Chin Ups!

Chin-ups and pull-ups are common bodyweight exercises that are deceptively difficult to perform. It is very common to hear individuals having difficulties performing either exercise or being rather frustrated.

The main difference between the chin-up and the pull-up is the positioning of the hands: With a chin-up, the palms face towards you, and with a pull-up, the palms face away. Pull-ups will tend to be more difficult, due to a less emphasis being placed on the upper arm flexors (e.g. the biceps), and thus a lower recruitment of these muscle groups. With both variations, the back muscles are heavily recruited, as well as the core/abdominal muscles.

With individuals who are unable to perform the exercise, a weakness may exist in the back musculature, and perhaps even the core. These are just two parts of the link required to perform a chin-up, with other facets including grip strength, muscular endurance,  To perform the exercise, these weak points must be addressed and the required strength must be developed. So, how does one do so?

1.)    Negative Chin-Ups

a.       With these variations of chin-ups, the individual brings himself to a flexed arm hang from the chin-up bar (through leaping up or standing on a box). From here, he will slowly lower himself down until he is at the lower portion of the movement. This is repeated for several repetitions.

2.)    Assisted Chin-Ups

a.       Assisted Chin-ups are simply chin-ups where the movement is assisted through the application of an external force. A machine (assisted chin-up/dip machine), or a band, or even another individual may be assisting the individual in bringing themselves up to the bar. The downside is that the equipment may not be readily available. If the individual is struggling with a specific sticking point in the range of motion, a partner may give slight assistance in allowing the individual to move past the sticking point.

3.)    Partial Chin-Ups

a.       These chin-ups involve the individual moving in a range of motion where they are not hitting their sticking point. So, the individual will start with his chin above the bar, and will lower himself down to a point where he can still pull himself up.

4.)    Lat Pull Downs

a.       These will help strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscles, eventually allowing the individual to perform a chin-up.

b.      Rowing Exercises will also help strengthen the upper back musculature. Seated rows, inverted rows, dumbbell and barbell rows, and face pulls are all examples of these.

With all strength-training methods, patience is a virtue. Developing strength takes time, and it may take weeks to months to develop the strength required to perform a chin-up, or multiple chin-ups. Once the ability to do one or more chin-ups is developed, then altering the grip style (i.e. pull-up vs chin-up vs neutral grip; wide grip vs close grip vs medium grip) will provide the stimulus variety required to induce strength and endurance gains. Sometimes the issue may be more of a technical issue, with the individual moving in an awkward movement pattern. Try visualizing yourself pulling the bar to your chest. This may help in activating the lats and allowing the shoulder blades to track in a proper pattern.