If you're eager to master kipping pull-ups but find yourself struggling to maintain control, you might be skipping a critical step: mastering strict pull-ups first. While kipping pull-ups offer speed and efficiency, they also demand a solid foundation of strength, control, and body awareness. In this blog, we’ll break down why building a base of strict pull-ups is essential for injury prevention, movement quality, and long-term progress. Whether you’re aiming to improve performance or avoid setbacks, focusing on strict pull-ups is the key to unlocking your kipping potential safely and effectively. Keep reading to discover why this approach will make all the difference!
Building a base of strict pull-ups before starting kipping pull-ups is essential for a variety of reasons, especially for regular gym goers. Strict pull-ups develop fundamental strength, control, and body awareness, which are critical when transitioning to the more dynamic kipping version. Here’s a breakdown of the key reasons:
1. Injury Prevention
Strict pull-ups build the necessary shoulder, lat, and core strength to stabilize your body throughout the movement.
Kipping pull-ups involve explosive movements, placing higher demands on the shoulders and joints. Without the requisite strength, athletes may experience shoulder impingement, rotator cuff injuries, or other joint-related issues.
2. Control and Stability
Strict pull-ups require full control throughout the range of motion, which builds body awareness and the ability to engage muscles efficiently.
Kipping pull-ups introduce dynamic forces (due to the swinging motion). Without solid strength and control from strict pull-ups, an athlete may struggle to maintain form and control, leading to inefficient movement patterns.
3. Strength Foundation
Strict pull-ups build a solid strength base in the upper body, especially the back, shoulders, and biceps. This strength helps support and manage the demands of kipping pull-ups, which rely more on momentum but still require muscular engagement to be effective and safe.
Focusing on strict pull-ups ensures that an athlete can pull their body weight efficiently before adding complexity with the kip.
4. Core and Midline Stability
Strict pull-ups require consistent engagement of the core and midline, promoting proper body alignment and posture.
Kipping pull-ups depend on a coordinated "kip" movement that includes generating power from the hips and maintaining a stable midline. Core stability developed through strict pull-ups helps prevent over-extension of the lower back during the kip, reducing the risk of injury.
5. Movement Quality and Progression
Mastering strict pull-ups ensures that an athlete has developed the appropriate movement mechanics before moving to more complex variations.
Kipping pull-ups are a progression of pull-ups that use momentum, and strict pull-ups help an athlete gain the muscle endurance necessary to maintain quality form under fatigue.
6. Better Muscle Engagement and Hypertrophy
Strict pull-ups allow for slower, controlled movements, which maximizes muscle engagement and can lead to better strength and hypertrophy gains.
Kipping pull-ups are great for metabolic conditioning and high-rep efforts, but they are less effective for building strength and muscle than strict pull-ups.
For general population athletes, focusing on strict pull-ups first is crucial for developing the necessary strength foundation, control, and body awareness to safely and effectively perform kipping pull-ups later on. Skipping this step can lead to poor mechanics, inefficient movement, and increased injury risk, especially in the shoulders and lower back. With that being said How many strict pull ups should you be able to do before trying kipping?
We recommend you to be able to perform at least 5-10 strict pull-ups with good form before attempting kipping pull-ups. This ensures that you have built adequate strength in the necessary muscles (back, shoulders, and core) to handle the dynamic forces involved in kipping movements.
Here’s why this range is important:
Muscle Endurance: Being able to do 5-10 strict pull-ups means you have enough upper body and core endurance to maintain proper form even under fatigue, which helps reduce the risk of injury.
Control and Stability: Performing multiple strict pull-ups consistently indicates that you can control your body weight, stabilize your shoulders, and engage the right muscles.
Injury Prevention: If you can’t do at least 5 strict pull-ups, your muscles and joints are likely not ready to handle the higher forces of kipping. The risk of shoulder and back injury is much higher if you attempt kipping too soon.
Of course, this is a general guideline, and some athletes may progress faster or slower depending on their body mechanics and overall strength levels. But aiming for 5-10 strict pull-ups is a safe benchmark for most people.
We have a pull up program up at the gym for any athlete that would like to either get their first strict pull up or improve and build on their strict pull up capacity. Speak to a coach to help put a plan together to help you improve.
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