Exercise Spotlight - Chin-Up

The chin-up is the ultimate upper body pulling exercise. It requires a lot of strength to do though as unlike most other resistance exercises, we can’t change the load – we weigh what we weigh! It works the muscles of the upper back and the arms while the whole body has to work on keeping tight and maintain tension so that it can be transferred from the working muscles. 

The Chin-up is a realistic goal but normally only as you pass the 6 month mark to the year and of course it depends a lot on your current body composition. If you have been progressing your pulling exercises and have mastered the negative (or eccentric) chin then it’s time to try the full thing. More advanced gym-goers are able to add extra resistance using a weights belt to keep the chin progressing.
 
Exercise Suitability:
Beginners: ❌
Advanced: ✔️
 
What are the key technique points?

• Start in a dead hang, squeeze your core hard then activate your scapula (shoulder blade) muscles by pulling your shoulders down and back to lift your chest – without moving your arms yet.
• From the active hang position, squeeze the bar hard and pull your chest up to the bar
• Try to avoid any excessive swinging or momentum if you can
• Keeping tight again, lower your back down to the start position

If you'd like to improve your body-weight movements and upper body strength then I have a range of options available in Glasgow from private 1 2 1 training, group training and even weight training technique workshops. You can view the options by clicking here.

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