The pull up and the chin up are two exercises that often get confused. A lot of the time individuals ask me if they can do one instead of the other, usually being chin ups instead of pull ups. Sometimes I just skip going off on a tangent about body position and how it can change what muscles are being worked and say NO! Let's first take a look at the obvious differences, hand placement. When performing a chin up the hands are placed in a supinated position or palms facing you. The pull up is carried out in a pronated grip; palms facing away from you. Switching your hand grip like this changes the muscles that our used during each movement.
Very few upper body exercises can pack on size quite like the chin up. To understand the effectiveness of chin ups, all one has to do is take a look at the physiques of most gymnasts and how well developed their arms and upper back are. As stated above the chin up is performed with the palms facing you. The main muscles being worked throughout this movement are: - Latissimus dorsi - Rhomboids - Teres major - Posterior deltoids - Parts of pectoralis major - Parts of trapezius - Biceps The hand placement of the chin up is interesting to pay attention to. The closer you keep your hands while pulling, the more the biceps will be emphasized, while the farther the hands are apart, more of the back will come into play. The pull up is no slouch when it comes to building upper body size and strength, often being referred to as the "upper body squat". However, it is a common theme to look over and see trainees performing chin ups even when pull ups are written in their program. This is because for most people, pull ups are a more difficult exercise. Pull yps are more difficult because you are not getting the assistance of the biceps throughout this movement. This is not to say that the biceps are mute during a pull up, just a larger percentage of them are being activated with the chin up. Here are the main muscles being worked in the pull up: - Latissimus dorsi - Rhomboids - Teres major - Posterior deltoids - Parts of pectoralis major & trapezius - Small percentage of biceps - Brachialis & brachioradialis During the pull up, more stress is placed on the forearms rather then the biceps. So, when we play around with hand distance, moving the hands closer will put more emphasis on the forearms while moving them farther apart will put more on the back musculature. Regardless of whether you are performing a chin up or pull up, it is important to keep strict form; the legs, torso and upper arm should stay in alignment. Do not lift the knees in effort to finish out the rep! It is also important to work the muscles through their full range of motion, this means starting with the arms extended and finishing the repetition with the chin over the bar. If you are not strong enough to do the movement correctly, use assistance. Hang a band from the bar to tuck a knee in or have a lifting partner help you through sticking points! You can't go wrong with either of these exercises, so my suggestion is to include both in your training! One will improve the other and the size and strength you will gain from these two exercises will be unmatched!- Brig Van Etten CSCS -
Building muscle is the name of the game so here are some tips to help you out!1. Post Workout Protein Shake - The whole point of weight training is to overload your muscles and break them down so that they build up stronger then they were before! Many people are taking care of the breaking down part but they miss the boat when it comes to building them back up. A good way to ensure that your muscles are recovering properly is to drink a protein shake no later then 30 minutes after your workout. This is an optimal time for protein because you have great blood flow to the working muscles, so that amino acids will be shuttled in quickly!2. Make Sure That You're Performing Multi-joint Lifts - Multi-joint, compound lifts are second to none when it comes to building muscle mass. These lifts include; squats, deadlifts, chin ups, rows and olympic lifts to name a few! Compound lifts recruit the most muscle fibers and demand a high amount of energy. When trying to build muscle you want to be time efficient and get the most bang for you buck!3. Limit Your Workouts To 45 Minutes - This sounds easy but if you go to a gym that you really enjoy and have some friends there, your workouts can last over an hour no problem! Say hi to a few people and get to talking and bam....you're there for 2 hours! Or there is those people that just like to run themselves ragged, they don't want to leave the gym till they have expended every ounce of energy. Both are bad! Multiple studies have shown that at around 45 minutes your muscle building hormone testosterone starts to decrease and your catabolic hormone, cortisol starts to increase! Have a business like attitude in the gym and keep your workouts intense and short!4. Try 20 Rep Squats - 1 set of 20 consistent reps of back squats is a classic way to build muscle and gain size. Leg muscles naturally respond better to higher rep training. My recommendation is to take a weight that you can do comfortably for 10 repetitions and perform 20 repetitions with that weight. I know, easier said then done but never the less it can be done! Take your time with the set, making sure you take a few deep breathes at the top of each rep. This small rest allows you to recruit more motor units.5. Eat Every 2-3 Hours - This little tip is important because in order to grow you need to be taking in more calories then you are expending. Now I'm not telling you to just run around consuming everything in sight! Be smart about it and eat organic, nutrient dense food. Think in terms of macronutrients when picking what you eat. Look at a food/meal and make sure you're getting some protein, fat and carbs.6. Use Recovery Techniques - Make sure that you are recovering properly so that your body is ready for the next session. Hopefully your gym provides tools such as; foam rollers, lacrosse balls, sticks, bands and pvc pipes. It would also be a great idea to purchase some of these items to have around the house at your own disposal. All of these things should be used throughout the day in order to facilitate recovery and bring nutrients to your muscles.7. Look Into Getting A Hormonal Profile Test Or An ASI (Adrenal Stress Index) Test - If you're already doing a lot of things on this list and you still haven't seen much progress then these tests might be something to look into. You cannot expect growth if your body is out of wack hormonally. It'll be pretty hard to get big biceps if your testosterone levels are that of a 90 year old man! Both of these tests will give you a good idea of where you're at and if anything, what steps need to be taken to get you headed in the right direction.8. Give Your Body Different Stimulus's - This doesn't mean that every day you need to be doing something completely different, it just means to create some sort of change that your body has to work to adapt to. These changes can be as small as altering your reps, sets, rest periods and body position. Our bodies were built to adapt so make sure you keep it guessing!9. Do Not Develop Program ADD - Its imperative that you give a muscle building program at least 8-12 weeks to really take effect. Its good to change the little things once you feel you've adapted, however; jumping from program to program each week will do nothing but slow your progress. This occurs because you're not giving your body ample time to utilize the new movements. It takes your nervous system around 4 weeks to catch up to a new program. Once this happens you can truly start to progress in weight and make gains10. Eat A Protein Heavy Diet - This tip somewhat goes along with tip 1, in the sense that your body needs high amounts of protein when you are trying to build muscle. Having a protein shake after you workout is a great start but to make real progress you need to supply your body with the nutrients it needs, that being amino acids. You can create a baseline for your protein needs by multiplying your bodyweight in pounds by 1 gram of protein. Round off the rest of your calorie needs with quality fats such as; coconut oil, nut butters, avocados and carbohydrates from veggies, fruits, tubers & some grains (quinoa, amaranth).- Brig Van Etten CSCS -
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