Pullups - How to really feel it in lats?

[SaintGJR7]

Hi everyone - how are you guys today?

I am doing pullups at the moment in my routine but i tend to feel it more in my biceps. Yes - i know that the biceps do help a lot with the actual pullup movement - but i feel it too much i think in my arms rather than my lats.

I go with a grip about a shoulder witdth apart at the moment with palms facing away.

Thanks guys.

Any tips or tricks would be great.

[hawktribal]

widen your grip

[svarturer]

can also try usin straps

[Superhuman]

those are good ideas, you can widen your grip and use straps too, but straps are a pain in the ass to use when you're doing pullups.

believe it or not, the best advice I can give you is to use your MIND. Seriously as you pull up really FOCUS on the muscle you want to work. IMAGINE pulling yourself up with your back instead of your biceps. It will really make a difference. Same with bench, really FOCUS on using your pecs to push the bar up instead of your triceps. Your mind has complete control of your body and your muscles.

[Undecided09]

those are good ideas, you can widen your grip and use straps too, but straps are a pain in the ass to use when you're doing pullups.

believe it or not, the best advice I can give you is to use your MIND. Seriously as you pull up really FOCUS on the muscle you want to work. IMAGINE pulling yourself up with your back instead of your biceps. It will really make a difference. Same with bench, really FOCUS on using your pecs to push the bar up instead of your triceps. Your mind has complete control of your body and your muscles.

Thats the best advice you have gotten so far...its what I was going to say...I had one my Bodybuilding partners of mine tell me once "imagine you have no arms and you have to use your back to pull yourself up" give that a go, shit works....

~M.A.D.

[Grappler13]

Face your palms towards you and do them close grip ( shoulder or a little narrower). Have a workout partner do them and feel how much lat contraction he/she gets doing this. I did and stil do wide grips with palms facing away but pull-ups with palms facing inward allow a greater range of motion and stimulation. Give 'em a try. Try some negatives as well with some weight (ten second counts).

[Undecided09]

Another thing you have to realize too, is that the back is being used at the very bottom and middle of the movement, past a certain point it become a bicep exercise, so make sure to stretch ALL THE WAY DOWN to hit ur back, the top of the movement isn't a back move at all really, the bottom of the movement is everything, if your not going all the way extended, your not hitting your back!

~M.A.D.

[chest6]

Try to imagine you are pulling yourself up with your lats. I used to have the same problem. Pulldowns and Pullups were all biceps..I was pulling with my arms. Imagine you are pulling down with your elbows. Try to keep your lats flared the entire movement. Imagine you are keeping your lats flexed the entire time and imagine that you are doing them like a front lat spread. Stretch all the way down like Undecided said. I completely relax at the bottom of the movement to get all my bodyweight pulling downwards and really stretching out my lats.
On all back movements try to pull with your elbows, not your biceps. I think I got that advice from Nark. Say bent over rows for example..its easier here. Try to pull back at the elbows rather than pulling with your biceps.

[SaintGJR7]

Ok some great pointers and tips here guys really appreciate the input - i like the exercise think is is great and hopefully the top advice given above will help me nail the form on them.

Will give them a go next time i work my back next week.

Thanks again all.

[Sir Lifts-a-lot]

here is my opinion on this..... It sounds like you're back just isn't strong enough to be doing pull ups. There is no disrespect intended in that comment by the way. We have all been there. I know I was in the same boat as you when I really started to bulk up to 250. What I did was this little technique I stumbled upon in a thread talking about the DC method. They are called a squat rack pull-up. What they are is really quite simple. Go to a squat rack and put a barbell up on the highest setting, next put a barbell down low, like on the part of the squat rack that you would put the bar on if you were to do shrugs or somthing of that nature. Now grab hold of the higher bar like you are going to do a pull up and put your legs up on the lower bar. Now do a pull-up. It makes it so you are doing about half your body weight so you get a good workout in the lats.

I know it is a little hard to understand but it works. If anyone knows what I am talking about please elaborate so my crappy explination makes better since.

Hope this helps.

[xpijeonx]

Sounds similar to the way I had to start doing them or have to do them on weak days, lol. I will put a bar on the bottom where I can actually plant my feet. What I cannot pull with my back I will "spot" myself with my legs.

If you have ever seen Sixteen Candles it is very much like the spot where they are doin the pull-ups talking about girls.

[svarturer]

those are good ideas, you can widen your grip and use straps too, but straps are a pain in the ass to use when you're doing pullups.

believe it or not, the best advice I can give you is to use your MIND. Seriously as you pull up really FOCUS on the muscle you want to work. IMAGINE pulling yourself up with your back instead of your biceps. It will really make a difference. Same with bench, really FOCUS on using your pecs to push the bar up instead of your triceps. Your mind has complete control of your body and your muscles.

good point