Dr. Will Murtagh is a performance physical therapist and writer who helps Fitness Athletes elevate their fitness and train pain-free.
The chest to bar pull up is an essential part of any CrossFit training program. Beyond an already demanding strict pull-up movement, it adds another layer of difficulty by adding several inches to a range of motion that many athletes struggle to master.
Over the last ten-plus years working with CrossFit athletes as a CrossFit coach and Physical Therapist, I have seen what it takes to bring someone from struggling on ring rows to smashing butterfly chest-to-bars pull-ups in a CrossFit Open workout.
It requires a strategic progression that lays a foundation of scapular and upper back strength and transitions into sport-specific pull-up training as you build upper body strength and resiliency.
This article will outline the steps and tips I have learned as a coach and incorporated into my 1:1 Pain-Free Performance Program, where I help CrossFitters elevate their fitness without dealing with joint pain in training. So that you can immediately begin training the chest-to-bar effectively and smashing new personal records as soon as possible.
How To Perform A Chest To Bar Pull-Up
Although they are both considered chest-to-bar pull-ups, there are significant differences between strict chest-to-bar pull-ups and the butterfly and kipping pull-up variations. Below, I will outline the steps to performing each so you can see the similarities and nuances of each and begin to develop each of the gymnastics movements.
Strict chest-to-bar pull-ups
Set-Up
– Begin by standing underneath a pull-up bar.
– Jump up to the bar with hands just outside shoulder width.
– Assume a hollow body position with straight arms.
Ascent
– Initiate the pull by depressing the shoulder blades and engaging the latissimus dorsi muscles to pull the elbows towards the body.
– Maintain a straight line of movement in a vertical plane.
– Continue pulling with the arms until the the chest rises high enough to where contact is made with the pull-up bar just beneath the collar bone.
Descent
– Maintaining a hollow position, begin the descent back towards the floor by allowing the arms to straighten and the shoulder blades to elevate and protract.
– Follow the same pulling motion taken in the ascent as you return to the hanging position.
– Ensure that the elbows straighten to achieve the full range of motion at the bottom of each rep
Normal kipping chest-to-bar pull-up
Set-Up
– Begin by standing underneath a pull-up bar.
– Jump up to the bar with hands just outside shoulder width.
– Assume a hollow body position with straight arms.
Performing The Kipping Swing
– Initiate the kip swing by flexing at the hip, engaging the latissimus dorsi muscle and midline.
– Ensure that great midline control is maintained to keep the upper and lower limbs connected and that there are no power leaks at the midline.
– Once the hips are fully flexed, perform a hip thrust motion to rapidly extend the hip and generate momentum toward the pull-up bar.
Ascent
– Continue to build the kip swing until enough momentum is generated by the hips to efficiently ascend your body up towards the bar.
– At the apex of your kip, when enough momentum is achieved, rapidly extend the hips, retract the shoulder blades, and pull down with the arms to move the chest towards the bar.
– Continue pulling with the arms until the chest contacts the bar below the collar bone.
Descent
– At the top of the pull-up, use your arms to press your chest away from the bar to set up for the next rep.
– Allow the chest to come down and through the vertical plane of the bar as the legs move from a flexed position into an extended arch position.
– Repeat the steps from the first pull-up repetition.
Butterfly chest-to-bar pull-up
Set-Up
– Begin by standing underneath a pull-up bar.
– Jump up to the bar with hands just outside shoulder width.
– Assume a hollow body position with straight arms.
Performing The Butterfly Kipping Movement
– Initiate the butterfly movement by engaging the latissimus dorsi muscle, core, and hip flexors to create an upward lift in the reverse direction and generate momentum.
– Next, allow the chest to move under the pull-up bar and the hips to extend to a created and arched position.
– Rapidly flex the hip forward, allowing the feet to ascend up towards the bar as you pull down on the pull-up bar and shift the body back and upwards.
– Using the arms and shoulder blades, pull the torso up and towards the bar in a “C” shape motion as you perform a hip thrust into hip extension.
– Continue pulling with the help of momentum generated by the arms and hips in the “C” shaped pattern unto the chest, briefly making contact with the front of the bar.
– Allow the chest to move through the vertical plane of the bar and the hips and legs to extend in preparation for the next rep.
Ascent
– Initiate the pull by depressing the shoulder blades and engaging the latissimus dorsi muscles to pull the elbows towards the body.
– Maintain a straight line of movement in a vertical plane.
– Continue pulling with the arms until the chest rises enough to where contact is made with the pull-up bar beneath the collar bone.
Descent
- Allow the chest to continue moving through the vertical plane of the pull-up bar as the hips and legs extend back into an arched position.
– Maintain midline control with each rep to avoid power leakage.
– Bring the hips and legs back through and the chest backward to perform the next repetition.
Benefits of Chest To Bar Pull-Ups
Increased Upper Back Strength
The chest-to-bar pull-up requires and develops more upper body strength than typical strict pull-ups. In a normal strict pull-up, you only need the strength to pull the chin over the top of the bar.
However, a range of motion of the shoulder blades and shoulder joint can be developed to enhance performance and shoulder health. Adding a few inches of extra movement toward the pull-up bar strengthens the muscles and joints of the upper back and shoulder in their full range of motion, leaving no vulnerabilities in the vertical pulling motion. (1)
Increased Core Activation
To continue to propel yourself up toward the pull-up bar, regardless of whether you are performing strict or kipping variations of the chest-to-bar pull-up, you will inevitably have to active the core to a greater degree than if you were only trying to get your chin over the top of the bar.
You will often see with chest-to-bar pull-ups that the legs begin to rise. This is because the muscles of the core and hip flexors contract heavily to give the shoulders and upper back muscles a stable platform from which to pull.
Tested Skill In CrossFit
Building your chest-to-bar skill ability is a good idea if you compete in the sport of fitness. The ability to perform kipping variations of the chest-to-bar pull-up is a necessary skill for any competitive CrossFitter. According to Morning Chalk-Up, they have been tested in eleven out of thirteen CrossFit Open competitions.
So, whether you are a seasoned veteran or new to CrossFit with hopes of competing one day, chest-to-bar training is essential to your development.
Chest To Bar Pull Up Progression
If chest-to-bar pull-ups are not currently in your repertoire of gymnastic movements, now is a great time to start working on them. Any good pull-up progression will start with building motor control in the vertical pull pattern to get your first strict pull-up.
Once you have the strength to perform one strict pull-up, you should aim for a 1.5x weighted pull-up to ensure that your chest-to-bar pull-up is not hindered by a strength issue. By following the progression I outline below, you will be able to achieve your first strict chest-to-bar pull-up in no time.
Ring Rows
Ring rows lay the groundwork for scapular pulling strength. Several weeks of ring row strengthening can help to fortify the muscles around the shoulder blade and accessory arm muscles for pull-ups. Work to 15 unbroken repetitions before moving on to the pull-up bar.
Isometric Chin-Over-Bar Pull-Ups
Isometric or static holds at the top of the range of motion can help fortify the shoulder joint and build strength in the most advantageous part of the repetition. I have seen success with my clients by shooting for a thirty-second hold with the chin over the top of the pull-up bar with excellent positioning.
Eccentric Pull-Ups
Eccentric repetitions allow you to transition away from static holds and build strength and motor control in the full range of motion of the pull-up. (2) Eccentric repetitions focus on the decent portion of the movement where the muscles are lengthening or moving from a highly advantageous position to a more disadvantageous position. (2)
In the pull-up case, from the chin over the bar to the hanging start position. To perform eccentric pull-ups, use a plyo box or bench to jump up to the top of the rep and slowly lower yourself. I have my clients shoot for a three-second descent with excellent control for 5+ repetitions before moving on.
Strict pull-up
Once you can maintain a static hold at the top of the rep for thirty seconds and eccentric strength for several repetitions, you are most likely ready to perform a full, strict pullup. If not, you can use a resistance band to assist you as you build volume over time and progress down in assistance. You can also move back to the isometric holds and eccentric repetitions to increase your capacity before trying again.
If you achieve your first strict pull-up, the next step in this part of the progression would be to build strength in this normal range of motion by adding external load and building a 1.5x body weight strict pull-up. This would include your body weight plus 50% of the external load.
Isometric chest-to-bar hold
The next variation involves adding an extra few inches to the pull to further engage the shoulder blade and muscles of the upper back. Just as you did when building to your first strict pull-up, you will aim to hold for thirty seconds at the top of the repetition.
Eccentric chest-to-bar pull-up
As you did prior, for the eccentric chest-to-bar pull-up, you will use a plyo box or bench to jump up to the top of the rep and slowly lower yourself under control. Aiming for 5+ repetitions with excellent adherence to a three-second descent.
Strict chest-to-bar pull-up
Lastly, the big PR moment is upon you! Now, you have built up the pre-requisite static and eccentric strength in the shoulders and developed the concentric strength to perform the complete repetition against gravity. You are primed and ready to hit your first repetition.
Once you can perform the strict chest-to-bar exercise, you can proceed to the kipping variations I have outlined above.
Standard Chest To Bar Pull-Up Mistakes
Not Engaging The Shoulder Blades
With any vertical pulling motion, the primary movers are the muscles of the shoulder blade and the latissimus dorsi muscles. These create a downward pull on the arms to create the pulling motion. However, when these muscles lack motor control and strength, it is expected to over-recruit the biceps and forearm muscles.
You will notice this in athletes who show signs of their shoulders rolling forward in the pull-up instead of retracting backward. This improper form also puts forces on the bicep that it is not designed to handle and can ultimately lead to overuse injuries in the upper extremities like biceps tendonitis and rotator cuff tendonitis. (3)
Forgetting About The Back Swing (Butterfly)
Suppose you are having trouble connecting your butterfly chest-to-bar pull-ups. In that case, you probably forget the importance of the “C” shape I mentioned earlier. Although they are both pull-up variations, the strict and butterfly (and kipping) variations have subtle nuances that, when convoluted, decrease your pull-up performance.
With the butterfly variation, you must create a “backswing” away from the pull-up bar to create forward momentum and an upward lift towards it. This produces the necessary oval-shaped motion that allows you to cycle your repetitions as you gently brush up against the pull-up bar with your chest each repetition.
Losing The Hollow Position (Kipping)
In the kipping variation of the chest-to-bar pull-up, the biggest fault I see is losing the connection between the upper and lower bodies. The hollow body position is what creates this connection and ensures that there is force transfer from the legs to the upper body.
This usually manifests as sporadic or out-of-control movement up towards the bar and then a loss of the kip motion after several repetitions. But by keeping an activated anterior chain from your grip to your midline to your toes, every bit of energy you create with the hip thrust will be translated into the pull to make a more efficient pull.
Not Pushing off The Bar (Kipping)
Another common fault is forgetting to press the bar away at the top of the repetition. Much like forgetting to create a backswing in the butterfly variation, not pressing the bar away from you leaves no energy left to facilitate the next kip.
This will typically manifest as the athlete descending straight down and needing to restart the kip motion repeatedly with each repetition. By pressing the bar away, you translate the force from your arms into momentum to bring the chest through the vertical plane of the bar for the next pull-up.
FAQ’s
How do I make chest-to-bar pull-ups easier or harder?
To scale chest-to-bar pull-ups up or down, you can add a resistance band to provide upward lift towards the bar. You can add external load or modify the tempo by pausing and lengthening the movement’s eccentric or concentric phases to make them more challenging.
How far apart should my hands be?
I find that any pull-up variation is best suited with a grip that is just outside shoulder width. Any wider or narrower, and you will begin to lose mechanical advantage on the pull-up bar. However, personal preference and anatomy play a part here, so experiment with different grip widths and see what works best for you.
When can I add chest-to-bar pull-ups into metcons?
Progressing any skill to a fatigued setting requires a strategic approach that moves it from being performed in an isolated, non-fatigued setting where it is the only exercise performed and with complete rest to a setting where the movement is challenged aerobically and anaerobically with varying levels of interference from other exercises.
To learn how to progress your gymnastic skills, check my recent article on gymnastic skill development for CrossFit.
Wrapping Up
The chest-to-bar pull-up is an essential movement in CrossFit. Still, it can benefit anyone looking to further develop their pull-up strength, shoulder health, and physique. The movement provides an additional layer of difficulty by adding only a few inches more to an already demanding movement, such as regular pull-ups.
But by laying a great foundation of upper body strength and then strategically developing the kipping variations, you can master the chest-to-bar pull-up and begin incorporating it into your daily training routine.
The steps I have outlined above are the exact frameworks I lead my clients through as a part of my 1:1 Pain-Free Performance Program, where I help CrossFitters elevate their fitness without dealing with joint pain.
If you want to start crushing your chest-to-bars and elevate your CrossFit performance without the frustrating injuries that can come with intense training, I invite you to CLICK HERE to schedule a completely free consultation to chat about your goals and how I can help you reach them!
References:
1. De Mey, K., Danneels, L., Cagnie, B., Borms, D., TʼJonck, Z., Van Damme, E., & Cools, A. M. (2014). Shoulder muscle activation levels during four closed kinetic chain exercises with and without Redcord slings. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 28(6), 1626–1635. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000292
2. Lepley, L. K., Lepley, A. S., Onate, J. A., & Grooms, D. R. (2017). Eccentric Exercise to Enhance Neuromuscular Control. Sports health, 9(4), 333–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/1941738117710913
3. Nicolay, R. W., Moore, L. K., DeSena, T. D., & Dines, J. S. (2022). Upper Extremity Injuries in CrossFit Athletes-a Review of the Current Literature. Current reviews in musculoskeletal medicine, 15(5), 402–410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-022-09781-4
