Most attribute the quote to Bill Kazmaier—the legendary strong man. We really have no idea who said it, . Either way, it’s true. For the womens as well…
What is an upper-body pull?
An upper-body pull is any rowing, pull-up, chin-up or pull-down movement. Pretty simple. Your arms start in the fully extended position, your elbows bend and pull your body closer to a bar or an implement (bar, dumbbell, etc.) closer to your body.
The Basic Upper-body Pull: What to Look For
Since pulling comes in horizontal and vertical variations, we’ll break down each on their own.
Let’s think success first and bullet point good horizontal and vertical pulls:
Horizontal
Arms start and finish fully extended
Spine stays neutral throughout movement
Arm finishes with elbow bent to 90 degrees, or slightly less
Upper-arm finishes parallel with torso, or slightly behind
Vertical
Arms start and finish fully extended
Spine stays neutral throughout movement, maybe slightllllly flexed, in a “hollow” position
Body is pulled up, or bar is pulled down, until the chin is above the bar
Here are bad horizontal and vertical pulls:
Horizontal
Arms never fully extend
Spine flexes or extends during movement
Arm never fully flexes
Upper-arm finishes in front of, or too far behind torso
Humerus drives forward at the top of the row
Vertical
Arms never fully extend
Spine flexes or extends during movement
Chin finishes below bar
Humerus drives forward at the top of the pull
What’s Up Now?
See if you can improve the position of both yourself, as well as your clients during your upper body pulling.
In 2010, two dudes Chris and Todd, started the business that would eventually become Strength Faction.
You know how they say the rest is history? Well, it’s not.