Baby's Got Back...chin ups and pull ups

Occasionally I'm asked what the difference between a pull up and a chin up is. I'm also asked which exercise is better. Let me start by saying that in my opinion both versions of lifting that body of yours off the ground is one of the best exercises ever invented. As far as the origin no doubt it goes back to the days when some vagabond attempted thievery from some rich lord only to have the hounds released on him. In fleeing the scene he probably needed some way to get over that wall. But I digress. And as far as which is better; they're both great.

Here's how the difference breaks down. It comes down to grip and muscles used. If you grab the bar with your palms facing you, you're doing a chin up. If your palms face away from you then it's pull up time. Most people find that the chin up is easier, meaning you can do more reps. This is because even though both exercises primarily hit the back, the chin up uses more bicep.

If you don't have access to a chin up bar you can use the lat pull down machine at your local gym. It's not the same as literally lifting your body weight but it is darn close. Plus, many out there may not be able to do even one chin up or pull up. Don't feel bad if this is you especially if you're a grown up and you haven't done this since childhood. These are hard, plain and simple. Not only that, there are a lot of big dudes out there that struggle with these. You'll often see people built like rock climbers (strong and lean) or actual rock climbers ripping these things off like butter. (That is if you can imagine a lot of pull ups being like butter...hmm I need to work on that one).
Allow me to offer one caveat. If you do a pull up to the point of ducking your head and putting the bar behind you to the back of your neck; don't. Many people can do this and they have no problems. But many others, develop shoulder pain because it puts the rotator cuff at an odd angle and/or they experience neck pain. So stick to the regular pull/chin ups and live happily ever after with a gorgeous back. You do want 'back'...don't ya baby!?!

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