Name: Playbook - Jess St John - W2/D2 Pull
Uploaded: 2023-12-13T15:49:49.572Z
Duration: 45 min
Description: W2/D2 Pull

This is your pull workout for the Bodyweight Beginner program. Learn the fundamentals and strengthen your pull movement to set yourself up for success in your calisthenics journey. Small changes will be made throughout the four weeks so pay close attention!

- Reach arms overhead while holding a dowel about shoulder width apart
- Engage lats by pulling armpits towards hips
- Bend elbows toward hips 
- Pinch shoulder blades together to retract the shoulders (pull them back and open the chest)
- Pause with dowel at collarbone 
- Return to starting position and repeat

Dowel Pull Up

- Use a resistance band as your “bar”
- Start with arms extend over your head holding the band with tension
- Engage your lats and keep your chest tall to pull the band into your chest
- Elbows travel toward hips and shoulders stay down away from your ears

Mock Pull Ups

- Extend arms overhead with dowel in hands with a reverse grip, shoulder width apart 
- Drop the shoulders away from ears by pulling armpits towards hips 
- Bend elbows toward hips
- Lower dowel to collarbone, pulling your shoulder blades back and down, opening the chest to the dowel
- Extend arms back to the starting position

Dowel Chin Up

Start with the barbell pull up while keeping feet on the floor and progress to banded pull ups in week 2 and onward 

- Grip the bar (or barbell) with hands shoulder width apart and fully extend arms
- Engage the lats by dropping shoulders away from ears (think of pulling armpits toward hips
- Drive elbows down toward hips
- Keep shoulders back and down and chest in front as you pull yourself to the bar (think of pinching the shoulder blades at the top)
- Raise collarbone to bar
- Briefly pause
- Slowly lower back into a dead hang 

Pro-tip: keep the rest of your body squeezed tight to minimize movement.

Pro-tip: when using the band, it is easiest to start standing on a bench or box, place one foot in the band, and slowly lower yourself into a dead hang

Assisted Pull-Ups

Start with the barbell pull up while keeping feet on the floor and progress to banded pull ups in week 2 and onward 

- Grip the bar (or barbell) with hands shoulder width apart in a reverse grip
- Fully extend arms
- Engage the lats by dropping shoulders away from ears (think of pulling armpits toward hips
- Drive elbows down toward hips
- Keep shoulders back and down and chest in front as you pull yourself to the bar (think of pinching the shoulder blades at the top)
- Raise collarbone to bar
- Briefly pause
- Slowly lower back into a dead hang 

Pro-tip: keep the rest of your body squeezed tight to minimize movement.

Pro-tip: when using the band, it is easiest to start standing on a bench or box, place one foot in the band, and slowly lower yourself into a dead hang

Assisted Chin Up

- Hold on to a barbell about shoulder width apart and extend your arms so you are underneath it
- Bend knees to about 90° or extend legs if the barbell is higher
- Pull your chest towards the bar, retract your shoulder blades (pinch them and open your chest to the bar)
- Pause at the top then return yourself to starting position

Inverted barbell row

- Start with maximum bar hangs in which you hold your body weight on the bar as long as possible
- Once you feel comfortable holding for 15-30 seconds, progress to lifting one hand off at a time, alternating sides for as many reps as possible
- As you get comfortable lifting your hand off the bar, bring it down to your side before putting it back on. Make sure to do this slowly, and let go if you start to twist too much to avoid injury. Go back and forth as many times as possible 
- When you are comfortable with one arm hangs, practice switching grip back and forth as many times as possible. Alternate the side you start with

The more you squeeze the rest of your body into a hollow position, the less room for error there will be. Stay tight and focus on what your hands are doing. The less movement from the rest of your body, the better.

Bar Grip Challenges

- Hang on a bar in a hollow body position
- Drop shoulders away from the ears 
- Think of pulling armpits into hips
- Keep chest open in front of shoulders
- Do not bend arms

If you can do the dead hang bar regression but not scapular depression, try it with a resistance band

Scapular Depression

W2/D2 Pull

Awesome! 
Note to self : did 5rep for bar hang, 15 mountain climbers and 20 shoulder taps.
🔥🔥

Gerlie

Tough due to it being workout number 3 of the day but overall not too bad

Nice! Struggle with the grip though for tucked exercise. Is there a way to improve it so it becomes stronger? Thanks!

Dasha

W1/D1 Core

Laurent

Although I gave it my best some exercises were still impossible for me like the grip changes.

W2/D2 Pull

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