Scapular Pull-Up

Start

Finish

How to do it

Hang from the bar with straight arms and shoulders relaxed up by your ears, then pull your shoulder blades down and back to lift your body an inch or two without bending the elbows at all.

Muscles worked

Primary: back · Also works: traps, forearms

Equipment

Pull-up bar

Common mistakes

• Bending the elbows and doing a tiny pull-up instead of an elbow-locked scapular pull
• Moving too fast — the range is small, so each rep needs a one-second hold at the top
• Swinging the legs, which makes the movement momentum rather than scapular control

Variations

• Scapular pull-up with a three-second hold at the top
• Single-arm scapular pull-up once both-arm control is solid

Can't do this one? Swap it for

• Pull-Up
• Negative Chin-Up
• Dead Hang

Related exercises

• Pull-Upback
• Lat Pulldownback
• Barbell Bent-Over Rowback
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Rowback
• Resistance Band Rowback
• Inverted Rowback