The primary objective of scapula pull ups, often referred to as scapular pull ups, is to activate the scapula through isolated exercises.
The shoulder blade, or scapula as it is most widely known. Scapula pull ups are a crucial exercise for your training routine. The capacity to firmly depress, rotate, and retract the scapula is necessary for maintaining the health of your shoulders and for learning appropriate movement patterns in pulling actions. By doing scapula pull ups on a regular basis, you may improve your kinesthetic awareness of your scapula position. While maintaining proper form when climbing longer and harder despite increasing fatigue.
Given that all you have to do is retraction of the shoulder, scapular pull ups are an excellent exercise to teach you that skill. With every repetition, you strengthen the movement pattern and develop the ability to place your scapulae optimally for workouts involving pushing and pulling. Discover the benefits of scapula pull ups, how to do them correctly, and adding additional pull-up variations to your exercise routine.
What Are Scapula Pull Ups?
A sort of upper-body exercise called scapular pull ups trains the scapula, or shoulder blades. To glide up and down the ribs, enabling the massive latissimus dorsi muscles in the back to assist in the pull-up. This is essential for shoulder protection and for pull ups that are effective and efficient.
Scapular pull ups muscles worked are the lats, trapezius, rhomboids, and serratus anterior muscles. While requiring a reduced range of motion compared to standard pull ups. Start in the dead hang position with your elbows slightly bent. Squeeze your shoulder blades together with a reverse shrug. Hold the top position for a few seconds before lowering yourself back to the starting position. This is how you perform one scapular pull up.
How To Do Scapular Pull Ups Properly
When performed correctly, scapula pull-ups enhance appropriate pull-up posture and technique while strengthening your back muscles. To start with scapula pull ups, do up to three sets of five to ten repetitions. Select your sets and repetitions according to how well you can keep your form throughout. We have given detailed exercise instructions below.
Grab The Pull Up Bar
Use a complete overhand hold on the pull-up bar, shoulder-width apart or slightly wider than your shoulders, to execute scapula pull ups. If you are unable to grasp the bar, use a stable bench or plyometric box to stand on. Before you begin, let your back muscles relax and try not to sway back and forth.
Hang On To The Bar
Take a step out of the box and extend your legs. You should have lengthy legs and arms. Elbows should be bent slightly. Firm your quadriceps and glutes. Put your core to use. You should have a slightly tucked pelvis and lowered ribs. To activate your lats, turn your shoulders outward. Raise your shoulder blades so they are not in line with your spine. Throughout the exercise, keep your chin tucked in, as if you were supporting an egg with it. This is where you should start for every iteration.
Retract And Pull
Squeeze the muscles in your upper back by pulling your shoulder blades down toward your waist and slightly together while keeping your arms extended. Only at the shoulder blades should there be movement. In this posture, pause.
As you progressively lower yourself to the starting position. Maintain your arms extended and allow your shoulder blades to glide up and away from your waist. The elbows on the ends of your arms should be slightly bent and both of your shoulder blades should be away from your spine. Continue until you reach the required amount of reps.
So this is how to do scapular pull ups correctly. Please be aware that when performing scapular pull ups, your elbows should always be completely extended and should never bend.
How To Do Scapular Pull Ups In The Safest Manner
Before starting an exercise regimen, speak with your doctor if you have any past or current medical conditions. For a workout program to be safe and successful, proper technique is crucial. But, depending on your specific needs, you might need to adjust each exercise to get the best results. Always choose a weight that will enable you to maintain complete control over your body during the exercise. When engaging in any workout, be mindful of your body’s needs and stop right away if you experience any pain or discomfort.
Include correct warm-ups, rest, and nutrition in your training regimen to see ongoing development and increase body strength. In the end, how well you recover from your exercises will determine how well you perform. To ensure adequate recuperation, give yourself a one or two day rest before working out the same muscle groups again.
Scapular Pull Ups Vs Pull Ups
The first part of a complete pull-up is a scapular pull up. Scapular retraction is the first thing you should do while you dangle from the pull-up bar. Next, pull through your lats, biceps, and forearms. You run the danger of impinging your shoulder and becoming less adept at engaging your back if you fail to retract your scapula.
Scapula pull ups require you to practice only the first two inches of the range of motion, which is the most obvious difference. Pull ups, on the other hand, require you to lift and lower your body across a far wider range of motion. Pull ups activate your lat and biceps more. Essentially, everyone should become proficient in scapula pull ups before progressing to pull ups. Even if you can perform ten, twenty, or more standard pull ups. You should, of course, also perform scapular pull ups later on.
Scapular Pull Ups Muscles Worked
Regular pull ups and scapular pull ups train all the same muscles. Below is an explanation of their physiology and purpose. So let’s discuss in detail what do scapular pull-ups work.
The scapulae, or shoulder blades, are two winged bones that glide over the ribcage as they travel up and down the back. We are able to move our arms in a multitude of ways because the scapulae connect the arms to the body through the shoulder joint. Latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, and trapezius are the three main muscles that regulate scapular retraction. These muscles, which must generate sufficient force to propel us upward without the aid of the biceps and forearms, are the main focus of scapula pull ups exercise.
The activity also involves our core muscles, which include our glutes, obliques, erector spinae, transverse abdominis, and abs. As we perform scapular pull ups, our entire body contracts, keeping us steady and positioned. Scapular pull ups also strengthen our arms and shoulders, enabling us to sustain ourselves while hanging. Additionally useful for enhancing grip strength are scapular pull-ups, particularly when performed on a thicker pull-up bar.
Latissmus Dorsi
A big muscle in the upper posterior region that extends down the torso from the area around the neck is known as the latissimus dorsi, or lats. The majority of the action involved in pulling your torso upwards and forwards toward the bar during a pull-up is produced by your lats. Furthermore, lats facilitate bending, medial rotation, and humeral extension.
Trapezius & Shoulders: Do Pull Ups Work Out Shoulders
The fibers that make up the top, middle, and lower parts of the trapezius muscles each have a distinct purpose. When fully developed, the upper fibers give the illusion of being huge and lift or raise the shoulder blades and stretch the neck. Although the lower fibers depress the scapula and support the higher fibers in the upward rotation of the scapula. The intermediate fibers retract (adduct) the scapula. In addition to aiding in scapular sliding against the rhomboids and levator scapulae. These movements also affect posture through the traps.
Scapula Pull-Ups Benefits
Scapular pull ups are a good idea. A few benefits of this version are as follows.
Reiterating appropriate posterior posture and confirming that the lat muscles are functioning are the main goals of scapular pull ups. As was already indicated, this will guarantee that your shoulders are not overworked or overstressed. The benefit of scapular pull ups is that they imitate the first portion of a pull-up without requiring the kind of strength required for a standard pull-up with the entire range of motion. Because your body weight acts as resistance, it is an even better method for strengthening your scapula.
You can finally master the pull-up by aiming to get a little bit better every week and combining it with other strategies to increase your pulling strength. Variations on pull ups are excellent for opening up the shoulders, back, and vertebrae. With each repeat of a scapular pull-up, you begin in a dead hang with your shoulder extended. This indicates that you are receiving a decent stretch in the interim. Pull ups on the scapula lead to better performance in a variety of physical activities, including sports and daily chores. Improved upper body strength and range of motion can have a positive effect on total functional fitness.
One way to help avoid shoulder injuries and systemic problems like the winged scapula is to strengthen the scapular muscles. An upper body that is more robust and injury-resistant benefits from improved stability and control in the scapular area. This exercise strengthens the upper back and shoulders by isolating the scapular muscles. It aids in the development of a balanced and well-rounded upper body. Therefore, if you focus on these specific activations, your dominant shoulder will not take over and become fatigued during pull ups.
Scapular Pull Ups: Variations
These are the greatest versions of the scapular pull-up that you should think about including into your workouts. Since they are great for increasing muscle, strength, and functional ability. Once you have mastered the scapular pull-up, attempt one of these modifications.
How To Simplify Scapula Pull Ups
Here are three ways to make scapula pull ups easier if you are just starting out and find them too difficult.
Scapula Pull Downs
The only difference with scapular pull downs is that you pull a bar or resistance bands down rather than lifting yourself up. Both a fixed lat machine and cables are excellent choices, and both need precisely the same technique. Pull downs have the benefit of allowing you to employ less weight than your body. You can learn and build optimal scapular functioning as it relates to weight training. Even if you never intend to perform a pull up.
Scapula Pull Ups Assisted By A Partner Or Machine
For support on one of your hips as you do the exercise, find a companion. Alternatively, utilize a machine for assistance if you have access to one. These are fantastic because they support and uplift you. In order to achieve this, the assisted pull-up machine counterweighs your actual weight, making you feel much lighter. This helps you massively to focus on your form and scapular pull ups muscles worked.
Scapula Pull Ups With Band
Secure a resistance band with a low to medium strength around the bar. Next, plant your foot or knee on the loop and use your hands to hold onto the bar. Execute the motion as you would have in the absence of the band. If you have never done a pull up workout before, it might be beneficial to begin with an aided pull up.
To do an aided scapular pull up, wrap a resistance band around the pull-up bar and, just before finishing the exercise, insert your foot inside the opposite end of the band. You may gradually lower yourself down and receive assistance during the rising portion of the workout with the band.
Scapula Pull Ups: Aussie Style
This is comparatively a very simplified and much easier variant. This requires you to, position your feet on the ground and complete the scapula pull ups on a low bar that is around chest height.
Basic Pull Up
You may enhance your pull up performance or get ready for your first pull up by performing scapula pull ups.Though not the same thing but, by now, you have probably figured out that the ultimate aim is pull ups. We think it is an essential back exercise, and research has shown that it is the best way to activate the latissimus dorsi muscles.
How To Make Scapula Pull Ups More Challenging
Compared to standard pull ups, scapular pull ups are very simple to accomplish, and the recommended rep range of 10 to 15 may not be sufficient. Here are a few ways to increase the exercise’s difficulty.
Scapula Pull Ups: Paused
Scapula retraction and depression were included in the scapular pullups. Even though they are typically executed simultaneously, they can also be executed separately, pausing briefly in between each movement. You may make sure you are not using momentum for any of the scapula motions by pausing. There is a pause in between the scapula retraction and depression.
Scapula Pull Ups: Single Arm
Working on one scapula at a time is an alternative if you do not have weights, but it will need twice as much lifting. Should that be too hard, you may want to try aided single-arm scapular pull ups. Using your helping hand, swing a strap, rope, or towel around the bar and keep it in place. Make use of the help as much as is necessary.
Scapula Pull Ups: Weighted
Try using a weight vest or a dip belt to increase weight if just using your bodyweight is too simple. Try weighted scapular pull ups for a more difficult version. Weighted pull ups are a type of strength-training activity where you do a pull up while wearing weights.
The additional weight for the exercise comes from a weighted vest or belt, and it aids in the development of even more muscle throughout your pull up routine. You may execute weighted scapular pull ups with resistance bands, dumbbells. Or, a dip belt equipped with barbell plates if you do not have access to a weight belt or weighted vest.
Scapula Pull Ups: Burpees
Burpee pull ups are a great way to include some cardio into your pull up routine. A burpee pull up is a combination of a pull up and a burpee. With your hands on the ground, kick your feet back into a push up posture to perform burpee pull ups. Put yourself in a squat position by jumping your feet back up. Use an overhead bar to do a scapular pull up exercise. Repeat the exercise after lowering yourself back to the floor.
Front Levers
If you are looking for an activity that is even harder than bodyweight alone pull ups, try this one. Front levers are an amazing strength test that will get you noticed at the gym. It is a gymnastic based calisthenics workout appropriate for more experienced exercisers.
Scapula Pull Ups: Mistakes To Avoid
One typical error people make while performing scapular pull ups is to underestimate the workout and perform it too frequently. Scapular pull ups may look easy. But, they are actually a difficult whole-body exercise that works a lot of different muscle groups and makes you tired. It is important to consider the amount of training and refrain from performing more than a few sets of scapular pull ups in a single session.
Utilizing momentum while performing scapula pull ups is another common error. For example, doing scapula pull ups without regulating the descent might result in a modified kipping pull up. Negating the advantages of the exercise. Furthermore, you will swing back and forth as a result, which will further reduce the exercise’s effectiveness. Scapular pull ups need deliberate, slow movement.
Additionally, watch out for the error of performing scapular pull ups with your arms. Most individuals assume they can do the movement with ease since it initially appears to be rather simple. However, many find it difficult to complete scapular retraction while hanging from the bar, so they slightly bend their arms. In doing so, the scapula pull up becomes a half pull up and loses its intended function.
Conclusion: Wiping The Sweat Off!
One of the best exercises for developing upper posterior strength and reinforcing ideal scapular placement and motion is the scapular pull up. Pull ups take more than merely pushing oneself up to a bar. Especially if you want to see consistent, long-lasting improvement and develop an incredible back. When attempting to optimize your profits, the small things count. We really hope that this tutorial will help you become a better pull up performer.
