My training always includes Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups. These are some super good exercises where you primarily use your own body weight. However, there are belts to increase the weight and machines to balance your body weight, so you can do the exercises with less strain.
The difference between Chin-Up and Pull-Up is the grip. You basically hold the bar different. Different grips on the bar makes your body use different muscles. Pull-Ups uses what is called a “pronated grip” – the back of the hand must face the face. During a Chin-Up, the fingers/palm must face your face, this is called a “supinated grip”.
Chin-Ups & Pull-Ups are exercises for the broad back muscle, which we call Latissimus dorsi in latin. With Chin-Up, you do not use the broad back muscle (latissimus dorsi) and chest muscle as much as with a Pull Up. With Pull-Up, you use more of the upper part of the back, which is the Trapezius muscle. In addition, triceps are also used when performing Pull-Ups. Doing these exercise makes you also use the biceps, chest, shoulder, forearm and abdominal muscles. Chin-Ups & Pull-Ups will also make your core muscles strong. A strong back and a strong abdominal muscles will help you have a nice stabilised figure.
There are many different Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups:
– The Basic Chin-ups
– Wide Grip Australian Pull-ups
– Behind the Neck Pull-ups
– Dead Hang Pull-ups
– Kipping Pull-ups
– Plyo Pull-ups
Try to search on google for these exercises and try them out. This will make you work-out more intens and fun. It’s important to do new variations for hitting different muscles, but also to keep your work-ups interesting.
I tried them all with a training partner. We found out that it was a really good exercise for training many different muscle groups at once. The two different exercises especially make the broad back muscle, biceps, triceps, upper back muscle and your core muscles much stronger.
How to do a perfect Chin-Up
To perform a perfect Chin-Up, you must extend and contract the shoulder blades – which we call the scapula. In the same movement, you have to start from an outstretched arm and lift your body by bending your elbows. The movement ends when you get your chin up over the bar which your hands are holding.
Important. All other muscles and joints around the neck, shoulder, hands and stomach must be in flex so that you can perform the exercise more easily.
If you have a training partner, you can have the person help with small, slow and soft pushes up onto the back. This could make you do a bit more reps, so you really can work those muscles. When I perform Chin-Ups, I do between 10 – 14 repetitions with my own body weight. When I can’t do more reps, it’s because my biceps and pectoral muscles get completely tense and locked, which then tells my brain not to do more. With a little help and a push I would de able more.