Get stronger with your pull-ups and chin-ups, so it feels like you’re pulling the bar down instead of trying to drag your body up.
Pull-ups vs chin ups which one’s going get you ripped, microwave unwanted fat from your body, and gives you bulging muscles that’ll bust right out of your t-shirts?
I tell you what…
Let’s dig into these two movements deeper than a squirrel burying its nuts for winter… so you can enjoy strength and muscle gains worthy enough of plastering all over social media if you so happen to be that way inclined.
First things first…
Some folks get all aggressive, worked-up, and territorial about which ones better pull-up/chin-ups and why you should use one over the other.
Whatever… why does one movement have to be better than the other? And what if they both have a significant role to play in you, growing bigger back, ab, and arm muscles.
What matters is…
You get stronger and you can do more chin-ups and pull-ups in your workout routine.
So fill up your protein shaker and take yourself a giant mouth full, because I don’t want you going catabolic in the few short minutes it takes to read and absorb this muscle enhancing material about chin-ups and pull-ups.
Now let’s rip in and take a look at these potent back, abs, and arm builders for you…
What Are Chin-Ups?
Probably one of the best exercises you can do for your upper back, biceps, lats, and a few other muscle groups.
Chin-ups are where you grab a bar above head height, hands shoulder-width apart, with an underhand grip, that’s your palms facing you, and you pull yourself up.
Sounds easy enough right?
You can use an underhand grip, or your hands can be in a neutral grip position for chin-ups, that’s where your palms face each other, shoulder-width apart. You’d use gymnastic rings for this, or a bar where your palms are facing each other.
Muscles Worked: Teres major, latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior, biceps, brachialis. Simply speaking you’re working your shoulders, forearms, back, and biceps.
What are Pull-Ups?
You grab a bar above head height with a wide grip, however this time you’re using an overhand grip, which means you’re looking at the back for your palms.
The grip width you want to use here is, further than shoulder-width apart. Because what this does is increases the muscle activation in your lats.
There’s a little less biceps used with the pull-up workout routine, and more lat muscle used.
Muscles used: Biceps, brachioradialis, Teres major, trapezius lower portion, latissimus dorsi, rhomboid major, rhomboid minor. Simply speaking, you’re working your lats, back, biceps.
If you want to get bigger lats you’d do more pull-ups over chin-ups. However, at the end of the day most folks are going to be pleased with the upper body results they get from either movement.
Here’s What’s Important To Understand Grip Wise
There’s 3 grips you can use with chin-up and pull-ups:
#1 Palms facing you
#2 Overhand grip, palms facing away from you
#3 Neutral grip, palms facing each other
And here’s the thing…
If you have elbow or shoulder issues from old sporting or work injuries, some of the grips may upset your old injury.
However, you might find the neutral grip doesn’t cause any issues for you. Great. Then you’d use the neutral because that’s the smart thing to do.
Because the last thing you want to do is train and destroy your body.
Chin Up Vs Pull-Ups: How are They Different?
Okay…
The pull-up uses an overhand grip, palms facing away from you.
Chin-up uses an underhand grip, your palms are facing you. You can also use a neutral grip position where your palms face each other.
At the end of the day, both pullups and chin-ups increase your upper body strength and are potent bodyweight exercises for building muscles.
Usually, with the pull-up, you have a wide grip and this brings more or your lats more into the movement. With the chin-up, your grip is closer together and your arms are in line with your shoulders.
If your hands are wider than shoulder-width apart with a chin-up, and you have suffered from any elbow issues in the past, the wider grip may inflame your elbow joints. A close grip or neutral grip might be your best option.
Which one of the two exercises uses more muscles?
They use the same, however, you’ll hit your lats a little harder with a pull-up because of the wider grip.
Here’s the thing…
There’s no need to get all worked up and think you got to choose one over the other, or that one movement will give you “off this planet results” you’ve been searching for.
Understand, they are both excellent bodyweight exercises, they both build muscles and give you a solid workout. And more, they both have a place in a well-rounded workout program.
And here’s something else you’ll love…
Chin-ups and pull-ups are great exercises for your abs. If you’d love to shrink your waistline, pull-ups and chin-ups help you get more defined abs and a smaller waistline.
Chin up and Pull up Grip Techniques
The Pull-Up Grip…
If you’re on a mission to get lats so wide you’d struggle to fit through doorways, then you’d hammer out pull-ups. Because with a wider grip on the bar, and your palms facing away from you, your lats become one of the main muscles used.
The Chin Up Grip…
Because your grip is narrower and your palms are facing you, you’re working your back muscles, however, your bicep works much harder with the palms facing you grip.
The Neutral Grip…
Is more of a natural position.
Try this, hold your arms out in front of you and bend them, have your fist closed so your palms are facing each other. Notice how comfortable that feels. Now turn your fist so your palms are facing you.
Notice how this doesn’t feel as comfortable or natural as the neutral grip position did.
If you’ve got and wrist, elbow, or shoulder issues you may find the neutral grip the most comfortable and best position for you.
Why I Use The Neutral Grip Position Most Of The Time
Many years ago I worked on Gas Drilling Rigs, I was a roughneck, and I’d have to throw the pipe tongs hundreds of times in a 12-hour shift. The tongs are massive spanners that are used to undo drilling pipe.
Sure, it was a great workout, however, the high repetitions over 3 years weren’t so great for my elbows. It left me with a few elbow issues.
I find the neutral grip doesn’t upset my elbows as long as I don’t do super high reps over a week. Can I do pull-ups palms facing away and palms facing me? Sure can. However, it doesn’t take too much to upset my elbows.
I just wanted to share this with you and show you, if you have any old injures then you’ve got train smart. Because the last thing you want to do is injure yourself and be out of action for months.
How To Get Stronger At Pull-Ups and Chin-ups
If you’re struggling with your chin-ups and pull-ups here’s few things you can do so you get stronger faster.
#1 Lose Weight
If you’re carrying unwanted fat, that’s extra weight you’ve got to pull up. People with low body fat don’t seem to struggle with chin-ups.
There’s no need to diet or join some crazy food movement. Simply eat healthy food. And start eating more veggies than you do right now. And keep doing strength training.
#2 Get Stronger
Seems rather obvious. Surprisingly though, a lot of people are wasting their time with the workout programs they follow or have made up for themselves. Fact is, aren’t getting stronger.
How do you get stronger?
Progressive overload. You need to increase the resistance over time because if you always do the same reps and same weight, you don’t get stronger.
#3 Use Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are one of the greatest training inventions in the past 5 years. You can get them in many different resistance levels which helps you with your pull-ups.
If you could only do 5 pull-ups on your own. With a resistance band, you could do band-assisted chin-ups. You could do your 5 reps then get another 5 reps out with the help of the resistance band.
If you couldn’t even do one chin-up, then you could do band-assisted chin-ups.
Set your band up on a bar, step onto the band, and the band helps pull you up to the bar.
#4 Be Patient
Whatever number of pull-ups you’ve set yourself as a target, understand it’s going to take you some time to get there. If you workout consistently over a 6-12 month period, you’ll be surprised with the progress you make.
Nothing happens overnight, and every great journey takes time. Be patient.
#5 Do The Eccentric Phase Of The Exercise
The eccentric phase is the lowering part of the movement. What you do is start the movement at the top of the bar, then you slowly lower yourself down. Say on a count of 3-4 seconds.
Then you jump back up and go again. You could do this 4-5 times. Rest and repeat. This helps build your strength.
#6 Hang Off The Bar
Here’s what you do, you hang off the bar for as long as you can. This helps improve your grip strength and your overall strength.
Some struggle just holding onto the bar, which means they have weak grip strength. If you improve your grip strength, that’s step one. Then you can work on pulling yourself up.
#7 Do Lat Pull Pull Downs
The lat pulldown is the exact same movement as the chin-up and pull-up. Work on your lat pulldowns and increase your strength. The lat pulldown is easier because your knees go under the padded bar and help you pull more weight down.
You can use whatever grip you want. If you can do your own body weight with a lat pull down, you’re getting closer to doing your first chin-up. If you can, include lat pulldowns in your workout routine.
Should You Do Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups Every Day?
Your muscles need time to rest, recover, and grow. And another thing, if you’re over 40 years of age, doing chin-ups or pull-ups every day may not be the best thing for your elbow joints.
If you’ve got elbow or shoulder issues from old sporting or work injuries. Then doing chin-ups and pull-ups every day may create unwanted joint issues for you.
Train smart because there’s nothing worse than injuring yourself and not being able to train.
Are Chin-Ups Easier Than Pull-Ups?
Yes, chin-ups are.
That’s because chin-ups bring your biceps into the movement more, which makes it easier for you to pull yourself up.
Can Do Chin-Up But Not Pull-Up?
The chin-up is an easier exercise to do. At the start, a lot of people struggle more with pull-ups than they do chin-ups. That’s because the chin-up brings your biceps into the exercise which assists you in pulling back up.
With the pull-up, you use less of your bicep and more of your Brachioradialis muscle and back muscles.
Here’s the thing…
If you can’t do any pull-ups and you can only get a couple of chin-ups out. Don’t stress. Don’t bother with pull-ups until you get much stronger with your chin-ups. You’ll still get gains in your upper back.
Just focus on improving your chin-up strength. Focus on improving your grip strength. Use resistance bands so you can do more chin-ups.
Focus on getting your chin-up numbers higher. Once you can bust out 7-10 chin-ups, then come back to your pull-ups. And what you’ll notice is, you’re stronger and you can actually get a few reps out.
I’ll tell you this…
There’s no race. Be patient. You can achieve much in 12 months when you follow a simple plan and don’t get all upset because you can’t do a pull-up but you can do a chin up.
How Many Chin-Ups Equal A Pull- Up?
Who cares?
And why does one have to equal the other after a certain amount of reps?
Hey listen…
If you can’t do pull-ups, chill. Just focus on getting yourself stronger with your chin-ups. Get more chin-up reps out. Do one-arm rows and build your lats that way. Work on your grip strength. Then come back to pull-ups.
Are Pull-Ups Or Chin-Ups Better For Chest?
If you look at the muscles used during a pull-up or a chin-up you’ll notice the chest muscle isn’t used in this exercise. That’s because this is an exercise for your back and arms.
If you want a bigger, more defined chest then you’re going to do exercises like… push-ups, ring push-ups, ring flys, dips, bench press, one-arm dumbbell press just to name a few.
3 Common Pull Up and Chin Up Mistakes Most Make
If right now, you struggle with chin-ups and pull-ups, that’s okay. The fact you want to get better at them, I’m impressed and rooting for you.
So here’s a few mistakes you’ll want to avoid…
Mistake #1 Focusing On Both Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups
If you struggle with chin-ups and pull-ups. Drop pull-ups and focus on chin-ups. Chin-ups are the easier of the two movements. Get stronger at them. Increase your reps and grip strength. Use resistance bands to assist you.
When you notice you are actually stronger and getting more chin-ups out than ever before. Then come back to pull-ups and give them a go.
Mistake #2 Doing Them Everyday
“If I do them every day I’ll get better at them.”
Wrong.
our muscles need time to rest and recover from your workouts. If you’re jamming your muscles every day, you end with diminishing returns. Or, you injure yourself. Usually, too many chin-ups and pull-ups create elbow issues.
Give your muscles time to rest, recover, and grow. And give your joints a rest.
Mistake #3 Carrying Too Much Extra Weight
If you’re overweight and you know you have a few pounds you should lose, get busy losing them. Because extra unwanted weight is more weight you got to pull up.
Look, it’s great you want to do chin-ups and pull-ups and I would love to help you do them. However, if you’re just focusing on chin-ups and pull-ups and don’t address the extra weight you’re carrying. You’re making it even harder for yourself.
Lose weight, increase your strength, and your power to weight ratio goes right up. Which makes it easier for you to do more chin-ups and pull-ups.
Potent Exercises To Build Your Back Muscles And Make Stronger So You Can Smash Out Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups
If you struggle with chin-ups and pull-ups, it’s a simple strength issue. You got to get stronger. So let’s get you stronger.
Here’s a few exercises you can do, so you build muscles and increase your strength.
- Ring Face Pulls
- Ring face pulls
- Dumbbell or Kettlebell Row
How To Do A Ring Face-Pull:
The greater the angle you get your body, the harder the exercise is for you
- Have the rings set up at hip height
- Feet shoulder-width apart, grab hold of the rings with both hands and lean back on a slight angle
- Your arms should be straight out in front of you now
- Hold the rings and pull the rings towards your face, your elbows should finish in a 90-degree position. Then repeat.
- Tips… you can tense your stomach so you bring your abs into the movement
- When you do this exercise for the first time don’t make the angle too great because you’ll struggle to do the movement with good form.
Ring Rows:
Ring rows are a great exercise because you’re engaging the muscles in your back and arms which you use for the chin-ups and pull-ups.
How To Do Parallel Ring Rows:
- Set your rings up so your arms are out straight, without your upper body touching the ground
- Have your feet hip-width apart, legs straight. Your heels on the ground. Or you can get your body parallel to the floor by putting your heels on a seat or bench, like above.
- Then, you pull yourself up, so the rings and your hands are by your side near your chest, and your elbows are at 90 degrees. Then repeat.
- To make it harder you can pause at the top for 3 seconds, you’ll notice your abs working
- This is a great bodyweight workout
Dumbbell or Kettlebell Row:
You can do this exercise from a standing position and you bend slightly forwards. Or like you see in the picture you can do it with a knee on a bench and you keep your back straight, with your other arm acting as a brace.
Or you can do it laying facedown on a bench. Whichever way you do a row, this exercise targets and works all the muscle groups in your back which means you get stronger for pullups.
How To Do A Kettlebell or Dumbbell Row:
- Grab your dumbbell or kettlebell
- Put one knee on the bench and use your arm that’s free to support you
- Then using your arm with the weights in it, pull up. Keep your shoulder blades together
- Make sure you keep your lower back straight
- Now you’re working those back muscles, and abs your abs in this position
- If you own a dumbbell or two, then your back muscles are always going to get a great workout because there are many exercises you can do
Use these 3 exercises:
- Ring face pulls
- Ring rows
- Kettlebell or dumbbell rows
These 3 exercises make you stronger and build the muscles you need for chins and pull-ups.
Here’s something you can do with your reps so you get faster strength gains. …
Instead of just busting out reps you can use fast or slow rep tempos to get you stronger.
Slow tempo puts your muscle under tension for longer periods of time, and that helps you get the strength you need for your chin-ups and pull-ups. Get stronger do more pull-ups.
Here’s an example of slower tempo reps:
Ring Face-Pulls: Pull into the rings on a count of 3 sec, then back to the starting position at normal tempo. What you’ll find is, these are a lot harder to do. In 5 reps your muscles been under tension for 15 seconds.
The strength you build doing exercises like the above three help you with your chin-ups and pull-ups.
Chin-Ups Vs Pull-Ups Focus On One For Starters
If you’re struggling with pull-ups, take a break from them and focus on your chin-ups.
- Get stronger at chin-up
- Lose unwanted weight
- Do band-assisted chin-ups
- Do bicep curls
- Work on your grip strength
- Do bench rows, where you lay face down on a bench and pull the weight up towards the bench because these isolate your back muscles
Then when you’re feeling stronger and your chin-ups have improved, you can come back to pull-ups and give them a crack.
Get stronger, be patient and in 6-12 months, you’ll have a grin from ear to ear because it feels like you’re pulling the bar down instead of trying to drag your body up.
