Hi, STRONG friend! Happy November! 

Before diving in, I'd like to invite you to The STRONGER Way Training Program.

It's a new Month, so that means some New Gainz! 

The training program is done for you, so all that you have to do is apply yourself—no more spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast. This months focus is the Deadlift & Bench with a some direct arm work!💪🏾

Enroll here!

Alright, Alright, let's jump in! It's a long one but worth it!

Pull-ups/Chin-ups are arguably one of the Ultimate measures of Upper Body Strength!

In my opinion, ALL women are capable of doing pull-ups if it's a performance goal that you want to achieve! I am here for it!!

With the right programming, application, and the right attitude, you can and will achieve this amazing exercise.

If I can, you can too! I was weak AF when I first started working on them. I didn't come out of the gate able to do pull-ups. It took a long time to get where I am today.

It was lots of reps. Rest assured, it was earned.

As you embark on your journey, know this one thing... Pull-ups are a skill. And skills take time to learn/hone. So give yourself some grace and have a can-do attitude!

And Never Give Up!

Note you'll notice that I interchange the wording - pull-ups and chin-ups throughout the email. They are different but also similar.

Last but not least, before we jump into the training tips…..

I can't stress this enough: the importance of continuously checking your ego at the door, always training with the proper form, and consistently training this movement pattern - it's not a one-and-done situation. 

Practice, practice, and practice some more!

Let's Dive in!

First things first, definitely start with the chin-up grip if you are a complete newb. The chin-up grip is a bit easier, to begin with. That means palms facing you on the bar. You can certainly work on both grips, but I recommend starting with palms facing for most of your training practice.

Also, remember this, the Pull/Chin-up is not just an upper-body exercise. It's a FULL-BODY exercise! It's key to know and learn this right off the bat. The tighter you are in your pull-up - your body mechanics, the better your pull-up will be!

1) Work on holding yourself over the bar from the Dead Hang position, then progress to the Flex Arm Hang.

This is where you shall learn how to keep your body tight and hollow as well!

This tip helps with grip strength and strengthening of the upper back musculature and the lats at this position of the pull-up.

In either position:

• You'll want to work on keeping your shoulder blades and lats engaged. Shoulders away from ears - down and back.

• Ribs down, core on, hips and pelvis stacked.

• Your back shouldn't be arched, and your ribs shouldn't be flared.

• You'll be holding for time with these. Start with 3-5 secs with good form, of course, and build from there!

2) Scap Pulls - then progress to Full Hanging Scap Pulls.

Learning how to move your shoulder blades is essential to performing the pull-up correctly. It's the first movement of the pull-up itself, not your arms.

Our shoulder blades need to move during the pull-up like this...

Pull your shoulder blades (scapula) down towards the spine—we're retracting our shoulder blades in the first part of the pull-up.⁣

Reverse the movement - we are protracting our shoulder blades here, moving them away from the spine.⁣

For a visual reference, check out my Reel here! Save to refer back to!

3) Negative (Eccentric) Chin-ups only!

So, with the negative chin-up, you'll be slowly lowering yourself down from the top position (flexed arm position), taking as much time as possible to the bottom (dead hang position). Pause before lowering down; really, really solidify your pull-up positioning.

When performing the negatives, be sure to start at the top of the bar. I don't recommend jumping up to grab the bar. Most folks, especially in the beginning, can't keep good form this way.

Get a bench or plyo box to start as close to the top of the bar as possible. 

Therefore you won't be wasting energy that needs to be used for the negative chin-up itself.

This is where you start,  my STRONG friend, well, at least with the skill itself. 

Now, we do need to be working on lifting the heavy things overall. Overall, strength helps tremendously with pull-ups. A lot of women need to build their strength!

Work on these skills consistently - a few times a week!!! Remember, it’s not just a one-and-done thing. Take learning chin/pull-ups seriously!

Start with the first exercise I shared for a good while, then move to the next so on and so forth.

Other lifts that support the Chin/Pull-up Skill:

• Deadlifts
• Barbell/Dumbbell Row variations
• Face Pulls
• Band Pull Aparts
• Inverted Rows
• Cable rows and pull variations - vertical and horizontal pulls
• Core work - think hollow body hold variations, bird dogs, pallof press, and TGU, to name a few!
• Trap Bar Carry
• Bicep/Tricep work

Well, well, that's a wrap. I hope you found this email helpful! Any questions about pull-ups, don't hesitate to reach out. And share with me you get your first or when you bust through a plateau!

Last but not least, we work on various pull/chin-up variations and overall strength in STRONGER Way Training Program. Ha, hence the program name!

No need to be worrying about your workouts, swiping random workouts, or wasting your time. I got you so that you get the muscular & strength gainz!

Sign up here!

Thanks for reading, and be sure to save this email to refer back to!

Happy Lifting, Happy Gainz!

In Strength & to Your Success,
Xo
Candace