Tip: Do Pull-Throughs for Stronger Squats and a Great Butt
Tip: Do Pull-Throughs for Stronger Squats and a Great Butt
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<h2 class="article-detail">Figure competitors and guys who squat 900 pounds have something in common. They use cable pull-throughs to build great posterior chains. Here's how.</h2>
<div class="article-detail-byline"><span class="byline">by <a href="https://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/authors/tony-gentilcore">Tony Gentilcore</a> |</span> <span class="timeStamp3">Today</span></div>
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<div class="articleLeadImage"><img alt="Pull-through" src="https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003114/original/Pull-Through.jpg?1445303091"/>;
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<div readability="15.022602321319">
<p>Pull-throughs could be the number one exercise you aren't doing. First, they get you strong. Powerlifters use pull-throughs as a staple accessory exercise to help train the hamstrings and glutes. Pull-throughs offer a unique training stimulus because you can load the posterior chain with a fraction of the compressive and shear loading forces on the spine.</p>
<p>Second, they're easy to learn. Most everyone has access to a pulley system, and the learning curve on the pull-through isn't nearly as steep as the kettlebell swing.</p>
<h4>How to Perform the Cable Pull-Through</h4>
<p><iframe width="620" height="349" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7Acb4kkLmwk?autoplay=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">[embedded content]</iframe></p>
<ol><li>Use a slightly wider stance than normal and think about pushing the knees out. <span>Don't revert to a squat pattern. Sit back into the "stretch" or hip hinge pattern. It's not an up and down motion, but rather a back and forth motion.</span></li>
<li>Push your hips or hamstrings back as if you're trying to tap a wall with your butt. <span>Keep doing so until your hands are past your knees. Many lifters make the mistake of "crowding their groin" and omit the whole reaching-through portion.</span></li>
<li>Maintain a neutral spine at all times. <span>That means to maintain the natural curvature of your upper and lower back by not allowing the upper back to round while the lower back stays arched.</span></li>
<li>Your head follows the hinge. <span>This ensures a packed or chin-tucked pattern throughout. In this way, you're less likely to hyperextend the neck and cause undue stress.</span></li>
<li>At lockout, don't hyperextend the hips. <span>Concentrate on "finishing with the hips" and squeezing the glutes at the top, making sure to lock out the knees.</span></li>
</ol><h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/training/pull-throughs-for-elite-strength">Related: Pull-Throughs For Elite Strength</a></h4>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/build-your-backside-destroy-the-competition">Related: Build Your Backside, Destroy the Competition</a></h4>
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<div class="title-details">
<h2 class="article-detail">Figure competitors and guys who squat 900 pounds have something in common. They use cable pull-throughs to build great posterior chains. Here's how.</h2>
<div class="article-detail-byline"><span class="byline">by <a href="https://www.t-nation.com/all-articles/authors/tony-gentilcore">Tony Gentilcore</a> |</span> <span class="timeStamp3">Today</span></div>
</div>
<div class="articleLeadImage"><img alt="Pull-through" src="https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003114/original/Pull-Through.jpg?1445303091"/>;
![https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003114/original/Pull-Through.jpg?1445303091"/>](https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10003114/original/Pull-Through.jpg?1445303091"/>){kind=link}
</div>
<div readability="15.022602321319">
<p>Pull-throughs could be the number one exercise you aren't doing. First, they get you strong. Powerlifters use pull-throughs as a staple accessory exercise to help train the hamstrings and glutes. Pull-throughs offer a unique training stimulus because you can load the posterior chain with a fraction of the compressive and shear loading forces on the spine.</p>
<p>Second, they're easy to learn. Most everyone has access to a pulley system, and the learning curve on the pull-through isn't nearly as steep as the kettlebell swing.</p>
<h4>How to Perform the Cable Pull-Through</h4>
<p><iframe width="620" height="349" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7Acb4kkLmwk?autoplay=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="">[embedded content]</iframe></p>
<ol><li>Use a slightly wider stance than normal and think about pushing the knees out. <span>Don't revert to a squat pattern. Sit back into the "stretch" or hip hinge pattern. It's not an up and down motion, but rather a back and forth motion.</span></li>
<li>Push your hips or hamstrings back as if you're trying to tap a wall with your butt. <span>Keep doing so until your hands are past your knees. Many lifters make the mistake of "crowding their groin" and omit the whole reaching-through portion.</span></li>
<li>Maintain a neutral spine at all times. <span>That means to maintain the natural curvature of your upper and lower back by not allowing the upper back to round while the lower back stays arched.</span></li>
<li>Your head follows the hinge. <span>This ensures a packed or chin-tucked pattern throughout. In this way, you're less likely to hyperextend the neck and cause undue stress.</span></li>
<li>At lockout, don't hyperextend the hips. <span>Concentrate on "finishing with the hips" and squeezing the glutes at the top, making sure to lock out the knees.</span></li>
</ol><h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/training/pull-throughs-for-elite-strength">Related: Pull-Throughs For Elite Strength</a></h4>
<h4><a href="https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/build-your-backside-destroy-the-competition">Related: Build Your Backside, Destroy the Competition</a></h4>
</div>
<p><em>This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.</em></p>
https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-pull-throughs-for-stronger-squats-and-a-great-butt