WARM UP
Stretch and Roll Out:
Wrists/Forearms
Chest
Shoulders
Traps
Upper Back

ACTIVATION

Complete 2 rounds of the circuit below.

CIRCUIT:
10 reps Scapular Retraction Mini Pull Ups
10 reps Inverted Rows

WORKOUT

Complete the first exercise then rest 1-2 minutes and do the supplemental circuit. Rest 30-90 seconds between rounds of the circuit. Complete 3-5 rounds.

EXERCISE:
50 reps Pull Ups

Do the 50 Pull Ups in as few a rounds as possible. That means resting long enough between rounds that you can do a lot in a row without resting too long (rest 30-90 seconds…90 seconds max). If you can do all 50 without releasing the bar, do it! You may do assisted variations as well, but make them challenging enough that you can’t do all 50 in a row.

CIRCUIT:
8-12 reps per side Single Arm Anti-Rotational Row
10-15 reps Suspension Trainer Back Flyes
10-15 reps Hanging Knee Tuck to Twist

NOTES:

Record how many rounds and the reps you get each round for the 50 Pull Ups. Try to beat it next time by either doing fewer rounds, more reps in a few rounds or even resting shorter between rounds.

EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:

Scapular Retraction Mini Pull Ups – To do this move, hang from a bar with your palms facing away from you. Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart although you can do it with them wider apart or closer together. From this hanging position, press your chest out and pull your shoulder blades down and together. Don’t bend your elbows and start to pull up. Just press your chest out and retract your shoulder blades bringing them down and together. You should feel your shoulders go down as your chest lifts up.Then relax out and repeat. Remember, you are not bending your elbows to make this movement bigger.
Inverted Rows – To do the Inverted Row, hold a suspension trainer strap in each hand or use a bar. Walk your feet out so that you are leaning back. The closer to parallel to the ground you get, the harder the move will be. Squeeze your core and glutes and press your chest out so there is tension between your shoulder blades. Make sure you don’t shrug your shoulders and that your body is in a nice straight line. Then row up, keeping your body in that nice straight line. Row until your chest comes up to the handles and then lower yourself back down. Don’t let your hips sink as you lower back down or your low back arch. Also, keep your chest pressed out the entire time (make sure you don’t round your thoracic spine at the bottom). Move in a controlled fashion as you keep tension between your shoulder blades the entire time. Make sure you row low and don’t shrug your shoulders at any point. Do not bounce off the bottom of your row or use momentum to get back up.

Pull Ups – To do a Pull Up, start hanging from the bar with your palms facing away from you. Hanging with your arms straight off the bar, press your chest out and up and feel your shoulder blades draw down and together. Leading with your chest, pull yourself up to the bar. Ideally you want to bring your chest all the way up to the bar as you draw your shoulder blades down and back. Then slowly lower yourself down until your arms are fully extended.Your arms should fully extend at the bottom but you do not want to relax the tension in your back. Make sure to lead with your chest and do not let your shoulders shrug. Do not bounce or swing at the bottom. You do not want to use momentum to pull back up. Only on the last couple of reps should you ever swing at all or kick your legs. You want clean reps, but to eek out an extra rep or so and go past failure, you can use a little momentum.

Single Arm Anti-Rotational Row – To do the Single Arm Anti-Rotational Row, place one hand across your chest and grab the strap in the other hand. Set up in a nice straight line, squeezing your quads, glutes and core. Do not let your body rotate. You want to move in a straight line as you row up and down. Pull you arm in toward your chest. Do not shrug your shoulder as you row. Drive the elbow back and pull your hand in toward the bottom of your pec. You should move as if both arms are pulling instead of letting the side not rowing rotate open toward the ground. To advance (or regress this move), change the incline of your body. The closer you get to parallel to the ground, the harder the move gets.

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.

Hanging Knee Tuck to Twist – To do the Hanging Knee Tuck to Twist, start hanging then tuck your knees up toward your chest. With your knees up by your chest, twist them to the right. Then lower back down. Raise them back up center, then drop/twist your knees to the left. Lower back down and repeat on the right side. You can also vary this move up by bringing your knees up center then twisting right, center, left, center then lowering back down. However, it will be more challenging to keep your knees tucked the entire time.