I’ve been trying to figure out what muscle is the most important when performing pullups and I think I’ve found it. The Teres Major.
While obviously any one of at least 5 different major muscles is very involved in pullups, it seems that the teres major is the one muscle most often strong in those good at pullups and most often weak in those bad at pullups. While the lats and biceps have their place, the teres major seems to be the muscle that makes the exercise “work” for lack of a better word, especially when trying to pull ones head high up over the bar.
When a giraffes baby is born it falls from a height of six feet, normally without being hurt. Just trying to go along with the whole posting statements thing.
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
When a giraffes baby is born it falls from a height of six feet, normally without being hurt. Just trying to go along with the whole posting statements thing.[/quote]
[quote]Shadowzz4 wrote:
While the lats and biceps have their place, the teres major seems to be the muscle that makes the exercise “work” for lack of a better word, especially when trying to pull ones head high up over the bar.[/quote]
[quote]roybot wrote:
Shadowzz4 wrote:
While the lats and biceps have their place, the teres major seems to be the muscle that makes the exercise “work” for lack of a better word, especially when trying to pull ones head high up over the bar.
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
When a giraffes baby is born it falls from a height of six feet, normally without being hurt. Just trying to go along with the whole posting statements thing.[/quote]
Yea I knew there was going to be at least one, and possibly 15 or more remarks about that. Forgot to post the last line, “Any thoughts on this logic?”
Damn I knew I had failed posting on T-Nation 101 after I thought about that post. Must have a point or ask a question otherwise pathetic losers with nothing better to do come out of woodwork, damn.
The muscle with the lowest excitation threshold will be the most dominant muscle in the movement. This is all individualized.
…that’s probably a Scott Abel quote somewhere…
Here’s an idea…if you want to take the biceps out of the movement do a set of curls before doing pullups.
Want to further activate the lats…do straight arm pulldowns or pullovers or decline pullovers after pullups. I personally like kneeling bent forward straight arm pulldowns on the cable…you get a great stretch and can isolate those lats. My lats get a HUGE pump after a pullup/straight arm pulldown superset.
[quote]elano wrote:
I found that my poop comes out easier if I wiggle a little.[/quote]
x2.
I like to do the wiggle thing at the end when the loaf is hanging on by a thread (so to speak). If you do it right, it’s a relatively clean loaf, but if you screw up then you split the loaf and you’re gonna have to wipe like 20 times.
It’s really only for advanced shitters who have a lot of experience, like me. I’ve been shitting all my life.
Basically, I don’t think it matters. Those black guys on youtube who can do tons of different pullup variations and are jacked probably don’t know or care what a teres major is.
[quote]BantamRunner wrote:
The muscle with the lowest excitation threshold will be the most dominant muscle in the movement. This is all individualized.
…that’s probably a Scott Abel quote somewhere…
Here’s an idea…if you want to take the biceps out of the movement do a set of curls before doing pullups.
Want to further activate the lats…do straight arm pulldowns or pullovers or decline pullovers after pullups. I personally like kneeling bent forward straight arm pulldowns on the cable…you get a great stretch and can isolate those lats. My lats get a HUGE pump after a pullup/straight arm pulldown superset.[/quote]
Hmmm, those seem like contradictory statements.
Why would doing a set of curls prior remove the biceps from pull-ups, but doing a set of straight arm pull-downs emphasize the lats?
Wouldn’t doing a set of curls emphasize the biceps by that logic? Or a set of straight arm pull-downs remove the lats by that logic?
You’ve got to have the same rules apply across the board.
In regards to the original topic, I think it depends on what type of pull-up (had grip and spacing) you are talking about. Wide grip overhand pull-ups are heavily teres major intensive, but close grip underhand pull-ups are much less so. Also, like someone else said, it somewhat depends on individual body structure.
[quote]Pretzel Logic wrote:
nik133 wrote:
elano wrote:
I found that my poop comes out easier if I wiggle a little.
I grab onto the bottom of the toilet, it kind of gives me some pushing leverage in my mind.
Do you use a belt and wraps and a “squatting” suite or go raw? Also don’t forget leg drive, underrated. [/quote]
I don’t know about him, I do both ways, personally. If I go raw, I can only push about 2 lbs in any given situation, but if I go all out, straps, suit, knee and elbow wraps, some fat chick comes up and slaps my face while I’m listening to thunderstruck AND I’m promised 1 day no rules with the hottest t-vixens on the site, I can push out about 3 lbs.
[quote]BantamRunner wrote:
The muscle with the lowest excitation threshold will be the most dominant muscle in the movement. This is all individualized.
…that’s probably a Scott Abel quote somewhere…
Here’s an idea…if you want to take the biceps out of the movement do a set of curls before doing pullups.
Want to further activate the lats…do straight arm pulldowns or pullovers or decline pullovers after pullups. I personally like kneeling bent forward straight arm pulldowns on the cable…you get a great stretch and can isolate those lats. My lats get a HUGE pump after a pullup/straight arm pulldown superset.[/quote]
Interesting points BantamRunner, but supersetting curls before pullups would not have the same effect as stiff-arm pulldowns before pullups. The first would fatigue the biceps more, making that muscle dominant in the second movement and vise-versa.
I have also done stiff-arm/pull up superset and I can vouch that the pump is huge.
