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With “pushing” exercises often taking center stage in the world of bodyweight fitness, the scapular pull-up stands out as a challenging yet rewarding pulling movement that targets the upper back muscles with precision. It’s also one of my favorite exercises among my personal training clients who have desk jobs or who need to build strength because they can perform a strict standard pull-up.
Often overlooked in traditional pull-up routines, the scapula pull-up places a strong emphasis on the scapular muscles, contributing to improved shoulder mobility, strength, and overall upper body function. For office workers, it’s an essential exercise that can correct some of the muscular imbalances we develop by remaining seated in a chair throughout the day.
Let’s dive into the mechanics of the scapular pull-up, discuss the skills for mastering it, and explore the myriad benefits it offers, including helping your overall pull-up strength.
Table of Contents
How to Perform the Scapular Pull-Up
Mastering the scapular pull-up involves understanding and executing the proper technique. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:
- Grip and Hang: Begin by gripping the pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hang from the bar with fully extended arms, ensuring your body is in a straight line. Then engage your hollow body position, which you can learn more about here.
- Scapular Engagement: Initiate the movement by retracting and depressing your shoulder blades. Imagine pulling your shoulder blades down towards your back pockets without bending your arms. This engages the scapular muscles without involving the biceps or back muscles.
- Hold and Release: Once you’ve reached the fully engaged scapular position, hold for a brief moment to maximize muscle activation. Release the scapulae back to the starting position, allowing your body to return to a fully hanging position.
- Repeat: Perform multiple repetitions, focusing on controlled movements and proper scapular engagement. You’ll not only increase your grip strength, but also your lat strength will gradually increase the number of reps as you build strength and proficiency.
Skills Required for Scapular Pull-Ups
The best part about scap pull ups are they are accessible to individuals at various fitness levels, even if the individual cannot perform a single full-range pull-up. Building the foundation of strength and mobility is crucial in this movement because it will set you up for easier pull-up strength later.
Here are the skills required to perform scapula pull-ups effectively:
- Scapular Awareness: Developing a keen awareness of your shoulder movement is fundamental. Practice scapular retractions and depressions in isolation to familiarize yourself with the targeted muscles and their activation.
- Another way to work on this is on a bench. A seated scapular retraction from a different plane may help you locate and strengthen the lats. See the photos below:
- Grip Strength: A strong grip is essential for holding onto the pull-up bar throughout the movement. Incorporate grip-strengthening exercises into your routine, such as farmer’s walks or hanging from the bar for extended periods.
Some Benefits of Scapular Pull-Ups
- Improved Scapular Mobility: The scapula pull-up enhances the range of motion in your shoulder blades, promoting better scapular mobility. This can be particularly beneficial for people who spend long work weeks at their desks or on their phones.
- Targeted Muscle Activation: By isolating the scapular muscles, this exercise helps to build strength in the upper back and shoulders. It contributes to a well-rounded and balanced upper body development. In turn, when you’re completing pull-ups, your dominant shoulder won’t take over and fatigue if you work on these targeted activations.
- Injury Prevention: Strengthening the scapular muscles plays a role in preventing shoulder injuries or systemic issues such as the winged scapula. Enhanced stability and control in the scapular region contribute to a more resilient and injury-resistant upper body.
- Functional Upper Body Strength: Scapula pull-ups translate into improved performance in various physical activities, from sports to everyday tasks. The increased strength and mobility in the upper body can impact overall functional fitness for the better.
Perfect Your Scapular Pull-Up Today
The scapular pull-up is a dynamic exercise that offers a doable and unique approach to upper-body strength training. Incorporating this movement into your routine can lead to improved scapular mobility, increased muscle activation, and enhanced overall upper-body function.
As with any exercise, start at your own fitness level, and gradually progress as you build strength and confidence. Whether you’re an avid fitness enthusiast or a beginner looking to diversify your workout routine, the scapula pull-up is a valuable addition to your repertoire.
Want to complement your scapular pull-up with other hard-hitting exercises? You can find additional tutorials for key exercises below:
As always, Gymless Heroes, you can take your fitness to the next level by booking a free 30-minute consultation with one of our qualified calisthenics coaches.
Helya is a NASM certified personal trainer with expertise in RKC, 200 Hr Yoga, Animal Flow, Precision Nutrition, Tabata, Pilates, and is currently completing her CrossFit L1 certification. She is an experienced coach with many certifications, but most of her experience comes from the hundreds of people she has helped over the last decade while owning a small functional training gym in Ventura, California. Helya is a people person passionate about helping people move well and hurt less.