In previous posts, I have insisted on the importance of performing all the exercises using a strict form (mastering the weight during the whole rep and using a full range of motion) in order to ensure an adequate muscle stimulus and avoid injury. This post initiates a series instructing about the proper way to perform the most common exercises. This first chapter is dedicated to upper back exercises, starting with pull-ups/chin-ups.
A pull-up/chin-up is a compound, pull-type, close-chain exercise (body moves towards resistance), which is commonly referred as a basic exercise for back building. It presents several variations, which share the same biomechanics. All of them start by grasping a bar with a firm grip. Hands orientation and separation depends on the variation you use, as detailed later. With your arms straightened, allow your body to hang from the bar. Next, pull yourself upward until your chest nearly touches the bar and your chin gets over the bar. Pulling to the rear of your head is not recommended as this puts a dangerous stress on the shoulders and neck. While you are pulling, focus on keeping your body straight without arching or swinging. Once your chin is over the bar, you can lower yourself all the way down so that your shoulder blades go up (but without locking the elbows). This gives a full stretch, and allows for a greater range of motion. Nevertheless, avoid relaxing your muscles too much while in this position, since this can place a great deal of stress on your shoulders joints. During the exercise, you can either bend your knees and cross your feet or keep your legs straightened so long as your feet do not touch the floor, but in any case, keep them in line with the torso as much as possible.
Variations differ basically on the used grip. Pull-ups are done with a pronated grip (palms down) and chin-ups are done either with a semi-supinated (palms facing each other a.k.a. neutral grip) or with a supinated grip (palms up). In particular,
Wide-Grip Pull-Up uses a pronated grip with hands separated by a distance roughly twice the width of your shoulders, which emphasizes the lats. This is a great exercise for developing back width. Using a grip with hands shoulder width apart moves part of the stimulus from lats to the biceps, while narrowing it to only 4 to 6 inches hits the lower part of the lats and overloads the brachialis and brachioradialis.
Chin-Up uses a supinated grip with hands shoulder width apart, which shifts part of the work to the biceps. Narrowing the grip to only 4 to 6 inches between the little fingers increases the overload for the brachialis and the elbow flexors.
Close Parallel-Grip Chin-Up uses a semi-supinated grip by means of a V-handle. You should focus on bringing your lower chest to the handle as you pull yourself up. This variation increases the load on the rear deltoids and provides a good stimulus to the rhomboids.
Parallel-Grip Chin-Up uses a semi-supinated grip with hands about 22 to 24 inches apart (with comes typically in multi-station machines). This grip reduces the stress on your wrists, elbows, and shoulders, and it is supposed to position both the elbow flexors and the shoulder extensors in their most effective line of pull.
Sternum Chin-Up involves keeping your torso leaning back throughout the entire movement and arching your spine bringing your lower portion of the chest (i.e. sternum) to the bar. Your hand position can be either pronated or supinated and vary in distance from narrow to shoulder width. Overload on the scapulae retractors is increased in this variation. The beginning of the movement is more like a classical chin, the mid-range resembles the effect of the pullover motion, and the end position duplicates the finishing motion of a rowing movement.
Mixed-Grip Chin-Up uses a mixed grip: one hand pronated, one hand supinated. With this variation, the load focus is on the supinated hand. Make sure to equal sets and reps by reversing the grip on each alternating set.
One-Armed Chin-Up is an advanced variation, which uses one hand in the supinated position while the other hand helps with only balance. This is ensured by placing a towel around the bar and holding on the towel with the other hand, or by holding the working arm on its wrist. The stronger the athlete, the lower the hand is placed on the working arm. Again, you should alternate hands so both arms get a stimulus.
Subscapularis Pull-Up assumes the starting position of the wide grip pull-up, and consists of pulling yourself to the bar until the chest reaches bar, and pushing yourself away from the bar as you lower down to the starting position in a controlled fashion.
Further information on pull-ups/chin-ups (including pictures) can be found on the articles “Improving Chin-Up Performance!” by Charles Poliquin, “Exercise Of The Week: Pull-ups” by Charles Ridgely, and “Chins For Your Back” by Christopher Phelps, and the book “The Insider’s Tell-All Handbook On Weight-Training Technique” by Stuart McRobert.
A pull-up/chin-up is a compound, pull-type, close-chain exercise (body moves towards resistance), which is commonly referred as a basic exercise for back building. It presents several variations, which share the same biomechanics. All of them start by grasping a bar with a firm grip. Hands orientation and separation depends on the variation you use, as detailed later. With your arms straightened, allow your body to hang from the bar. Next, pull yourself upward until your chest nearly touches the bar and your chin gets over the bar. Pulling to the rear of your head is not recommended as this puts a dangerous stress on the shoulders and neck. While you are pulling, focus on keeping your body straight without arching or swinging. Once your chin is over the bar, you can lower yourself all the way down so that your shoulder blades go up (but without locking the elbows). This gives a full stretch, and allows for a greater range of motion. Nevertheless, avoid relaxing your muscles too much while in this position, since this can place a great deal of stress on your shoulders joints. During the exercise, you can either bend your knees and cross your feet or keep your legs straightened so long as your feet do not touch the floor, but in any case, keep them in line with the torso as much as possible.
Variations differ basically on the used grip. Pull-ups are done with a pronated grip (palms down) and chin-ups are done either with a semi-supinated (palms facing each other a.k.a. neutral grip) or with a supinated grip (palms up). In particular,
Wide-Grip Pull-Up uses a pronated grip with hands separated by a distance roughly twice the width of your shoulders, which emphasizes the lats. This is a great exercise for developing back width. Using a grip with hands shoulder width apart moves part of the stimulus from lats to the biceps, while narrowing it to only 4 to 6 inches hits the lower part of the lats and overloads the brachialis and brachioradialis.
Chin-Up uses a supinated grip with hands shoulder width apart, which shifts part of the work to the biceps. Narrowing the grip to only 4 to 6 inches between the little fingers increases the overload for the brachialis and the elbow flexors.
Close Parallel-Grip Chin-Up uses a semi-supinated grip by means of a V-handle. You should focus on bringing your lower chest to the handle as you pull yourself up. This variation increases the load on the rear deltoids and provides a good stimulus to the rhomboids.
Parallel-Grip Chin-Up uses a semi-supinated grip with hands about 22 to 24 inches apart (with comes typically in multi-station machines). This grip reduces the stress on your wrists, elbows, and shoulders, and it is supposed to position both the elbow flexors and the shoulder extensors in their most effective line of pull.
Sternum Chin-Up involves keeping your torso leaning back throughout the entire movement and arching your spine bringing your lower portion of the chest (i.e. sternum) to the bar. Your hand position can be either pronated or supinated and vary in distance from narrow to shoulder width. Overload on the scapulae retractors is increased in this variation. The beginning of the movement is more like a classical chin, the mid-range resembles the effect of the pullover motion, and the end position duplicates the finishing motion of a rowing movement.
Mixed-Grip Chin-Up uses a mixed grip: one hand pronated, one hand supinated. With this variation, the load focus is on the supinated hand. Make sure to equal sets and reps by reversing the grip on each alternating set.
One-Armed Chin-Up is an advanced variation, which uses one hand in the supinated position while the other hand helps with only balance. This is ensured by placing a towel around the bar and holding on the towel with the other hand, or by holding the working arm on its wrist. The stronger the athlete, the lower the hand is placed on the working arm. Again, you should alternate hands so both arms get a stimulus.
Subscapularis Pull-Up assumes the starting position of the wide grip pull-up, and consists of pulling yourself to the bar until the chest reaches bar, and pushing yourself away from the bar as you lower down to the starting position in a controlled fashion.
Further information on pull-ups/chin-ups (including pictures) can be found on the articles “Improving Chin-Up Performance!” by Charles Poliquin, “Exercise Of The Week: Pull-ups” by Charles Ridgely, and “Chins For Your Back” by Christopher Phelps, and the book “The Insider’s Tell-All Handbook On Weight-Training Technique” by Stuart McRobert.
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