Chin-Up

Start

Finish

How to do it

Hang with an underhand grip at shoulder width, pull your chest toward the bar keeping the elbows tracking close to the ribs, and lower until the arms are completely straight.

Muscles worked

Primary: back · Also works: biceps, core

Equipment

Pull-up bar, Full gym

Common mistakes

• Stopping short at eye level instead of getting the chin clearly over the bar
• Kicking the legs to generate swing, which hides how many honest reps you actually have
• Failing to reach a dead hang at the bottom, so the lats never lengthen

Variations

• Weighted chin-up with a dumbbell between the feet
• Paused chin-up with a two-second hold at the top

Can't do this one? Swap it for

• Pull-Up
• Negative Chin-Up
• Lat Pulldown

Related exercises

• Pull-Upback
• Lat Pulldownback
• Barbell Bent-Over Rowback
• Single-Arm Dumbbell Rowback
• Resistance Band Rowback
• Inverted Rowback