Chin-ups are royalty in the iron game.
The action of grabbing a fixed bar and pulling yourself up has been around since the start of the iron game. If you do chin-ups on a regular basis, you’ll develop a back that looks chiseled. But that’s only if you do them the right way.
Today’s Gym Culture
In today’s iron culture, chin-ups have unfortunately fallen into obscurity. Most lifters avoid them. Chin-ups are as valued as the skinny, unpopular teenage boy searching for a prom date. Oh wait, that was me.
Too many gym lifters will flock to the lat pulldown or seated rows to train their backs. A lot of meatheads, if they do try to do chin-ups, do them with a pathetic, partial range of motion. They then complain when they have nothing of value to show for their efforts on those machines.
How many times have you walked into a gym and seen people of all colors and creeds doing healthy sets of chin-ups? It’s unfortunate, but many lifters would rather take the easy way out. They prefer to spend all their time on lat pulldowns, machine rows, and cable flyes.
Unless you’re on “supplements” (steroids), those moves won’t build a great back. Chin-ups are the stone-cold alpha wolf when it comes to back exercises. Doing 30 alligator-arm reps for nothing except to inflate weak egos.
To perform chin-ups with proper technique, you must follow three steps.
1) Begin In A Flexed Hang
To get into the proper position to begin the chin-up, you will start in the flexed hang.
You will first grab the chinning bar. After that, you will flex your arms, upper back, core, and legs. In this position, your body will be strong and stable. You shouldn’t be swinging from the chinning bar like Donkey Kong.
2) Keep Your Elbows Close To Your Body
As you start to pull up, you will want to keep your elbows tucked into your body.
Keeping your elbows tucked into your body maximizes the involvement of your lats. Your lats are the biggest muscles on your back. If your elbows flare out from your body, you will not build as much beef on your lats as you want to.
3) Clear The Bar With Your Chin
Chin-ups are an objective exercise; you either complete one or you don’t.
As you pull your body up, your chin must clear the bar for the rep to count. The top of your forehead, or your nose clearing the bar, doesn’t count.
Conclusion
Chin-ups will give you everything that you want and need. But it all starts with executing them the right way.
I’ll holla at you next time.
The People’s Trainer,
Fitman
