Scapular Pull-UpMuscles Worked
Scapular pull-ups work your traps, mainly the lower traps that pull your shoulder blades down, with your lats and upper back helping. Your arms stay straight the whole time, so it's a small, controlled move that teaches the first phase of a strong pull-up.
PrimaryTraps
- Level
- Beginner
- Type
- Isolation
- Force
- Pull
How to do it
- Grab a pull-up bar with an overhand grip about shoulder width apart and hang with your arms fully straight.
- Let your shoulders rise toward your ears in a relaxed dead hang, with your legs together and your core tight.
- Without bending your elbows, pull your shoulder blades down and slightly back so your body rises a few inches.
- Hold the top for a second, feeling your chest lift toward the bar.
- Lower slowly back into the full hang before the next rep.
Form tips
- Keep your arms straight, because bent elbows let your biceps and lats turn it into a partial pull-up.
- Think of sliding your shoulder blades into your back pockets rather than shrugging up.
- Move slowly and avoid swinging, since momentum hides whether your traps are doing the lifting.
Why it made the list
No. 10 of 12
Best Trap Exercises
Bodyweight trap activation. Hang from a bar and shrug the scapula down. Builds trap control and pull-up strength.
More trap exercises
See it on your own body map
Log your Scapular Pull-Up sets in KasMaker and watch your traps, lats, and upper back fill in on the map, weighted by how much you did. Logging and the body map are free on iPhone.
