Chin Ups
A palms-facing-you bodyweight vertical pull that builds the lats, biceps and grip in one of the most honest strength tests there is.
How to do it
- Reach up and grab the bar with your palms facing you, hands about shoulder-width apart.
- Hang at full arm extension with your shoulders pulled down away from your ears and your core braced.
- Pull yourself up by driving your elbows down toward your ribs, leading with your chest.
- Keep pulling until your chin clears the bar and your upper chest approaches it.
- Pause at the top, squeezing your back and biceps without swinging.
- Lower slowly to a full hang over 2–3 seconds, then repeat for your reps.
Key technique cue
Start by setting the shoulder blades, chin over the bar, lower slowly.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Kipping or swinging the legs to build momentum instead of pulling cleanly with the back and arms.
- ✕ Cutting the range short by stopping before the chin clears the bar or skipping the full hang at the bottom.
- ✕ Shrugging the shoulders at the start so the traps take over and the lats never engage.
- ✕ Dropping fast at the bottom and skipping the slow lowering phase, where most of the strength gains happen.
Benefits
- ✓ Builds the lats, biceps and grip in a single bodyweight exercise.
- ✓ Develops relative strength that carries over to climbing, sport and heavy lifting.
- ✓ Trains the vertical pull pattern that balances out pressing work.
Progression: from easier to harder
- Step 1
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Step 2 You are here - Chin Ups
About the exercise
The chin-up is the benchmark vertical pulling exercise. With an underhand grip, you pull your entire body weight up until your chin clears the bar — loading the lats hard and bringing in the biceps as a prime mover. It is one of the purest tests of upper-body relative strength in any program. It is the natural partner to the bench press in any push-pull split, and it shows up in calisthenics, beginner programs and athletic conditioning alike.
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