I’ve seen some recent concern lately about certain CrossFit movements. One of the most misunderstood movements in CF is the kipping pull up.
Bodybuilders and general weightlifters look at the gymnastic kip as cheating. They believe that pull ups should be done in a slow and controlled fashion. They think that this strength building move is for the upper body only. I wouldn’t disagree. If I’m going purely for strength and muscle building, the gymnastic kip is a terrible way to achieve that end. But…
In a lot of CF workouts, that’s not generally what we’re going for. A kipping pull up is used to achieve more work in less time. Fran (21-15-9 of Thrusters and Pull Ups) is not a strength workout. It’s a test of lungs, legs, arms, explosiveness, and heart.
The kipping pull up does not stray from the movement standard of the “strict” pull up. Arms are locked at the bottom (leaving them bent and loaded will allow you to develop a wicked case of lateral epicondylitis) and the chin goes over the bar at the top. If you’d like chest to bar, we can also do that with a kip.
Knowing why you’re using the kip is important. It’s all about efficiency of movement and using your body to produce power.
You wouldn’t tell a world class Olympic weightlifter to stand slowly under control and reverse curl the bar in order to do a clean. You wouldn’t, right?
No. They’re exploding with the hips. Aggressively driving the weight up and then dropping under it to receive the bar on their shoulders.
MMMM-Kay. It’s kinda the same thing.
Oly lifters use their body and efficient mechanics to get the job done.
In the kip, we’re trying to use efficient, tight mechanics to propel us to the bar and then continue to reclaim/generate and harness that energy to continue our pull ups in a smooth, unbroken fashion.
The gymnastic kip is a higher level move. We don’t take people off the streets and have them start kipping or else their arms would fall off. Not really, but some people would have you believe that. Seriously though, athletes need to have some measure of strength around their shoulders before they start kipping. We start beginner athletes on bands to help them achieve pull ups before they are able to fully do bodyweight pulls. This allows for a time of strengthening of connective tissue and muscle around the joint. As they get stronger, then band help gets less and less. Soon they are doing real pull ups!
The kip is generally a skill that is added later. It’s a cool trick to have in your bag, but you’re not always going to use it. If a workout is “for time” then maybe so. If a pull up workout is “for weight” then maybe not.
As a fan of beautiful human movement, a chiropractor, a CF trainer, and lab rat, I’ve used and tested these types of pull ups for the last 5+ years with no issues. As with anything else, being smart in your workload and recovery methods (mobility, nutrition, sleep) goes a long way in helping you stay injury free and active.
Kip on, my friends!