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George Corso

Hang Your Way to Better Pull-ups

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George Corso Al Kavadlo Tree Hang

A basketball coach walks into the gym and witnesses one of his athletes shooting free throws. He makes 1 out of 50 shots. The coach asks the athlete what he’s doing and the athlete replies “practicing free throws.” The coach then asks him a simple question: “Are you practicing making them or are you practicing missing them?”

Pull-ups are kind of like free throws. They take practice, but you have to make sure you are practicing the right way. Though many people feel that they would have an easier time climbing Mount Everest than accomplishing even one pull-up, I hope to show you a different approach that will not only help with your pull-ups, but many other bar exercises as well.

When I started my own practice in calisthenics I was able to get my chin above the bar, but it really was far from a perfect pull-up. I sensed that something was off so I began to film myself doing pull-ups. It’s not always easy to be critical of yourself but I knew that this was an essential element of perfecting this exercise. I broke it down step by step from the first pull to the middle section and then to the top of the bar.  Then I studied it in reverse while lowering myself. I found that I was a complete mess!

It made me think back to the story about the free throws. I applied that coach’s criticism to my situation and realized that I was practicing my pull-ups without much regard for quality. It was obvious that I had to make corrections. I started with the initial pull. To my surprise, I found that I was pulling more from my biceps, which caused me to round my shoulders too much. A lack of strength in my scapulae was a real issue. I also discovered a lack of grip strength. In order to fix this problem I decided to scale back and dedicate my pull-up practice to different variations of hanging on the bar in order to work my way back up with proper technique.

Here’s what I did:

Dead Hangs
I started with the basic dead hang. The dead hang is such a great introduction to calisthenics bar training. It not only preps the hands but also decompresses the spine. Plus it opens up the chest so you can gain better shoulder mobility.

Start out with 10-30 seconds at a time. From there you can build to longer hangs. I recommend playing with different grips on the bar as well: Supinated, pronated and alternated grips are all fair game. I also suggest using a variety of different hand widths to add to the benefits of the dead hang. Using different grips will work the body in different ways, which can help you discover where your individual strengths and weakness lie.

George Corso Dead Hang Bar Hang Grip Variations

Active Hangs
The active hang is the next progression. In this variation, you’ll still be hanging with your arms completely straight, but your lats and shoulder blades will be engaged to “pack” the shoulders into their sockets. Adding this move into my programing leveled up my strength more than I could imagine. Active hangs helped me understand the proper muscle sequence in the motion of the pull-up, with scapula depression being first and foremost of the movements. As with dead hangs, I encourage you to explore and play with different grips.

Al Danny Kavadlo Active Hangs

Active Arch Hangs
These are one of my favorites! The active arch hang is one of the most challenging due the the body position needed. The goal is to hang with an arched back, while actively depressing and retracting the shoulder blades. It’s almost like a back bridge combined with an active hang. This will not only increase one’s strength in pull-ups, but will also aid you in someday catching the extremely challenging front lever.

George Corso Active Arch Hangs

Ape Swings
This exercise requires stamina, strength, control and mobility in order to accomplish. Start off in a dead hang with a mixed grip (one palm facing away and the other facing towards you). From here, release the palm that is facing you and rotate your body beneath the bar, switching your grip for the other side. Continue moving across the bar in this fashion, then reverse direction. What I love about this exercise is the control and scapular strength needed in order to bring yourself up enough to grab the bar. Each rep is almost like a one arm scapula pull-up.

George Corso Ape Swings

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George Corso is a PCC, RKC, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, Certified Animal Flow instructor and the co-owner of FORZA in Millbrook, NY. For more information, connect with George on Facebook.

The Hand Truck Workout

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George Corso Handtruck Workout

My clients count on me to be an innovative trainer. In fact, I’ve always enjoyed finding new and effective ways to work with people way before the trend of ‘being different just to be different’ became popular. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when my client Lorraine came in for her training session at my studio carrying a dolly that she grabbed from her dumpster at work. Her dad had made it but decided to get rid of it so she brought it with her and said “I have a very bad feeling that you can make good use of this”. Immediately my wheels started turning with all the fun ways I could use this thing. I took my time and experimented. I found movements that were safe and distinctly purposeful for my clients.

After a lot of thought and even more practice I came up with 24 useful ways to train with the dolly. Most of them stem from the prone position but each one remains unique with different neuromuscular firing patterns. Like all bodyweight training regimes, every exercise is a progression to more advanced movements. These movements are all accomplished with a “slow is smooth, smooth is fast approach. (Thank you Phil Dunphy.) They all not only require stability, but also an understanding of how the muscles of the body have to behave as one cohesive unit.

Here are the exercises in order from beginner to advanced.

THE PLANK WALK. I believe that the plank walk is the most important exercise of the 24 exercises I have listed. This one movement will set you up for all of the rest. It is excellent for developing control and discipline and it teaches a client how to become patient when learning and performing a new exercise. The plank walk is performed by keeping the body rigid while the forearms are resting on the dolly. The only parts of the body that are moving are the feet and ankles while you SLOWLY move towards your destination. It is imperative that this be mastered before moving on.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the plank walk:

  1. Plank Walk
  2. Injured Bear Crawl
  3. Wheel Barrow
  4. Reverse Wheel Barrow

Series 1 Hand Truck Workout

Be sure to continue to move slowly during the next progression.

THE TRAVELING PUSHUP. Now we will be adding additional movements. In the introductory phase we kept the body rigid while traveling with the dolly. Next we will be moving the body in different planes of motion while emphasizing control. Bodyweight practitioners discipline themselves to move with utmost precision in order to reap the greatest rewards. This is important to convey to the newcomers to this kind of conditioning.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the traveling pushup variations:

  1. Traveling Pushups
  2. Travel Bus Driver Pushups
  3. Single Leg Wheel Barrow
  4. Rotational Wheel Barrow

Series 2 Hand Truck Workout

THE TRAVELING V WALK. During the next series of exercises there is more emphasis on the transfer of weight onto the shoulders. This series is ideal for the client who wants to progress to walking on their hands in an inverted position. These selected exercises will definitely help them attain that goal. The traveling v walk will specifically strengthen the wrists. It also aids in teaching the client the proper forward lean that is needed while also adding flexibility to the wrists.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the traveling v walk and the variations:

  1. Traveling V Walk
  2. Traveling Inch Worm
  3. Tuck Walk
  4. Swimmers


Series 3 Hand Truck Workout

THE 360. The next series is called the 360 because there is a shift from developing strength towards developing stability.   These exercises require control and concentration from the client. There is an emphasis on 100 percent body compression as well.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the 360 and its variations:

  1. 360
  2. Side Walk
  3. Bus Drivers
  4. Single Arm Walk

Series 4 Hand Truck Workout

THE LEG SEQUENCE. This series emphasizes balance and leg strength. I was trained as a track sprinter and have come to the conclusion that it is important to isolate the hamstrings and fire up those fibers first by performing some bridges before moving on to squatting and lunging techniques.

The next 4 videos demonstrate the leg sequence:

  1. Hip Bridges and Leg Curl
  2. Straight Leg Bridge
  3. Injured Animal Run
  4. Pistol Sweeps


Series 5 Hand Truck Workout

PRESSING. These last 4 exercises will require that clients move while pressing. Your clients will need adequate shoulder stability and full body awareness before moving on to this advanced series. If your client has stalled in a particular calisthenic movement, these applications may help him or her to achieve a goal that at one time seemed impossible, or your client may just feel like these are achievements on their own! Either way, whatever your level, proceed slowly and own the move!

The next 4 videos will demonstrate the press sequence

  1. Hop off the Press
  2. Rotational Hop Press
  3. Sweeping One Arm Press
  4. Press and Slide

Series 6 Hand Truck Workout

You can pick up a dolly at the local hardware store and easily incorporate it into your training. Use your imagination and come up with variations specific to your clients’ needs. I use this piece of equipment in group training, with one on one, and during my own training. My clients love to tell me how much they have come to hate the dolly but always admit in the end that they love the results they are seeing!!!!

 

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George Corso, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, PCC, RKC, I360, WKC, is the co-owner and founder of CORSO. Over the last 15 years, George has been a successful varsity track and field coach, working with athletes to reach district and state championships. He actively trains in the art of Jeet Kune Do (JKD) as a level 3 student. George can be contacted at george@corsofit.com.