UKC

Question - when doing pull ups, with the intention of improving your strength for climbing. Is it better to come down on fully extended arms like this fella - youtube.com/watch?v=aL51AyAYcNU&

Or, is it better to not fully extend and therefore finish that rep with an angle in the arm (about 30 degress or so I guess)? I've seen some people who only go a little past where the wrist and bicep are at 90 degrees to each other.

Probably worth pointing out that i understand that you should not fully drop onto your frame as this could cause damage, I/m not sure exactly how to say this but I've been instructed in the past to kind of engage the shoulders somewhat at the bottom.

In reply to DDS:

full range of movement is always the best wasy to go with straight pull ups

In reply to krank: So literally drop down (in a controlled manor) onto the elbows?

I don't suppose anyone knows any links to web articles that I can read on this subject?

In reply to DDS: I don't really know the answer but I went with the full pull up when I was training. All the way down because I figured if I reach for a high hold and need to pull on it I'll have that full range of motion trained. No point (in my opinion) doing half a job. You could do frenchies for extra points..

In reply to DDS:
I've read in a few places that doing pull-ups from fully straight arms can cause injury but others disagree. Quote from John Gill.
"I will freely admit that my one-arm pull-ups were not done from a completely extended dead hang, for to do so at my weight invites injury."
http://www128.pair.com/r3d4k7/Chinups.html

In reply to PeterJuggler: This was the bit I forgot to mention, keep a slight bend in the elbow when down and like you've already said keep the shoulders tensioned as well

Eddie

In reply to digital amnesia: This is the thig, I can't get a straight answer from anywhere. It's frustrating because i'd like to start doing them to some full efect really.

In reply to DDS:

I'm in no way an expert but from what i've read/seen elsewhere you also need to train your 'lock off' strength to help improve your climbing prowess. There's different ways of doing this on a pull up bar- whilst lowering stop half way/ quarter of the way etc and hold it there for a period of time (i.e. 5secs). Or bias the pull up to one side on the way up, then at the top of the pull transfer your weight across to the other side and come down on that side, then reverse the bias/movement on the next rep (kind of hard to describe but you basically end up doing circles on the bar, well sort of).
Hope that make some sense and helps a bit.

In reply to DDS:

I'd say avoid going fully straight arm, but I don't think it matters too much. Just get on with it and do some! Either way will make you stronger.

In reply to DDS:
Personal opinion (though not without considerable personal experience): I don't see anything wrong with doing pullups from a completely straight (rested) arm. You always hear people say that you should clip from straight arms while climbing so the weight is on the skeleton, not on the muscles, to save energy. You need a strong skeletal structure to do so (ligaments/tendons etc).

What's better than strengthening it in a controlled environment? It's no different from training your finger strength by repeatedly stressing the tendons in your forearms and fingers.

What happens if you never properly hang on a straight arm, then you slip off a hold one day and put your full weight on one arm? Pretty sure your tendons and ligaments in that arm will be weaker.

I think this is similar to when people say you should never ever train a full crimp.

In reply to AmbliKai: What you said.

In reply to DDS: It is best not to fully extend your elbows while doing a pull up because this can cause strain on neural structures in the arm and shoulder. It is the same with dead hangs etc you should always "take the strain" with your muscles and don't have all your weight hanging off your shoulders.

Stain on the neural structures can lead to pain in the elbows, which is often misdiagnosed as medial epichondylitis (golfers elbow) and pain in shoulders (thoracic outlet syndrome).

Alasdair

In reply to alimckay: I know far to much about Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, (my TOS did not come with shoulder pain). I agree that when doing do pull-ups one should consider never dropping(or lowering) down to straight arms.

I have no science or studies to back this, just experience.

In reply to riddle: i have heard that going all the way to straight arm does increase the risk of injury. The main thing with chin ups like most training is to use good form (do them smoothly in control). you will get more out of it doing fewer chin ups well than thrashing around. Once you get half decent on basic chinups frenchies and type writers can help build up lock off strength.

The reason you can't find much info on it is probably because they aren't that useful as a way of training for climbing. You will however, find tons and tons of info on fingerboarding. Coincidence?

Rings gymnasts train on locked straight arms, its not the straight arms thats the problem.

In reply to DDS:

Make sure your scapula are engaged to build back strength for climbing and also to prevent rotator injury. The pace should be even and controlled. Better safe than sorry, a slight bend is probably a good idea.

In reply to alimckay:

Now thats interesting, that might explain my sore elbow which is thought to be golfers elbow.

In reply to GDes:


Or just less fashionable? There are lots of variations on pull-ups - weighted, power, french, typewriters. Pull-up sessions have a part to play - even if you are already strong it would seem....

http://www.8a.nu/forum/ViewForumThread.aspx?ObjectId=21383&ObjectClass=...

The double world champion in bouldering Dmitry Sharafutdinov: How to increase maximum power? (He can do 75 pull-ups static and 110 dynamic).

"First, the maximum number of pull-ups on the bar as well as on the fingerboard. Before winning the world champion in 2007 I prepared by doing 10' to 20,000 pull-ups per month. In the morning I was training between 6 to 10. In the evening from 15.00 to 22.00. This is a very difficult method of training. I do not recommend it. An exercise on the bar is 20 sets of 20 times, rest between sets 3 - 4 minutes. Then fingerboard, active grip 15 sets of 15 times.

Before winning in 2011, I did 3' - 5,000 per month as I increased the load using weight belts etc. Jens, you have to say that it is very difficult and dangerous. The 2007 method is hard for your heart and the technique for 2011 puts a lot of stress on the joints."

In reply to alimckay:

Very interesting - is there an official name/more info anywhere on this neural problem? I have something with similar symptoms to golfers' elbow which the doc/physio are a bit puzzled about because it doesn't quite match.

This link on shoulder position in gymnastics might prove interesting.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=489611&v=1#x6708921