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Scapular Pull-Up

Draftmotor-control50%beginner-intermediate⬤ expert-opinion evidence
Evidence chain View FHIR resource(snapshot)movements → muscles → citations · and the interoperable FHIR form · served as a static snapshot here, not the live API route

Why Include This

Teaches the scapular initiation that precedes elbow flexion in a pull-up. Athletes who skip this rung typically pull with the elbows from a passive hang and shrug under load.

Evidence basis: expert-opinion

Positions & Range of Motion

Start
passive dead hang, arms straight, shoulders elevated
End
shoulders depressed away from the ears, chest slightly lifted, elbows still straight
Range of Motion
scapular depression and downward rotation only; no elbow flexion

How to Perform

From a dead hang, the shoulders are actively depressed and the scapulae retracted and downwardly rotated to raise the body a few centimetres, with the elbows staying straight throughout.

Watch on YouTube↗

Opens a YouTube search for “Scapular Pull-Up”

Equipment:pull up bar
Starting position: hanging

Coaching Cues

  1. 1

    Pull your shoulders down away from your ears while your arms stay locked

    (verbal)
  2. 2

    Think of making yourself taller through the chest, not shorter through the arms

    (verbal)

Evidence-Based Dosing & EMG Data

Recommended Dosing

3×6–10 with a 2 s hold at the top, 2–3×/week (consensus programming, not RCT-derived)

Muscles Involved (7)

Primary Movers

Lower Trapezius

Secondary Movers

Latissimus Dorsi
Rhomboid Major
Teres Major
Middle Trapezius

Stabilizers

Serratus Anterior
Flexor Digitorum Profundus

Easier Variations ↓

1

Dead Hang

Regress to Dead Hang.

Harder Variations ↑

1

Band-Assisted Pull-Up

Progress to Band-Assisted Pull-Up. Adds the full elbow-flexion arc on top of the scapular arc; the band offsets bodyweight so the pattern, not the load, is what is trained.

Target Movements (3)

Scapular DepressionScapulothoracic Articulation
Scapular Downward RotationScapulothoracic Articulation
Scapular RetractionScapulothoracic Articulation

Goals This Helps With

Rehab, performance, prevention, and mobility goals this exercise supports — essential means it's a cornerstone:

Improve Your Pull-UpperformanceShoulder Injury Preventionprevention

Research Notes

claude-researched 2026-08 (bodyweight ladders). Rung ordering is community consensus, not trial evidence — see source bodyweight-progression-consensus-2026. EMG and RCT sourcing pending.

Evidence Sources (1)