L-Pullups - Page 2

Garrett Smith · 07-14-2009, 09:18 AM

Lots of info on gymnasticbodies.com on this issue, it is likely from a lack of flexibility in the shoulder girdle.

Grissim Connery · 07-14-2009, 11:08 AM

http://gymnasticbodies.com/forum/vie...hp?f=17&t=1703

i've had this same issue and talked about it on this thread

Grissim Connery · 12-07-2009, 01:09 AM

i'm reviving the dead here, but bear with me.

i've been doing a lot of FL work for a while now, and i've noticed some quirks about this shoulder feeling. when i dead hang from a bar and hold an L, i slide my shoulders up over my ears. i feel my head tip a bit forward as my shoulder kinda move behind my head a little bit. i don't force this to happen, but the more i shove my shoulders up, the more this occurs. now this is probably a pretty normal feeling to most people, but when trying to do an l-pullup out of this, my shoulders feel terrible.

i finished a few months of shoulder rehab, and i feel loads better now in my shoulders. my PT told me that my issue was actually hyperflexibility, and we just needed to build more stability in specific ranges of motion. the reason that i bring this up is because if i go into a dead hang and push my shoulders up so that they slide behind my head a bit, then the most natural way to pullup for me then is behind the neck (this is without an L hold). now i've heard that these are a giant no-no for shoulders. i've never actually looked to find out why, but pulling up behind the neck actually feels really good. i mean like it is refreshing on my shoulders. i don't know if this is because they are hypermobile or what.

anyways trying to perform this behind the neck pull with an L is quite difficult. performing the L pullup seems to be much easier when pushing the bar away from the face at the top of the rep. therefore with somebody in my predicament (as well as many others it sounds like), it appears that in the course of the L-pullup, we want to transition from a dead hang L with shoulders behind the head to a completed rep with the shoulders pushed in front of the head. it is specifically this transition, the shoulders either back to front or front to back, that feels terrible during the L pullup. it's like the shoulders are going to rip out of socket.

i've found that the best method to work on L-pullups without feeling pain is to slightly front lever at the bottom of each rep. workin a lot of ice-cream makers will make this feel pretty natural since the L-pullups will kinda become an easier version of them. it seems that in the beginning, they will not look like legitamate L-pullups, but you shoulders will feel loads better. eventually they become more controlled and look good.

i'm probably gonna post this on the GB forum as well

Steven Low · 12-07-2009, 09:52 AM

BTN pullups are generally no-nos because it's easier to impinge the shoulders that way just like with upright rows et al.

L-pullups do have a slight front lever component where you need to exert force forward to allow the pull. That's how they're supposed to be done.

Grissim Connery · 12-07-2009, 05:53 PM

i worked on them more today and got a better idea of the method.

i hold the L-hang at the bottom with shoulder behind the head.
before beginning any upward pull, i push the bar forward as if to do a front lever.
if pushed hard enough, the shoulder will naturally slide in front without any pain.
once this point is reached, i then begin an upward pull.
after reaching the top and descending, i don't pull the shoulders back behind the head until i've ended all negative vertical pulling.

so basically, it's a 2 step process of moving horizontally and then vertically, but not at the same time. maybe you good shoulder people can do both at the same time without pain. you're lucky...for now....muahaha...

Garrett Smith · 12-07-2009, 06:16 PM

If you bring your L slightly higher than parallel with the ground (could still be ~90 degrees at the hip), your upper body would slightly tilt back and not necessitate your shoulders being anywhere near behind (or even next to) your head...this might avoid the whole problem in its entirety.

As long as my elbows get to straight, I consider the "pull-up" to be at the bottom of the ROM...regardless of where my shoulders are in relationship to my head. Keep your upper arms in front of your ears and your problem may just disappear entirely.

Steven Low · 12-07-2009, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grissim Connery

i worked on them more today and got a better idea of the method.

i hold the L-hang at the bottom with shoulder behind the head.
before beginning any upward pull, i push the bar forward as if to do a front lever.
if pushed hard enough, the shoulder will naturally slide in front without any pain.
once this point is reached, i then begin an upward pull.
after reaching the top and descending, i don't pull the shoulders back behind the head until i've ended all negative vertical pulling.

so basically, it's a 2 step process of moving horizontally and then vertically, but not at the same time. maybe you good shoulder people can do both at the same time without pain. you're lucky...for now....muahaha...

That is what you are supposed to do... keep them in front.

I thought you knew that before today?

Grissim Connery · 12-08-2009, 01:22 AM

i always kinda knew you had to keep them in front. it's just that i didn't quite understand what causes the shoulder pain. it seems now that to avoid the pain, the shoulder switch must remain separate from the pullups

Garrett Smith · 12-08-2009, 04:39 AM

I'd say ditch going into the full hang completely. Keep the active shoulders.

Grissim Connery · 12-09-2009, 12:58 AM

i guess the reasons that i retract them are because
1. L hangs feel effortless
2. it looks more like how the olympic gymnastics look when they first get on the rings and haven't moved out of hang yet. it's that really cool, outstretched look where the arms are really long and the lats flair a bit.

hah i guess growing up i always thought that looked so awesome