{"id":2932,"date":"2020-09-09T14:28:22","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T06:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paulstokes.com.au\/?p=2932"},"modified":"2021-01-31T18:21:29","modified_gmt":"2021-01-31T10:21:29","slug":"improve-your-chin-ups-for-better-back-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paulstokes.com.au\/improve-your-chin-ups-for-better-back-training\/","title":{"rendered":"Improve your chin ups | How to get better at pull ups & do more reps"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there’s one question I get asked by guys a lot, it’s “How can I improve my chin ups?” Below you’ll find some tips, tricks and techniques to help you get better at pull ups and really get strong.<\/p>\n

When it comes to building strength, there really is nothing new under the sun. You can faff around with special techniques and fancy equipment all you like, but unless you include some fundamental mass-building exercises in your routine, you’ll never get really strong. We’ve previously looked at dips and how to do them properly<\/a>. Now it’s time to take a look at the king of back exercises – chins.<\/p>\n

What are chin ups?<\/h2>\n

The chin (sometimes called pull-ups or chin ups) is primarily an exercise for the back.<\/p>\n

Basically, you grip a bar above head height and pull yourself up until your chin clears the height of the bar. You’ll get a great workout for the back and arm muscles.<\/p>\n

Although considered a ‘free’ body exercise, chins can also be performed with the aid of a machine. In this assisted variation, a platform under your knees provides variable amounts of upwards force to assist you. In both standard and assisted chins, it’s also possible to target different areas of the back by varying your grip on the bar.<\/p>\n

Why perform chin ups and pull ups?<\/h2>\n

Quite simply, chins are one of the best back exercises around.<\/p>\n

They develop strength and power in the large latissimus dorsi muscles in the side of the back. Additionally, they work the rear shoulders and upper back muscles as well as those in the biceps and forearms.<\/p>\n

Together, these muscles are important prime movers in a number of sports and activities. For example, swimming, rowing, X-country skiing, racquet sports and even in running, where they help with the correct arm-swing motion.<\/p>\n

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The drawback of chins is that they’re hard work. Consequently, many people end up just doing lat pulldowns for their back instead of chins.<\/p>\n

However, good as pulldowns are, they’ll never develop the width, thickness or sheer back strength that chins can. This is partly because of the different neurological recruitment patterns in the two exercises.<\/p>\n

Chins are an example of closed chain exercise, where the body moves towards resistance.<\/p>\n

The lat pull-down, on the other hand, is an open-chain exer\u00adcise. The resistance moves towards the body.<\/p>\n

As a rule of thumb, closed chain exercises generate a much greater neurological stimulation than their open chain equivalents. As a result, chins are hard to match for upper body development.<\/p>\n

How do I perform chin ups?<\/h2>\n

As is so often the case with basic ‘free body’ exercises like chins, dips and squats, the key lies in the quality of the movement. A full range of motion while using strict form. This is more important than the absolute number of reps you can knock out.<\/p>\n

It’s also worth pointing out that there are a large number of grip combinations. To take full advantage of the benefits that chins have to offer, you should aim to incorporate at least a couple of variations in your routine.<\/p>\n

The basic chin up – palms up grip<\/h2>\n

This chin exercise is good for beginners. It enables the biceps to give plenty of assistance to your back muscles. Furthermore, it also generates that all-important good range of movement:<\/span><\/p>\n