Imagine you just walked into a CrossFit box with your friend, and you see "Fran" programmed on the whiteboard...
Fran :
21-15-9
- Thrusters,
- Pull-ups
You each have different reactions...
"Awww man, it's gonna be forever before we can do kipping pull-ups again!" you say, warming up your shoulders.
And; "Speak for yourself. I finally figured out how to do kipping pull-ups last month. I worked on my pull-up coordination before and after class," your friend replies with a smile.
Sure, the coach counts down—3, 2, 1, GO!—and you're left in the dust. If you can't do pull-ups for a quick workout like Fran, chances are you've been left behind in several other go-to workouts like "Helen," "Barbara," "Murph," and "Cindy."
But maybe you don't even care about being competitive. Maybe you just want to figure out how to control the kipping movement in the first place, or maybe you're finally trying to learn how to chain more than just a few pull-ups with kipping.
Anyway, if you are ready to learn everything about Kipping Pull-ups, then this article is for you.
How to Do Kipping Pull-ups: The Basics
The kipping pull-up movement actually evolved within gymnastics as a way to accumulate a higher volume of pull-ups. The theory was that do enough strict pull-ups in a row and your body will eventually naturally try to jump up to stay efficient and continue to rack up reps.
This "necessary" gymnastic kip has evolved over the last 20 years into a movement in its own right. For those who say "a kipping pull-up is not a real pull-up"... they are right.
This is a kipping pull-up. It is a completely different strength/skill hybrid. In the sport of CrossFit®, it is an essential skill that must be learned in order to accomplish some of our WODs in an efficient manner.
But as an athlete, how do you know if you are strong enough to do kipping pull-ups? As a general rule, I always advise athletes not to try to do pull-ups until they can do at least 3-4 strict pull-ups in a row.
If you're not yet able to do 3-4 strict pull-ups, don't worry. We have a great guide for that too!
As you know, high volume pull-ups are an extremely common movement, programmed into many workouts. If you take the time and effort to learn how to do kipping pull-ups effectively, it will pay off big time in your workouts in the future.
Kipping Pull-ups: Correct execution of the movements
1. Correct grip and body position for pull-ups
From a standing position under the bar, jump up and grab the bar just outside your shoulders.
As a coach, I highly recommend wrapping your thumbs completely under the bar in a "gymnastics hook grip," rather than wrapping your thumbs over the top of the bar in what I call the "suicide grip." With your thumb around and under the bar, you won't fall over when your grip fatigues.
To initiate the kip, start with your body in a tight, hollow position, with your arms pushing down and away from the bar to send your body backward.
Avoid closing the hip angle (bringing your legs to 90 degrees). The kip should be controlled by your shoulders and core, not by your legs swinging back and forth at the hips.

2. Position of the bow

3. Kip "Up and Away"
Come back under the bar, kip up and "close" your body into a hollow body position. When you come back into your hollow position, this time remember to lift your knees slightly to close the hip angle.

4. Hip Pop!
As you push away from the bar, you'll reach a point of weightlessness. It's quick, but at that point you can quickly get your hands on the bar and pull away from it without flying across the room (this is actually an exercise we use with our athletes learning barbell muscle ups in our Bar Muscle Up Mastery class).
Milliseconds before you reach that point of weightlessness – or the apex – that's where hip pop comes in.
As you float toward the bar with this slightly closed hip angle (and toward the point of weightlessness), quickly open your hips and pull yourself straight toward the bar. You can call this a "hip thrust" or a "butt squeeze," whichever gives you the best mental image.
5. Elbows and shoulders down
Why is the direction of your elbows important?
One word: power.
If your shoulders and elbows are pointing back instead of down, you're losing pulling power. Try to keep your elbows down instead, and you'll get more bang for your buck, since you'll be using your biceps and more of your back muscles.
As with many other gymnastics movements, efficiency is key. Even the smallest changes to the movement can make a big difference when it comes to doing big sets of kipping pull-ups during workouts.

6. Push outwards
Right after you've successfully placed your chin over the bar in a neutral position (actually, after you've done just one movement), you need to push back up. Essentially, you're pushing your shoulders back to where they originally came from, returning to the hollow body position. As you push away, move your feet out in front of you, keeping your legs and core tight.
Push your shoulders back, move your feet into a hollow body, and then return to the arch position under the bar (step 2 above). This will give you the momentum and tension you need to get back in the saddle for the next rep.
How to do kipping pull-ups in uninterrupted sets?
When moving on to higher sets of kipping pull-ups, it’s crucial to make sure you’re following the 6 steps of the progression above. If you don’t have any gaping holes in the movement, you’ll be able to continue to build momentum and chain pull-ups for as long as your grip allows.
Work on building your capacity by doing reps at about 50-60% of your maximum effort. For example, if I can only do 10 pull-ups without stopping but want to increase my capacity, I might try a workout like this:
8 min EMOM:
- 10 burpees
- 6 unbroken kipping pull-ups
In a workout like this, we're training the body to perform pull-ups with some fatigue. We're not going to go for maximum effort (which would destroy our hands), we're just trying to get comfortable enough to do a solid set, with good form, every time.
After a while you'll be able to get to 7 reps, then 8, and before you know it you'll be regularly doing sets of 10 reps, which used to be your maximum effort.
Kipping Pull-ups: Work of the educators
If your grip needs a rest from hanging from the bar, but you're still looking to work your pulling muscles, try some of these accessory movements that will help you continue to build your pulling strength:
- Inverted Row
- PVC Lat Pull-downs
- Bicep curls & Bent Over Rows
By adding some variety to your workout and engaging some of those smaller muscles that are often overlooked, you'll help keep your upper body healthier and able to handle a higher volume of pull-ups.
Kipping Pull-ups: The Missing Piece
If you find yourself following all of the steps above, but still losing your kip after a few reps...or doing the dreaded "Tarzan swing," then it's likely that you're lacking "balance." Balance is the missing piece.
What I mean by this is that your body positioning may be good, but you lack balance in your movement. An unbalanced kipping pull-up will have a little extra swing in the kip, which will eventually throw you off balance and cause you to lose rhythm - swinging back and forth.
A great exercise that will help you work on this is called the "kip stop," and it's pretty simple. Step up onto the bar, do a few controlled squats (not a full pull), and then come to a complete stop. This isn't a slow, natural stop, but rather forcing your body to stop for a tenth of a second, abruptly.
If you can't stop and you keep swinging when you try to stop, this indicates that you have a balance problem with your kip. Continue to work on the kip in a more controlled manner, and you will eventually be able to stop much more easily.
Ready to conquer WODs like Fran?
Hopefully at this point you have understood the kipping pull-up movement and how to break it down. Now it's up to you to take the time to practice.
It won't happen overnight...kipping isn't always as easy as some athletes make it seem.
Spend some time before or after your workouts, start with small sets, and you'll be doing Frans non-stop before you know it!