Chin Up Exercise

Original Editor - Lucinda hampton

Top Contributors - Lucinda hampton, Kim Jackson and Chelsea Mclene  

Introduction

Chin Up is an exercise in which one hangs by the hands from a support (such as a horizontal bar) and pulls oneself up until the chin is level with the support. Such an exercise done with the palms facing inward (a pull up is done with the palms facing outward).

Most upper body exercises will help with chin-ups. Lat pulldowns, rows, and bicep curls will all be beneficial if the ultimate goal is achieving a chin-up with correct form. A chin up is an example of a closed chain exercise.

Prime Mover

Latissimus dorsi (lats) is the most powerful pulling muscle in your back, and during a chin-up, it’s the primary mover.

Synergists

A series of powerful muscles in the upper and lower arms kick in to help accomplish this motion.

These include:

• Biceps brachii, brachioradialis and brachialis.
• Part of your triceps also helps to stabilise your arm.
• The infraspinatus, teres minor and teres major also assist your lats when doing a chin-up.
• The lower trapezius is involved in the mobility and stability of the scapula during the chin up.
• The pectoralis major activates as you pull yourself up and over the bar, its contribution is not nearly as much as other muscles eg the latissimus or biceps.
• The external abdominal oblique and erector spinae function to stabilises the trunk during a chin up. They are are required to stabilise the body’s core to enable the body to be lifted as one solid structure.

Good Form

Technique in all exercises is the key.

• Perform smooth reps.
• The arms should be straight at the start of each rep but not a dead hang.
• Keep your glutes and abdominals tight. This helps you stop swinging.
• No half reps. When you can no longer get a full rep, the set is over.
• Avoid extreme grips positions (super-narrow or super-wide). For chin-ups (palms facing you), try one hand space inside of a shoulder-width grip. For pull-ups (palms away from you), try one to two hand spaces outside of shoulder-width.
• Vary your grip style to keep the joints healthy. Rotate between grip variations every couple of months (under-hand, over-hand, neutral). If one particular grip style feels uncomfortable, don’t do it.

Chair Assisted Chin Up

Because the pull-up is an advanced exercise that not all lifters can do, there is a easier version to start with:

1. Position a chair so it faces you when you are hanging from the pull-up bar. Position it so the front edge of the seat is almost directly under the bar.
2. Grab the pull-up bar (with palms facing you) shoulder-width grip and place one foot on the seat of the chair. Allow the other leg to hang down toward the floor.
3. Press through your foot as you pull yourself up. Only provide as much assistance as you need to complete the pull-up. Focus on pulling with your upper body, specifically your back muscles.

Male Chin Ups Standards (kg/reps)

KG	Beginner	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
50	< 1	6	14	25	36
55	< 1	7	15	25	35
60	< 1	7	14	24	34
65	< 1	7	14	24	33
70	< 1	7	14	23	32
75	< 1	7	14	22	31
80	< 1	7	13	21	30
85	< 1	7	13	21	29
90	< 1	6	12	20	28
95	< 1	6	12	19	27
100	< 1	6	11	19	26
105	< 1	6	11	18	25
110	< 1	5	10	17	24
115	< 1	5	10	17	23
120	< 1	5	10	16	22
125	< 1	5	9	15	22
130	< 1	4	9	15	21
135	< 1	4	9	14	20
140	< 1	4	8	13	19
All	< 1	6	14	24	35

Female Chin Ups Standards (kg/reps)

KG	Begginer	Novice	Intermediate	Advanced	Elite
40	< 1	< 1	6	12	20
45	< 1	< 1	6	12	19
50	< 1	< 1	6	12	19
55	< 1	< 1	6	12	18
60	< 1	< 1	6	11	17
65	< 1	< 1	6	11	17
70	< 1	< 1	6	10	16
75	< 1	< 1	6	10	15
80	< 1	< 1	5	9	14
85	< 1	< 1	5	9	14
90	< 1	< 1	4	9	13
95	< 1	< 1	4	8	12
100	< 1	< 1	4	8	11
105	< 1	< 1	3	7	11
110	< 1	< 1	3	7	10
115	< 1	< 1	2	7	10
120	< 1	< 1	2	6	9
All	< 1	< 1	6	13	21