Scapular Pull-Up — bottom hold
Strength at the very bottom of the hang, which is where a shoulder is most exposed and where nothing else in the program loads it
How to do it well
These are the cues the app shows on the exercise card, written for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
- Sink into the shoulders, then pull them down without bending the elbows
- Hold the down position
- Ribs stay down
- Tempo
- 4s to sink
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | Upper + Trunk | 2 × 20s hold | BW |
| Gymnastics | Shoulders + Core | 2 × 20s hold | BW |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Muscles worked
- Shoulders
- Region
- Upper body
- Classified as
- MOBILITY
- Prescribed in
- basketball · gymnastics
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Weighted Chin-Up | Loaded vertical pull, big back + biceps |
| Wide-Grip Pull-Up | Lat-width bias — swimmer / climber back |
| Commando Pull-Up | Side-to-side pull-up — combat/grappling pulling |
| Muscle-Up Progression | Explosive vertical pull → press transition — gymnast/calisthenics |
| Rope Climb | Grip + pulling strength under tension — combat / military |
| Lat Pulldown | Machine: scalable vertical pull, easy to load |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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