Pull Ups Substitute – Concentric Pull Plank

Video Summary

Concentric Pull Plank: Overhead Pulling Strength & More

The Concentric Pull Plank strengthens the vertical pulling pattern while challenging both core and shoulder stability.

How To Perform A Concentric Pull Plank

Begin kneeling on all 4’s and walk your hands out with straight arms to a level above your head and then sit your hips back, dipping your chest as you adopt almost a Child’s Pose posture.

Slightly tucking your pelvis to protect your lower back, take an abdominal breath to brace your core, lift your knees off the floor and continue to drop your chest to the floor as you maintain straight arms and lift your hips.

The knees remain bent and the hips should be stacked above them.

Keeping your chest as low to the floor as possible throughout, and your elbows off the floor, pull on the floor with your palms–drawing your elbows to your sides.

With your shoulders down away from your ears, feel as though you drag your chest toward your hands using predominantly your arms and lats–exhaling with a “hiss” as you reach the final position.

The elbows rotate outward in the outstretched start position, and rotate toward the floor as you drag yourself to your hands. In the final position your elbows are at about 45-degrees to your body and only your palms and toes are in contact with the floor.

To return, bend your knees onto the floor to unload some weight as you push yourself back to the start position. Lift your knees off the floor once you hit full overhead reach and stretch, ready to begin the next rep.

Concentric Pull Plank Mistakes

Common mistakes are not slightly tucking the pelvis–placing undue stress on the lower back, and not bracing the core correctly using the breath.

And don’t allow the shoulders to shrug up or the elbows to flare out destabilising and placing undue stress on the shoulders.

Also watch out for driving excessively with the legs–this is predominantly an overhead pulling action, not a knee dominant lower body one.

Making The Concentric Pull Plank Easy & Harder

To make the exercise easier, adjust your position to allow your forearms to make contact with the floor.

To make the exercise harder, slow the movement down.

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