Old Forum Upper Body Pulling: Corrective vs Strength

[The Scientist]

A large number of people that know more than I do ( Marty Gallagher, Jim Wendler, Rippetoe, etc...) seem to treat upper body pulls (rows and chins/pullups) more as a corrective that you just need to get out of the way, and use presses as a means to get strong, and as a way to measure strength. I get a bit of this from Dan John too, I think, and maybe Pavel as well, at least for rows. What is the explanation here? Why is pressing done for heavy weight and low reps, while pulling is done for higher reps as a corrective? I have been working hard on weighted chins (mostly because I just like them), but I always wonder why everyone else seems to put them in a distant second behind presses for strength.

 

[Rickard]

I can only speculate but I think the answer might be in Pavels rescent blog post about lifts, feats and exercise. There just isn't any competitions for doing heavy rows or pullups then you do them to balance out the pressing movements (wich gets the main attention in this kind of training).

 

But I think both Pavel and Dan John has shown alot of support for the upperbody pull. Pavel has always championed the weighted tactical (hallow position) pull up. Dan John has an article or blogpost where he actually recommends doing twice as many pulls as presses to balance it out, showing great respect for pulls, and his strenght standard articles also shows a respect for upperbody pulls.

 

 

[luciusluke]

Yes, this is the concept i love. Yin/yang. Strength and mobility/flexibility or how i describe it: just movement.

In one side you have for example heavy hollow pullups, when you are working on tensing and getting strong. On the other side of coin you have for example normal pull ups. It is ok, and Pavel wrote about this in "Best upper body pull". It was just example. I am not doing normal pullups, because i don't like em. I just love hollow heaby pullups. But i think it's fine, i can get my correctives from other exercises like get ups or ring fly's. I like to mix many exercises from Pavel, Dan and other coaches arsenal. For example. One day "stick good morning" from Super Joints and other day some iso rows, and one more other windmills. It is just example. I am not counting reps or other, or counting sometimes but just for my own experiments. High tension techniques on one side, and relax and free moving on other side.

I love the Dan idea about doing correctives between sets with heavy exercises. Some pistols and then light goblets or rocking between.

I like it because i'm doing it for just sake of movement. And you can use for correctives any move you want:regressions, Super joints drills, Relax into stretch drills, yoga, barbell, kettlebell, bodyweight. You name it. Or mix it like i do.

Just my interpretations

 

[Pavel]

Scientist, I treat the weighted pullup as a main strength exercise and any row as a "corrective".  Please see my blog on pulls.