PULL | DRIVE

The reality is that this is generally a “dead end” movement. It doesn’t apply to any of our other pulling movements but has a place in often competitive atmospheres. It requires shoulder flexibility, stability, and the capacity to significantly decelerate our mass in order for it to be safe and effective.

Assistance of the feet can make this a friendly way to work on more ballistic movement. Making sure to have the proper height set up is key to the safety and efficacy of the movement.

This is generally the most demanding movement we will see on the shoulder. Both in regards to the range of motion, stability, and strength required. Bars may offer more stability while requiring a higher pull and rings less stability with a lower pull.

When done well this movement is primarily accomplished by shoulder flexion and extension while the hips are generally a byproduct of the movement. As athletes develop more capacity they can generate quite a bit of force with the shoulder and hip which means we want to make sure we have good isometric and dynamic strength.

We are essentially taking the traditional barbell row and using some hip and low back strength to move the weight. These are still incredibly valuable for building upper body pulling power but should generally only be done after building significant pulling power in a strict manner.