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Hey Reader,

We are well on our way to this new cycle of the Bulletproof Training Program.

This week's deep dive applies to the current training block as we have been hammering pull-ups in the Saturday Metcons.

I'd love to know what you think about the cycle so far?

If you're a PRO subscriber, how are the nutrition coaching guidelines going for you in this phase? Do you have any updates for me?

Reply to this email and let me know what you're loving, not loving or want to see more of!

The program is designed for you, so feel free to shoot your suggestions my way.

Below, I am giving away everything I know regarding developing your kipping pull-up.

We cover the foundation, technique, and pro tips to optimize our efficiency so that you can smash your next pull-up workout.

Deep Dive

How To Master the Kipping Pull-Up: Technique, Progression, and Mobility

Mastering the foundational elements of strength and technique in CrossFit is essential for improving your performance and preventing injuries.

Whether you're focusing on strict pull-ups, gymnastics positions like the hollow and arch, or advanced skills like kipping pull-ups, developing prerequisite strength and control is key.

In this guide, we'll break down how to build your foundation, focusing on essential movements and the mechanics of kipping pull-ups.

So that you can master the movement.

Building Prerequisite Strength

Building a solid foundation of strength is key to advancing your performance and preventing injuries in CrossFit.

Before you move on to more complex movements, it’s essential to develop prerequisite strength.

For the kipping pull-up, the foundation is the strict pull-up.

Grab my FREE 6-Week Strict Pull-Up Program (LINK)

Your Strength Goal

The ability to perform 3-4 strict pull-ups is more than just an indicator of upper body strength—it shows you have sufficient control over your body weight.

Achieving this strength level means you’re ready for more complex pulling movements like kipping or butterfly pull-ups, both of which require solid control to avoid injury.

If you can't perform 3-4 strict pull-ups, focus on building strength before pushing into advanced skills such as kipping pull-ups.

Exercises to Build Upper Body and Core Strength

Building the strength needed for pull-ups and other advanced exercises involves working on targeted movements.

Here are some go-to exercises to boost your upper body and core strength:

• Ring Rows: These build foundational pulling strength in a horizontal plane, which is essential for progressing to vertical pulling.​
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  Demo video (LINK)
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• Strict Dumbbell Press: Focuses on shoulder stability and strength, important for pushing and pulling movements.
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  ​Demo video (LINK)​
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• Hollow Holds: A great exercise for building core strength and creating the tension needed for pull-ups and gymnastics movements.
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  ​Demo video (LINK)​
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• Active Hangs: Passive hanging from a pull-up bar improves grip strength and shoulder stability.
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  ​Demo video (LINK)​
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• Lat Pulldowns: This helps develop the muscles required for pull-ups and mimics the same pulling motion in a controlled environment.
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  ​Demo video (LINK)

How Pre-Requisite Strength Protects Your Shoulder

When you develop proper prerequisite strength, particularly in your upper body and core, you significantly reduce the risk of shoulder injuries.

Pull-ups and exercises like ring rows or lat pulldowns force you to engage your rotator cuff, deltoids, and lats, all contributing to shoulder stability.

Building up your strength before attempting complex, dynamic, high-volume movements like kipping pull-ups or muscle-ups ensures that your shoulders can tolerate rapid contractions.

Ultimately protecting the shoulder joint.

Mastering the Hollow and Arch Positions

The hollow and arch positions are essential components in CrossFit, especially for gymnastic movements.

These positions create the foundation for powerful, efficient movements like pull-ups, toes-to-bar, and muscle-ups.

Learning to control your body in both hollow and arch positions allows you to maintain tension and connect the hips to the arms throughout dynamic movements.

The Hollow and Arch Positions

The hollow position is a core-focused position where your body forms a slightly concave curve.

In this position, your lower back stays glued to the floor, your legs are extended, and your arms reach overhead, creating full-body tension.

This position helps train your core to remain tight, which is crucial for stabilizing your body during various CrossFit movements.

The arch position, on the other hand, is the opposite of the hollow.

It’s an extension-based position where your body forms a slight curve, but this time your chest and thighs are lifted off the ground.

Your lower back is slightly arched, your legs remain straight, and your arms reach overhead.

This position engages the posterior chain, which includes your back, glutes, and hamstrings.

Exercises to Perfect These Positions

Before taking the hollow and arch positions to a bar, it's important to practice and perfect them on the ground.

Here are a few exercises to help:

• Hollow Hold: Start by lying flat on your back.
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  Lift your legs and arms off the floor while pressing your lower back into the ground, and then hold.
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  ​Demo video (LINK)​
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• Hollow Rocks: In the same hollow position, rock back and forth slightly, maintaining tension in your core the entire time.
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  ​Demo video (LINK)​
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• Arch Hold: Lie face down on the ground. Lift your chest, thighs, and arms off the ground while keeping your legs and arms straight and then hold.
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  ​Demo video (LINK)​
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• Arch Rocks: From the arch position, rock forward and backward in small, controlled motions, keeping your glutes and back engaged.
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  ​Demo video (LINK)

Transitioning to The Bar

Once you've mastered these positions on the ground, the next step is to practice them while hanging from a pull-up bar.

Here’s how to make the transition:

• Hanging Hollow Hold: Hang from a pull-up bar and engage your core to bring your body into a hollow position.
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  Your feet should be slightly in front of you, with your lower back rounded and your core tight.
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  Hold this position for several seconds, focusing on maintaining full-body tension.
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• Hanging Arch Position: From the hollow, push your chest forward and legs back, creating an arch position while hanging.
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  Keep your legs straight and focus on squeezing your glutes and back muscles as you move into the arch.

Practice moving back and forth between the hollow and arch positions in a controlled manner.

The better control you have over these transitions, the more efficient your movements will be.

Kipping Mechanics 101

The kipping motion is a staple in CrossFit.

It allows you to generate momentum to perform pull-ups, toes-to-bar, and muscle-ups.

However, the kipping motion isn’t just about swinging your body; it's a combination of shoulder, core, and hip movements that require precision and control.

Let's break it down.

Breakdown of the "Shoulder Generated" Kipping Motion

The power in a kip comes from the shoulders (and hips).

To perform a proper kip, you transition between the hollow and arch positions, with your shoulders acting as the driving force behind the motion.

• Start in the Hollow Position: As you hang from the bar, initiate the movement by pulling your shoulders slightly forward while keeping your core tight, creating the hollow position.
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• Transition to the Arch Position: Push your chest forward and pull your legs behind you, shifting into the arch position while maintaining tension in your shoulders and hips.
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• Pull Up: As you move from the arch back to the hollow, use the momentum generated from your shoulders (and hips) to pull yourself upwards.

Importance of Core Tension Throughout the Movement

Core tension is often forgotten in the kipping motion.
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Without a tight core, the energy generated by your shoulders and hips dissipates, making the movement inefficient.
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During the kip, maintaining a solid, hollow position ensures that your body moves as one unit to generate power.
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Focus on squeezing your abs and glutes to stay connected throughout each phase of the movement.

Ideally, make your body as "long" as possible.

If you can't stop the kip on a dime, you probably aren't stabilized through the core.

Mastering the Hip "Pop"

Hip pop is crucial in many dynamic CrossFit movements, including kipping pull-ups, muscle-ups, and even barbell lifts like the clean and snatch.
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Mastering the hip pop or hip extension significantly reduces the force needed via the arms and shoulders.
toward
Allowing you to transfer power through your body in one fluid motion towards the bar.

The Hip Pop Technique

The hip pop is an explosive extension of the hips that occurs during the transition between the hollow and arch positions in gymnastics.
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The movement starts with your hips slightly closed, then rapidly opens as you extend your body, sending energy upward.
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This explosive hip extension provides the momentum needed to propel your body upward toward the bar.

The key to the hip pop is timing, and it occurs at the hollow arch's highest point.

How the Hip Pop Generates Power for the Pull

The hip pop is like a spring-loaded mechanism that generates and releases energy quickly.
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By forcefully extending the hips, you tap into the power of your glutes and hamstrings, two of the largest and strongest muscles in your body.
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This sudden release of energy transfers through your core and upper body, allowing you to generate upward momentum.

When done correctly, it makes the arms and shoulders nothing but "hooks" to the bar until they control the descent.

Exercises to Improve Shoulder Mobility and Stability

In addition to strength, efficient kipping mechanics rely heavily on shoulder mobility and stability.
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Without sufficient mobility, your shoulders won’t be able to move smoothly between the hollow and arch positions, and without stability, you risk injury during the rapid transitions of a kip.
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Here are a few exercises to improve both aspects:

• PVC Pass-Throughs: Hold a PVC pipe or a broomstick with a wide grip and pass it over your head from front to back.
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• Scapular Pull-Ups: Hang from the bar and engage your scapula by pulling your shoulder blades down and together without bending your arms.
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• Shoulder Taps: In a plank or handstand position, lift one hand off the ground and tap your opposite shoulder, then switch.
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• Lat Stretch: Kneel in front of a bench, place your arms on the bench, and sink your chest toward the ground.

Putting It All Together

Now that you understand the mechanics of the hollow and arch positions, the importance of core tension, and how the hip pop generates power, it's time to put everything together for a smooth and efficient kipping pull-up.

Step-by-Step Guide to Performing a Complete Kipping Pull-Up

1. Start in a Dead Hang: Begin by hanging from a pull-up bar with your arms fully extended and your grip just outside shoulder-width.
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   Engage your shoulders by pulling your shoulder blades down and away from your ears, creating tension throughout your body.
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2. Initiate the Hollow Position: Push your chest slightly back while pulling your feet in front of you, forming a hollow position.
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   Keep your core tight and your legs straight. This will prepare you for the arch transition.
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3. Transition to the Arch Position: Next, drive your chest forward and push your legs behind you, moving into the arch position.
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   Your body should form a slight curve with tension still maintained in your core and shoulders.
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4. Pop the Hips: As you transition back from the arch to the hollow, explode your hips forward in a quick "pop" motion.
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   This is the key moment where the power is generated, propelling your body upward toward the bar.
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5. Pull Up to the Bar: Once the hip pop has created momentum, use your arms to guide yourself upward.
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   Keep your core engaged, and pull your chin above the bar, maintaining control throughout the movement.
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6. Push Away from the Bar: As you reach the top of the pull-up, push your body slightly away from the bar to set yourself up for the next rep.
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   This backward push helps maintain your rhythm and prevents you from dropping straight down, which would kill your momentum.
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7. Cycle Back into Hollow and Arch: As you push away, drop back into the hollow position, followed by the arch.
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   This continuous transition between hollow and arch allows you to maintain your momentum for multiple reps.

Demo video (LINK)

Tips for Stringing Multiple Reps Together Smoothly

• Push Away from the Bar: By pushing your body slightly away from the bar as you reach the top, you give yourself space to fall back into the hollow position smoothly.
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  Without this push, you’d drop straight down, losing tension and making it harder to transition into the next rep.
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• Backwards Translation of the Torso: As you push away from the bar, allow your torso to move backward slightly.
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  This translation ensures that you maintain a strong hollow position, which is crucial for keeping the rhythm and momentum going.
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• Maintain Tension Throughout: The most important factor in stringing together multiple kipping pull-ups is maintaining full-body tension.
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  From the moment you grip the bar to when you drop into the arch position, your core should stay tight, your glutes engaged, and your shoulders active.

Final Thoughts On The Kipping Pull-Up

Kipping pull-ups may look fluid and effortless, but they require precise control, strength, and understanding of key positions like the hollow and arch.
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Focusing on building foundational strength, mastering core tension, and learning the hip-hop technique will set you up for success.
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Consistent practice and attention to detail will allow you to string together multiple reps efficiently, protecting your joints and enhancing your overall performance and shoulder resiliency in CrossFit.

If you have questions about this week's deep dive or want a topic covered, reply to this email and let me know!

Read more about getting your first strict pull-up CrossFit (LINK)

This Week's Training

Day 1 - 9/23/2024 A) Neutral Grip Pull-Up - 20X1; 3 x 1.1; rest :15 btw clusters and 2’ between sets (progress load) B1) Strict Press - 20X1; 3 x 8e; rest 1’ and move to B2 *Progress load from last week B2) Single Arm Ring Row - 20X1; 3 x 15e; rest 1’ and move to B3 B3) Double Unders - 3 x 25-50 reps; rest :60 and move to B1 C) MAP 6 Mixed Modal Work 2 sets; rest 3:00 5 Min AMRAP 30 Cal SkiErg 15 Power Cleans 115/75# *Sub ski for row if no ski View Training Week

Be sure to snap a pic of your training and tag @WillMurtagh_DPT on social!

This week's Blog Post

5 Plyo Box Workout Ideas For CrossFit Training This article will outline my top five plyo box workouts and the exercises I most frequently use to help my 1:1 Pain-Free Performance clients elevate their fitness and train pain-free. Read now

Before you go, here's how I can help you

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Talk to you soon, Reader

Dr. Will Murtagh, PT, DPT, MS, CSCS, CISSN Physical Therapist | Remote Fitness Coach P.S. Want to eliminate pain while enhancing your CrossFit performance? Click (HERE) for a free consultation!