externally on the way down so that your palms end facing away from you at the bottom)
take a neutral-grip during the concentric portion of the rep.

Push-Away Pull-Ups – advanced exercise

the focus is spent on the eccentric / lowering portion of the movement
do what it takes to get to the top, then slowly ‘push away’ extending the arms straight out in front; really fight against the descent while staying as high as possible
make an extra effort to try and maintain a vertical plane (as depicted above, you can see it is not easy!).

Lat Pulldowns – Overhand, Reverse, or Neutral Grip

Performing with an Overhand Wide-Grip

Performing with a Reverse-Grip

as a general rule, position body as appropriate to achieve a vertical plane of movement (slide butt forward if necessary) – depending on your structure, you may however find that to achieve full engagement of the lats, you need to lean backwards slightly instead
if the above is true for you, or you are instructed specifically to perform the exercise with a backward lean, lean from the hips, NOT from the spine (keep the abs tight).
If performing with a reverse or neutral-grip: take a shoulder-width grip on the bar, and end with elbows behind the body at the bottom, chest touching the bar.

Incline Supine Overhead Reverse-Grip Pulldowns

Extended at the top

End position

set-up:
   > if possible, attach leather straps to the pulley instead of a bar (to avoid ‘over-supinating’ the hands)
   > place a bench facing away from the apparatus and set at a high incline
   > a spotter may be required to pass / take the weight when beginning / ending each set.
with a neutral-grip and slight arch in the back, expand the lats on the way up (push them towards the ceiling)
aim for a strong stretch at the top
aim wrists to hips and finish with elbows behind torso as much as possible at the bottom.

Hammer Iso Lat Pulldown

Supinated-grip

chest up tall, no arching from the lower back or hips.

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