If your upper back feels tight, your posture’s slouching (pesky tech neck symptoms), and pull-ups still feel miles and miles away – scapular pull-ups might be your not-so-secret weapon.
They teach your body how to move better, maintain good posture, and engage those deep stabilizers (like your rhomboids and lower traps) that are often overlooked by traditional lifts.
Even better? They’re beginner-friendly, joint-friendly, and totally worth learning.
In the article below, I’ll break down exactly how to do scapular pull-ups step by step. You’ll also get my fave variations, muscle breakdowns, top benefits, and a game-changing self-message tool (yep, The QL Claw) that can help you release the deep knots that hold you back in the gym.
How to Do Scapular Pull-Ups: An Easy Tutorial
Whether you're building strength for full-on pull-ups or trying to improve your posture and shoulder stability, scapular pull-ups are a go-to move. Here’s how to do them the right way:
Step 1) Find a Stable Pull-Up Bar: To start, find a pull-up bar, squat rack, or sturdy overhead surface that’s trustworthy. Make sure it supports your weight and allows your arms to extend.
Step 2) Grab the Bar With a Shoulder-Width Grip: Use an overhand grip (palms away from you) and let your body hang naturally. Your arms should be straight, and your shoulders relaxed.
Step 3) Engage Your Core: Give your core a good brace and try to avoid swinging, though I know it can be tempting. Keep your legs still and have a neutral spine to ensure A+ alignment.
Step 4) Pull Your Shoulders Down and Together: Without bending your elbows at all, pull your shoulder blades down and back, as if trying to tuck them snugly into the back pockets of your pants. Your body will rise just a few inches here, which means you’re on the right track.
Step 5) Pause and Control Your Descent: Hold the top position for 1 to 2 seconds, then slowly let your shoulder blades return to a relaxed position. Count that as 1 awesome rep, folks.
→ Tip: Aim for around 3 sets of 12 reps, 3 to 5 times per week. Prioritize controlled, quality movement over quantity – no arm pulling, just focused scapular activation with a steady rhythm.
Scapular Pull-Up Variations and How to Do Them
Check out these scapular pull-up variations:
→ Scapular Pull-Up with Hold
This scapular pull-up variant is great for improving mind-muscle connection and endurance.
This is how to do it:
Step 1) Perform a standard scapular pull-up using the steps I made for you above.
Step 2) Hold the “engaged” position (AKA shoulders pulled down and together) for 5 seconds.
Step 3) Slowly release with control – this is perfect for scapular strength and postural stability.
→ Wall Scapular Pull (Newbie Alternative)
No bar? No prob. This scapular pull-up variation mimics the same move, but from the ground.
This is how to do it:
Step 1) Stand with your back against a sturdy wall, arms extended in front of you or overhead.
Step 2) Retract your shoulder blades into the wall as if pinching them together, then release.
→ Banded Scapular Pull-Up
This scapular pull-up variant is excellent for easing into the movement with some extra support.
This is how to do it:
Step 1) Loop a resistance band over the bar, securing it under either your feet or knees.
Step 2) Do your scapular pull-ups as normal, following our step-by-step tutorial to a tee.
Step 3) Reset; using a resistance band here reduces load and helps you maintain better form.
→ Weighted Scapular Pull-Up
This scapular pull-up variant is ideal for advanced lifters looking to level up scapular strength.
This is how to do it:
Step 1) Use a dip belt or weighted vest to add load without restricting your range of motion.
Step 2) Now, you can perform normal scapular pull-ups – just with a little added resistance.
Scapular Pull-Ups vs. Scapular Push-Ups
Next into the ring? Scapular pull-ups vs. scapular push-ups.
Both exercises are highly underrated powerhouse movements for shoulder health and posture, but they hit different angles and activate different muscle groups. This is how they stack up:
Scapular Pull-Up Muscles Worked
Learn more about the muscles worked by doing scapular pull-ups below:
→ Primary Muscles Worked:
1) Lower Trapezius – pulls your scapula downward
2) Middle Trapezius – pulls your scapula backward
3) Rhomboids (major + minor) – assists your body in scapular retraction and stabilization
4) Serratus Anterior – helps control your scapular movement and upward rotation
5) Latissimus Dorsi (lats) – mildly engaged for your downward scapular motion
→ Secondary Muscles Worked:
6) Levator Scapulae – elevates your scapula
7) Infraspinatus + Teres Minor – in charge of stabilizing your shoulder joint
8) Deltoids (posterior fibers) – assist with your upper arm and shoulder stabilization
9) Core muscles – engaged isometrically to stabilize your trunk (the central part of your body)
10) Forearms & Grip – activated while hanging, though they only play a supporting role
→ Why It Matters: Scapular pull-ups focus on the muscles that move and stabilize your shoulder blades. They also recruit other muscles that support your shoulders, spine, and grip; this makes it a small exercise with a major impact on posture, strength, and injury prevention.
Scapular Pull-Up Benefits
Below are the scapular pull-up benefits that are backed by research and studies:
→ Improves Shoulder Control: Scapular pull-ups train the muscles that are responsible for scapular depression and retraction, which is key for good shoulder movement and posture. [1]
→ Builds Foundational Strength for Pull-Ups: Can’t do a full pull-up yet? This move strengthens your lower traps, rhomboids, and serratus anterior – muscles essential for progressing to full-on pull-ups and rows. This means you’ll be there in no time at all! [2]
→ Enhances Shoulder Stability: Science shows that strong scapular stabilizers may reduce your risk of rotator cuff injuries and shoulder impingement during movements like pull-ups. [3]
→ Reduces Neck and Back Tension: By pro activating your deep postural muscles, scapular pull-ups can help counteract the effects of tech neck (learn more here) and chronic hunching. [4]
→ Supports Better Posture: Regularly training scapular retraction helps pull your shoulders back, improve spinal alignment, reduce any slouching, and combat forward head posture. [5]
→ Activates Underused Muscles: Scapular pull-ups shift the focus to neglected muscles like your lower traps and serratus anterior – balancing your upper back strength for the long haul. [6]
→ Low Impact, High Reward: Scapular pull-ups are extremely joint-friendly and ideal for newbies, rehab settings, or anyone looking to improve movement quality without heavy strain.
What Is a Scapular Pull-Up? How Does Scapular Rotation Work?
A scapular pull-up is a simple yet powerful exercise that has you move just your shoulder blades (AKA your scapulae) while your arms stay ultra-straight and engaged. Unlike a regular pull-up, you're not pulling your chin over the bar – you’re just learning how to control, isolate, and activate the muscles around your shoulder blades to build foundational strength and stability.
Think of it as an exercise that expertly teaches your body how to move better, reduce shoulder strain, and build the foundational control it needs for more advanced exercises like normal pull-ups, rows, or even overhead presses. It strengthens the mind-muscle connection around your scapulae, which plays a pivotal role in injury prevention and upper body performance.
How Scapular Rotation Works
Your shoulder blades (scapulae) aren’t just stuck in place – they’re made to move in lots of different directions to help your upper body work properly. This is what that movement looks like:
→ Elevation – lifting your shoulders straight up toward your ears, kind of like a shrug
→ Depression – pulling your shoulders down away from your ears (part of scapular pull-ups)
→ Protraction – moving or rolling your shoulders forward, like when you reach and hunch
→ Retraction – squeezing your shoulders together, like you’re holding a pencil between them
→ Upward rotation – your shoulder blades rotate upward as you raise your arms overhead
→ Downward rotation – they rotate back down as you lower your arms to your sides
When doing scapular pull-ups, you’re mostly working on depression and retraction.
This means that you're pro training muscles like your lower traps, rhomboids, and serratus anterior – stabilizers that get neglected often, especially if you spend a lot of time slouched over a desk or scrolling on TikTok. And if your rhomboids feel tight or stubborn? That’s exactly where The QL Claw can help you release deep tension, thus resetting your posture from the inside out.
The Rhomboid Reset You Didn’t Know You Needed
Tight between your shoulder blades? We have good news: You’re not alone.
When your rhomboids are overworked or locked up (which happens with bad posture or new scapular work), it can feel like a deep ache or knot that stretching just can’t seem to fully fix.
The QL Claw can help you get in there – quite literally.
It’s expertly shaped to mimic the pressure of a friend’s elbow, making it amazing for reaching that tricky spot between your spine and shoulder blade where rhomboid tension loves to hide.
To release your rhomboids with The QL Claw:
Step 1) Lean back on a wall with The Claw placed just inside your shoulder blade.
Step 2) Shift gently side to side until it finds the exact tight spot you’re wanting to target.
Step 3) Stay there and breathe for around 1 minute, letting The Claw’s pressure do the work.
Step 4) You can slowly move your arm across your chest to deepen your rhomboid release.
Using The QL Claw is one of the best and most effective ways to unlock those hard-to-reach mid-back muscles – no massage appointments and no hefty chiropractor bills required.
Below are photos of Back Muscle Solutions’ founder, Ben, using The Claw on his rhomboids:
Shop The Claw below:
More Rhomboid Resources
Scapular Pull-Ups FAQs
What Do Scapular Pull-Ups Do?
Scapular pull-ups strengthen the muscles that control your shoulder blades, especially your lower traps, rhomboids, and serratus anterior. They improve your scapular mobility, posture, and shoulder stability. Doing this move also helps your body learn how to activate the right muscles and build neuromuscular control – laying the foundation before you jump into full-on pull-ups.
What Are the Hardest Pull-Ups?
Some of the hardest pull-up variations are:
→ One-Arm Pull-Ups – these require extreme strength and control, and we mean extreme
→ Archer Pull-Ups – these involve shifting your full body weight side to side while pulling
→ Typewriter Pull-Ups – these have you isolate and hold at different points across the bar
→ L-Sit Pull-Ups – these expertly combine core control with upper body strength
→ Clapping Pull-Ups or Explosive Pull-Ups – these demand some serious speed and power
What Are Scapular Push-Ups Good For?
Scapular push-ups help strengthen the protractors and stabilizers of your shoulder, like the serratus anterior and lower traps. They’re especially helpful for improving shoulder mobility, reducing winged scapula, and enhancing overall push-up mechanics and upper body control. It’s also a gem for PT rehab, posture correction, and reducing the risk of shoulder impingement.
Can You Do Scapular Pull-Ups Every Day?
100%! Scapular pull-ups can absolutely be done daily – especially since they’re low-impact, joint-friendly, and focus on controlled movement rather than heavy loading. Doing them daily can help improve motor control, scapular awareness, shoulder stability, and overall posture.
Just make sure to use good form and avoid overuse if you're new to doing shoulder training.
Resources:
1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666639124000129
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20411160/
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4301231/
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4842472/
5. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6016298/
6. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4916995/