Pull-Up
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds drills like this into your personalized off-ice program, week by week. Your first week is free.
How to Do It
Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulders, palms forward (overhand). Hang from a dead position — arms fully extended, shoulders pulled DOWN AND BACK (no shrug). Initiate by depressing the shoulder blades, then pull the elbows down toward your hips. Pull until your chin clears the bar. Pause briefly. Lower under control to a full dead hang. NO half-reps. Reset shoulder position before next rep.
Why It Works
Pull-ups train the lats, mid-back, and grip — the entire upper-body chain that wins board battles and protects the puck. NHL combine standard: forwards 12+, defensemen 14+ strict pull-ups. Strong pulls also balance pressing volume (bench, OHP), preventing the rounded-shoulder posture that wrecks shoulder health over a season.
Hockey Transfer
Builds the pulling strength needed for board battles and stick control. Weighted pull-ups at 1.5× bodyweight = elite hockey benchmark. Aim there. The road is decades long; start today.
Coaching Cues
- "Dead hang start"
- "Drive elbows to pockets"
- "Chin over bar"
- "Lower with control"
Common Mistakes
Kipping (using leg swing) — counts as 0 strict reps. Looks like you're stronger than you are. Half-reps — never reaching chin to bar OR never returning to full dead hang. Shrugging up at the start — kills lat engagement. Lock shoulders DOWN before pulling. Flaring elbows wide — less efficient than driving them toward your hips.
Progression / Regression
Weighted pull-ups (belt + plate). Adding 25 lbs is roughly the size of one full bodyweight rep.
Negative pull-ups (jump up, lower for 5s). Build eccentric strength first. Once you can hang for 30s, target 1 strict rep.
Primary Muscles
Energy System
Strength/neural
Put it to work
on the ice.
The Elite Hockey Drills app builds exercises like this into a personalized off-ice program — created by a sport scientist and former national-team coach. Your first week is free.
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