Pull Ups vs Chin Ups

        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 -