Are Kipping Pull-ups Really That Dangerous? Part 3: Progression, Volume Management and Periodization

By djpope

September 8, 2016

damage, dangerous, injury, injury prevention, injury reduction, kipping, management, pain, periodization, physical therapy, Programming, pull-up, pullup, pullups, rotator cuff, safe, shoulder hurts, shoulder injury, Shoulder Pain, toes to bar, volume

As you know from my two previous articles, I have a great love for speaking and writing about kipping pullups and all things kipping.  I work for a gymnastics continuing education company (powermonkeyfitness), coach adult gymnastics at Crossfit Verve and am a full time physical therapist.  Because of this I have the unique opportunity to see where people get hurt while kipping, rehabilitate them and then allow them to optimize their movement and performance afterwards.  I wanted to put together an article series of what I’ve learned over the years and what I believe to be the most important factors to take into consideration when developing a program for your athletes with kipping.  If we use our brains and progress properly I think we can greatly minimize risk of injury.

The first article focused on:

  • What are the most basic elements of kipping that need to be assessed?
  • Assessing and addressing mobility, motor control and endurance with hollow and arch positions
  • How to progress hollow and arch positions
  • Video demonstrations of technique and progressions

Article 2 focused on:

  • Where and why people can get hurt with kipping
  • How to build a strong base
  • Where we need to be strongest in the pull-up to reduce injury risk
  • How to transfer arch and hollow onto a bar
  • Easy exercises to build and strengthen the kipping motion
  • Kipping Progressions
  • Shoulder blade position and how it changes across movements (Kipping pullup to muscle-up to front uprise)
  • How kipping changes based on the power of the movement

This week we talk about:

  • What the literature has to say about periodization, volume, progression and it’s impact on rates of injury
  • Tips for how to control volume of kipping in your programming
  • How common overuse injuries happen and how to more safely progress kipping movements over time
  • How to avoid overload through periodization over the course of the year

Click HERE to check out Part 3:

This is by far the most comprehensive article I’ve ever written on kipping pullups without a doubt.  If you’re a coach or therapist who works with athletes who kip then this article is for you.  Definitely check it out and then get back to me with how it works for you or your athletes.  Together we can make ourselves and others safer and stronger.

Want to learn more about shoulder injuries as well as how to rehabilitate back from them?  This short video is part of a larger and much more comprehensive educational course and rehabilitation training program on rehabilitation from shoulder injury called “Ultimate Shoulder.”

“Ultimate Shoulder” is a 12 week training program to help you fully understand and rehabilitate back from shoulder injuries:

  • 12 week training program to get out of pain and back to bench press, olympic lifts, handstand pushups, dips, muscle-ups and overhead press
  • How to deal with rotator cuff injuries, labral tears and AC joint problems
  • How shoulders get hurt in the gym and how to prevent future injury
  • How to assess and correct technical and mobility problems in the olympic lifts, muscle-ups and handstands
  • 6.5+ hours of educational webinar footage
  • 100+ rehabilitation, mobility and strength exercise videos
  • 50+ pages of PDF companion content

“Ultimate Shoulder” is now on sale this week only for $29.99 Click HERE to Learn More

Maybe my last kipping article for some time (maybe),

Dan Pope DPT, OCS, CSCS CF L1