How to get better at kipping pullups for beginners

If you’re new to CrossFit and looking to improve your upper body strength and endurance, kipping pullups might be just what you need. In this blog we will go through all the different options you have to work on kipping pullups.

While you start practicing kipping pullups, it’s also important to master the strict pullup. This means being able to do a proper pullup with control and without any swinging. A general rule of thumb is that you should be able to perform a couple of strict pullups before you can start working on kipping pullups. This will prevent shoulder injuries which can occur if the shoulders don’t have the proper strength to absorb the dynamic forces from repetitive kipping motions. Personally I think you can start working on the kip swing while simultaneously working on strength for the strict pullup.

How to perform kipping pullups

Kipping pullups are a gymnastics movement that involve a swinging motion to generate momentum, allowing you to pull yourself up over the bar with less effort. The kipping pullup is a complex movement that requires coordination and strength in several different areas. It involves a combination of the kip swing and engagement of the back and arms to perform the pullup. Here are some tips for beginners looking to perform kipping pullups:

Start by hanging from the pull-up bar with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, palms facing away from you, with active shoulders (pull them down and back)
Initiate the movement with a hollow body position: The hollow body position is a fundamental position in gymnastics that involves keeping your core tight and your legs straight. Before you begin your kip, start in a hollow body position and focus on maintaining it throughout the movement. This will help you maintain control and stability throughout the kip.
Initiate the movement with a kip swing, go from the hollow body position to the arch position while keeping tension on the core and the legs straight.
As you swing forward, pull your shoulders down and back, and engage your lats and core muscles.
As you swing back, use the momentum to pull yourself up towards the bar, keeping your elbows close to your body.
Use your lats: As you reach the top of the movement, engage your lat muscles to finish the pullup. This will help you generate more power and control in the movement. Focus on pulling your shoulders down and back as you finish the kip.
As you reach the top of the movement, pull your chin over the bar and then lower yourself back down to the starting position.
On the way back make sure to push yourself away from the bar: this makes it easier to go directly into the arch position for the next repetition.

Working on the kip swing

A kip swing is a gymnastics movement that involves swinging your body back and forth while hanging from a pull-up bar. It generates momentum that can be used to perform a kipping pull-up. The movement is initiated by swinging your hips forward, which causes your body to arch and your feet to move behind you. You then reverse the movement, swinging your hips back and pulling your feet forward, which causes your body to move into a hollow position. The motion should be fluid and controlled. It’s a foundational movement for many other gymnastics exercises, including kipping pull-ups, muscle-ups, and toes-to-bar.

While you need some upper body strength for most gymnastic exercises you can gain a lot of power from a proper kip swing. Here are some tips to start working on the kip swing

Practice the hollow body and arch position: You can do this by practicing hollow or arch hold and rocks (performing a rocking motion). A good way to incorporate into your training is to finish with a Tabata hollow/arch rocks or hold.
Start with small swings on the bar: Focus on pushing the bar away to get a good hollow position and pulling your shoulders into the arch position. Start with small swings with a lot of tension in the core and legs. Gradually start to make the swings bigger, but only do this if you can maintain tension in the core and legs. If you notice you start losing tension (legs bend and you’re losing rhythm) go back to smaller swings. A good way to check if you’re in the right position:
- Hollow position: Shoulders are behind the bar and feet in front of the bar
- Arch position: Shoulders are in front of the bar and feet behind the bar. Focus on pushing the head through the arms
Progress to kipping elevates: When you can maintain proper tension in the kip swing you can start to pull down on the bar when you are in the hollow position. You can do this by activating your lats and pulling down on the bar
Practice the kip swing with a resistance band attached horizontally to the rig on j-hooks: The band will give you feedback of your hollow and arch position. You can put your body in three different positions:
- Between the band: gives support in both the hollow and arch position
- In front of the band: puts extra emphasis on the hollow position, because you have to work harder to get in the hollow with the band offering resistance
- Behind the band: puts extra emphasis on the arch position

Progressing to the kipping pullup

When you can perform a kip swing while maintaining proper tension in the body we can start progressing to the kipping pullup. You can also do this in phases:

Practice a quarter pullup: where you only bent the arms slightly when you are in the hollow position. Always focus on pushing yourself back when you finish the 1/4 pullup to go into a good arch position

Practice a hall pullup: where you bent the arms to a 90 degree angle. It’s important that we can maintain the rhythm of the kip swing to string multiple reps together.

The last step is to go into the chin over bar position or somewhere between the half pullup and a chin over bar.

Building strength for a strict pullup

Here are some exercises and tips to help you build strength for pullups:

Negatives: Get on a box so you can start at the top of the pullup position and slowly lower yourself down to the bottom position. This will help you build strength in the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement, which is often the weakest part for beginners. Try to lower yourself in 3-10 seconds to the bottom position
Assisted pullups: For assistance you can use a resistance band or use your legs to assist you in the movement.
- With a resistance band: Pick a resistance band with a thickness which enables you to do multiple sets of 5-12 reps. You can try to work yourself up to a very thin band before you transition to strict pullups. This exercise will help you build strength in the pulling motion and get used to the movement pattern.
Toe assisted: You will probably need a box for this to get yourself in a position where you’re forearms can touch the bar. Start by holding the bar and lower yourself, while the toes are the only contact point with the box (the knees will go forward). By performing a strict pullup this way, you can decide how much assistance you are giving yourself to make the rep challenging for your strength level. The benefit of this variant is that you can apply to same amount of assistance through the entire motion, while with a band you get a lot of support in the bottom of the movement and little support at the top.

Rows: Rows are a great exercise for building upper body pulling strength. You can do them with dumbbells, barbells, or a cable machine. While performing rows focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together at the end of the movement.
Grip strength exercises: Grip strength is often a limiting factor for pullups. Consider adding grip strength exercises, such as farmer’s carries or plate pinches, to your routine.Remember to start with a weight or resistance that allows you to perform 5-12 reps with good form, and gradually increase the weight or resistance over time as you get stronger.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

One of the most common mistakes is failing to maintain a tight hollow body position throughout the movement. This can lead to swinging and loss of control, making it difficult to generate the necessary momentum to complete the movement.
Dropping straight down at the top of the movement. This makes it hard to do multiple reps, because you will not get into a good arch position for the next repetition. You can fix this by actively pushing the arms backwards at the top of the pullup.
Another mistake is failing to engage the lats at the top of the movement. Many beginners will rely on their arms to finish the pullup, which can result in a loss of power and control.

Weekly extra work after class

I’m a big fan of putting some extra skill work in before or after your (class) workout. By adding in an extra 10-15 minutes one to three times a week for a period of 1-2 months you can make a lot of progress. If you want to start right away you can use the schedule below as an example of skill work to add to your regular training

Session 1

Negative pullups: 3 sets of 3-6 reps
Tabata hollow and arch rocks
Beat swings 5 sets of 6-12 reps

Session 2

Toe assisted pullups: 3 sets of 5-10 reps
Single arm DB rows: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Beat swings: 2 sets of 6-12 reps
Kipping elevates: 3 sets of 3-8 reps

Session 3

Kip swings with resistance band at chest level: 6 sets of 5-10 reps (2/2/2 sets in front/between/behind the band)
Quarter or half kipping pullups: 3 sets of 3-8 reps