Often times when we get a new recruit working out with us, we see a major kip in their pull up. This usually comes from a person that is doing or has done crossfit and has been trained to "butterfly kip" to create the most upward force in the shortest amount of time.
Whenever we see this, we let them finish their set, but then waste no time in relaying to them our thoughts on why you should try not to kip during your pull ups.
That being said, we probably kip during each of our workouts.
Here is our seemingly paradoxical argument.
If you were to perform a perfect pull up, the muscles in your arms, back, and abs would receive 100% benefit from the exercise. However, each time you kip, this percentage drops in correlation with how extreme the lower body movement is. For example, a butterfly kip pull up probably gives you 40% of the benefit to your body compared to a pull up of perfect form. Therefore, to get the benefit of doing 20 pull ups with perfect form, you would have to do 40-50 pull ups with a butterfly kip. However, for most people, this number is not only intimidating for them, but their grip gives out before they can reach this number.
Consequently, for most people it is better to aim for hitting their max in perfect pull ups than to try and max out with kipping pull ups.
Nonetheless, as I have said, we kip every time we workout. But, there are two conditions to our kip:
1. We only kip after we are completely maxed out with perfect form pull ups. The first 23 pull ups we do will be perfect form, then we will hit 3-4 extra with minimal kip
2.We try to create as little lower body movement as possible to get us over the bar. Nothing is exaggerated or unnecessary.
That being said, we probably kip during each of our workouts.
Here is our seemingly paradoxical argument.
If you were to perform a perfect pull up, the muscles in your arms, back, and abs would receive 100% benefit from the exercise. However, each time you kip, this percentage drops in correlation with how extreme the lower body movement is. For example, a butterfly kip pull up probably gives you 40% of the benefit to your body compared to a pull up of perfect form. Therefore, to get the benefit of doing 20 pull ups with perfect form, you would have to do 40-50 pull ups with a butterfly kip. However, for most people, this number is not only intimidating for them, but their grip gives out before they can reach this number.
Consequently, for most people it is better to aim for hitting their max in perfect pull ups than to try and max out with kipping pull ups.
Nonetheless, as I have said, we kip every time we workout. But, there are two conditions to our kip:
1. We only kip after we are completely maxed out with perfect form pull ups. The first 23 pull ups we do will be perfect form, then we will hit 3-4 extra with minimal kip
2.We try to create as little lower body movement as possible to get us over the bar. Nothing is exaggerated or unnecessary.
When most people max out with their perfect form pull ups, the amount of force required to do another rep is too much that your body can supply in perfect form. You need 100% to do a perfect form pull up, but your body can only supply 80%. At this point, to give up and let go of the bars would waste that 80% reserve that you have in your muscles. Since a major aspect of building muscle with calisthenics involves training to failure and then doing one more, we kip until there is 0%-10% left and our muscles are completely exhausted. Here is a breakdown of how our set will go: |
22 pull ups perfect form. Using 100% Reserve 80% 2 pull ups with small kip. Using 80% Reserve 60% 2 pull ups with a normal kip. Using 50 % Reserve 30% 1 pull up with a butterfly kip Using 20% Reserve 10% This example is just how one set will go. We do this for every exercise in every set we do. This way, our muscles train to failure and are able to break down, fostering the process of muscle growth. |
Grasping this concept is the main separator for people who can gain muscle using calisthenics and people who can't.
In conclusion, kipping is a tool: if you use it correctly, it can give you great gains in muscle growth. However, use it wrong and it can impede your workout and create bad (and silly looking) habits.
In conclusion, kipping is a tool: if you use it correctly, it can give you great gains in muscle growth. However, use it wrong and it can impede your workout and create bad (and silly looking) habits.