The Kipping Pullup isn’t Cheating
“Isn’t a kipping pullup a ‘cheating’ pullup?” I get asked this a lot. If you ask me the short answer is, no. It’s a different type of pullup. Just like a push press isn’t a ‘cheating’ military press – it’s just different approach. You use more of your body to achieve the same result so you can and should expect to be capable of more kipping pullups than regular ones. If you can do fifteen regular pullups you might manage thirty with kipping.
CrossFit is all about functional exercise, aerobic effort and max power output in which case using more of your body to achieve the same goal makes sense.
Useful links:
Eva T teaches kipping
CrossFit London’s A-Z of pullups
Discussion of the CrossFit forum
Picture of George working on his kip courtesy of CrossFit Eastside.
