WARM UP

Stretch and Roll Out:
Forearms and Arms
Upper Back
Shoulders
Chest

ACTIVATION

Complete 2 rounds of the circuit below.

CIRCUIT:
30 second Scapular Wall Hold
30 second Towel Pulldown
30 second Pull Up and Hold

WORKOUT

Complete 4-5 rounds of the first exercise. Rest up to 2 minute between rounds of the first exercise. Then rest 1-2 minutes before moving on to the supplemental circuit. Complete 4-5 rounds of the circuit resting up to 1 minute between rounds.

EXERCISE:
5-8 reps Eccentric-Focused Pull Ups

CIRCUIT:
8-15 reps Band Lat Pulldown (tempo 1/2/1)
8-15 reps Suspension Trainer Back Flyes
8-15 reps Hanging Abs

NOTES:

For the Eccentric, your goal is to go as slowly as possible even if it means doing fewer reps. Do not rush them. And rest enough between rounds that you can complete as many quality reps each round as you did the first round.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Scapular Wall Hold – For the Scapular Wall Hold, you can do the traditional move shown below or pick a variation from this post if you want to mix it up.

Towel Pulldown – Grab a towel with both hands about shoulder-width apart and  pull your hands away from each other so there is tension on the towel. Then press the towel overhead, keeping the towel taunt between your hands. Press your chest out and pull the towel down toward your chest, pinching your shoulder blades down and back as if you were doing a pull up to the bar. Drive your elbows down to the ground as you pull the towel down keeping it tight between your hands. You can either hold at the bottom of the pull or complete repetitions. If you do repetitions, move slowly and make sure to maintain tension on the towel the entire time. If you don’t have a towel, you can do this with just your bodyweight. Without a towel, you will have to focus on pressing your chest out and driving your elbows down toward the ground to create tension between your shoulder blades.

Pull Up and Hold – Start hanging from the bar in a dead hang (aka with the muscles engaged). Then pull your chest up to the bar, or at least your chin over the bar, and hold. Keep your core tight and do not tuck your knees into your chest. Make your back and core really work with this move. Do not let your shoulders start to shrug as you hold. If you start to lose the hold, lower yourself down as slowly as you can and then perform a dead hang for a few extra seconds. If you can’t pull up to the top to hold, jump up or use a box to step up at the top of the movement.

Eccentric-Focused Pull Ups – If you can do full Pull Ups, focusing on the Eccentric portion can help you be able to do more. For this move, you will pull yourself up to the top and then just focus on really slowing down the lower down to a 5 or even 6 count. The point is to focus on the lowering down and slow it down as much as possible no matter how you get to the top of the Pull Up. To get to the top of the Pull Up, you can also do a Jumping Pull Up or even a Foot-Assisted variation if you can’t pull yourself up. This will still help you work a little on the Concentric portion instead of just setting up at the top of the Pull Up, which is also an option, but makes the movement an Eccentric ONLY move. Once at the top of the Pull Up, you will lower yourself down as slowly as possible. If you are doing the Foot-Assisted variation, you can keep your feet on the ground; however, this is also a great way to start taking on your full body weight. If you can, use your feet to lift to the top of the Pull Up and then lift your feet off the ground as you lower down as slowly as possible. If you can no longer control the tempo down, you may want to again use your feet. You want more time under tension when focusing on the Eccentric. If you do a Jumping Pull Up, you will have assistance up to the top of the move, but will take on your full weight as you lower down. The slower you can lower down, the more you will get out of this move!

Band Lat Pulldown (tempo 1/2/1) – Anchor the band up high. Then grab the band in both hands with your palms facing away. (Just like with the Pull Up, you can use a variety of grips.) Step back and sink into a deep lunge with the back leg straight. Lean forward over the front leg, keeping your back flat and reach your hands up overhead holding the band. You want to create a nice straight line from your hands to your tailbone so that you can mimic the vertical pull. Then pull the band down to your shoulders, driving your elbows down toward your hips. Feel your shoulder blades retracting and the sides of your back working to pull the band down. Keep your chest pressed out and your core tight as you pull the band down. Do not let your back round just to pull the band lower. Hold for a two count. Then extend your arms back overhead and repeat. Make sure to keep your back flat and draw your shoulder blades down and back as you pull the band down to you. Step further away from the anchor point to increase the tension and make the move harder. Make sure to pull the band down to your chest in a controlled fashion, hold for a two count then extend your arms back out in a controlled fashion.

Suspension Trainer Back Flyes – Hold a strap in each hand, facing the anchor point of the trainer. Walk your feet forward toward the anchor point. You will not want to walk them in as far as you do with the Inverted Row. Keeping your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heels, open your arms out to the side. You may open them slightly out and down to make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders. Keep your elbows soft, but do not bend your arms as you open to the side. Do not turn this into a row. Pull yourself up so your arms are even with your body and then lower back down, bringing your hands back together. Keep your body in a nice straight line as you row. Do not arch your back to help yourself get all the way up. If you can’t fly your arms all the way open, walk your feet back so you are more vertical instead of horizontal. Do not let your hips sag or arch as you perform the fly. Squeeze your glutes and keep your abs engaged. Make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders as you open. Keep your chest pressed out as you perform the fly. Move slowly and don’t bounce off the bottom. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades down and together as you perform the Back Fly. If you feel this too much in your neck and upper traps, you may want to try the Scapular Band Fly first to learn how to engage your lower traps.

Hanging Abs – For a variety of Hanging Ab Moves to choose from based on your ability level, check out this post – 10 Hanging Core Exercises.