Back · Bodyweight · Compound · Intermediate
Chin-Up
A pull-up done with the palms facing you, hands about shoulder width apart. The underhand grip puts the biceps in a stronger position, so most people can do more chin-ups than pull-ups.
How to do it
- Grip the bar palms toward you, hands about shoulder width, thumbs wrapped around the bar.
- Hang with straight arms, then pull the shoulders down away from your ears without bending the elbows.
- Brace your midsection and squeeze your glutes so the body stays still. Bend or cross the legs if they swing.
- Pull by driving the elbows down toward your ribs, keeping the chest up, until your chin clears the bar.
- Lower under control to a straight-arm hang, and set the shoulders again before the next rep.
Cues
Short phrases to think during a set.
- “Elbows down to your ribs”
- “Chest up toward the bar”
- “Straight arms at the bottom of every rep”
- “Stay still, no swing”
Common mistakes
- Stopping short of straight arms at the bottom, or short of chin over the bar at the top. Partial reps make the set look bigger than it is.
- Kicking or swinging to get the last reps. Use bands or slow negatives until you can do strict ones.
- Starting each rep hanging from the shoulders with them shrugged up by the ears. Pull them down first, then bend the arms.
The short version
Chin-ups and pull-ups train mostly the same muscles. The underhand grip brings in more biceps, which is why the chin-up usually comes first for beginners and why lifters who want bigger arms tend to favour it, while wider-grip pull-ups get more credit for lat width. Plenty of programs use both. The main thing to watch is the elbows: heavy weighted chin-ups, a lot of volume, or jerking out of the bottom are common sources of pain on the inside of the elbow, and a neutral grip is often easier on them.
Why people do it
- Works the biceps harder than an overhand pull-up does
- The first chin-up usually comes before the first strict pull-up
- Easy to load further with a dip belt or a weight vest once bodyweight reps get easy
- Some lifters with sore shoulders find it more comfortable than wide-grip pull-ups
Drawbacks
- Heavy or high-volume work can irritate the inner elbow and biceps tendon
- The underhand grip bothers some people's wrists or forearms
- Needs a bar that can take your weight, and a belt or vest to progress past bodyweight
- Many beginners cannot do one yet and need bands, negatives or a lat pulldown first
Sources
- T Nation: Keep Your Chin Up · T Nation
- T Nation: How to Get to 20 Chin-Ups · T Nation
- T Nation: Pull-Ups Vs. Chin-Ups · T Nation
Questions
Are chin-ups easier than pull-ups?+
For most people, yes. The underhand grip lets the biceps help more, so chin-up numbers usually run a little ahead of pull-up numbers.
Should I do chin-ups or pull-ups for my back?+
Both work the lats heavily. Chin-ups add more biceps; wider pull-ups are usually credited with more emphasis on lat width. Using both, or alternating between training blocks, covers it.
Why do chin-ups bother my elbows and biceps more than pull-ups?+
With the palms facing you, the biceps take a bigger share of the pull, so the front and inside of the elbow carry more load than on a pull-up. A straight bar also locks the forearms fully turned up, which some elbows dislike. Rings or a neutral grip let the hands rotate to a position the elbow tolerates, and dropping weighted chin-ups for a few weeks is the usual first step.
How do I do my first chin-up?+
Practise slow negatives: jump or step to the top, then take three to five seconds to lower. Band-assisted reps and lat pulldowns help build the same strength. Losing body fat makes it easier too, since you are lifting your own weight.
Swaps on other equipment
Each has the lats as its main muscle and is also a pull, on a different piece of equipment.
Variations
Pull-Up · Neutral-Grip Pull-Up · Lat Pulldown
Other lat exercises
- Cable Incline Pushdown · Cable
- Catch and Overhead Throw · Medicine Ball
- Chair Lower Back Stretch · Bodyweight
- Close-Grip Front Lat Pulldown · Cable
- Dynamic Back Stretch · Bodyweight
- Elevated Cable Rows · Cable
Written for this site from the sources listed above. Last reviewed October 20, 2026. How this site is put together · Report a mistake