Tip: The Medball Pull-up

Add a medicine ball to your pull-ups for load progression and to keep your form in check. Here's how.

Set up at the pull-up bar with a medicine ball beneath you, then hop up and clamp the ball between your legs. You should feel an automatic core response. By squeezing your adductors, your abs will light up, creating a much safer position from which to execute your pull-ups. This will look almost like the foundational "hollow body" position in gymnastics.

Make It a Drop Set

Start with a heavy ball and have a lighter one nearby. Do as many reps as possible with the heavy ball, drop to the lighter one and attempt a few more reps, then finish up with as many unweighted reps as possible. Do 3 sets. This is much easier than having to unbuckle a chained dipping belt.

And, as seen in the video, the same method works great for dips too.

Tom Morrison is a British weightlifting coach, martial artist, and CrossFit trainer and competitor. Tom works with athletes on prerequisite movement capabilities for optimal strength, performance, and reduced risk of injury.  Follow Tom Morrison on Facebook