Intermediate

Kipping Pull-Up

This is the conditioning-style pull-up used in high-rep training, where a rhythmic hollow-to-arch swing feeds momentum into a fast lat pull. It lets you cycle reps quickly and builds the timing that underpins the bar muscle-up. Learn the arch-hollow swing on strict strength first so the shoulders stay protected under the dynamic load.

Equipment
Pull-Up Bar
Body part
Back, Lats
Type
Functional, Plyometric
Browse by muscle
Latissimus Dorsi
Browse by movement
Vertical Pull
Muscles worked
Target
Latissimus Dorsi
Secondary
Trapezius Middle, Trapezius Lower, Deltoid Posterior, Biceps Brachii Long Head
Tertiary
Gluteus Maximus, Abdominal External Oblique, Erector Spinae

How to do it

  1. 1

    Hang from the bar and press into an active shoulder position.

  2. 2

    Swing between a hollow body and an arched body to build a controlled kip rhythm.

  3. 3

    As you swing forward into the arch, drive the hips open explosively.

  4. 4

    Pull the bar down as the hip drive carries your chest up and chin over the bar.

  5. 5

    Push away from the bar and swing back through into the arch to load the next rep.

  6. 6

    Cycle the reps rhythmically while keeping the shoulders active throughout.

Tips

  • Own several strict pull-ups before kipping so the shoulders can handle the swing.
  • Time the pull to the hip snap; muscling it kills the rhythm and the point of the drill.
  • Keep the shoulders packed and active at the bottom to avoid a loose, jerky hang.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The swing comes from kicking the legs like a bicycle instead of opening and closing the whole body, so every rep has to be rescued by the arms.
  • The hip snap fires early, before the body has swung through to the front of the arc, and the pull then arrives with no momentum left to use.
  • Shoulders go slack at the bottom of the arch as the set gets long, leaving the swing to hang on the joint rather than the muscle; keep them pulled down even while you are only swinging.
  • The descent is given away as a free drop back into the arch, which is the part of the rep that wears shoulders out over time. Push away from the bar and arrive in the arch on purpose.
  • Kipping reps get logged as pull-ups, so a program that reads as 80 pull-ups a week can contain very little strict strength work.
  • Thirty-rep sets on a rough bar tear the palms long before the lats are done; chalk lightly, build volume over weeks, and stop while your grip is still yours.

Frequently asked

How many kipping pull-ups should you do when you are new to the exercise?
Learn it in short sets: 5 to 8 sets of 3 to 5 reps with a minute of rest, keeping every rep rhythmic rather than rescued. Before that, own 8 to 10 strict pull-ups and practice the hollow-to-arch swing on its own for sets of 10 without pulling at all. Once the rhythm holds, build toward sets of 10 to 15 and use them where a workout calls for volume, while keeping strict pull-ups as the strength work. Stop any set the moment the swing turns into a kick.
What can I do instead of a kipping pull-up if I do not have a high bar?
The kip needs room to swing, so a low bar or a doorway frame will not do it; rings hung high work and are kinder to the shoulders. Without a bar, the two halves train separately: hollow rocks and arch holds on the floor for the body shape, and banded pulldowns or inverted rows for the pull. A jumping pull-up from a box gives you the fast assisted cycling that kipping is used for in workouts, without the swing.
What is the kipping pull-up good for, and when is it a poor choice?
It exists to move a lot of reps quickly, which is why it belongs in CrossFit workouts and on the path to a bar muscle-up, and the rhythm it teaches carries into every other kipping skill. It is a poor choice for building pulling strength, since the hips do a large share of the work, and a poor choice for anyone without several strict pull-ups or with a shoulder that dislikes a loaded swing. High reps on consecutive days is also a poor idea, because palms and shoulders need the recovery.

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