Chin Ups

What you'll gain

• Builds the lats, biceps, and grip with one bodyweight movement.

• Develops relative strength that transfers to climbing, sport, and lifting.

• Trains the vertical pull pattern that balances out pressing work.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Reach up and grip the bar with palms facing you, hands about shoulder-width apart.

2. 2

   Hang at full arm extension with the shoulders pulled down away from the ears and the core braced.

3. 3

   Pull yourself up by driving the elbows down toward your ribs, leading with the chest.

4. 4

   Continue the pull until your chin clears the bar and your upper chest is close to the bar.

5. 5

   Pause for a beat at the top, squeezing the back and biceps without swinging.

6. 6

   Lower yourself slowly to a full hang over 2 to 3 seconds, then repeat for reps.

Common Mistakes

• Kipping or swinging the legs to generate momentum instead of pulling cleanly with the back and arms.

• Cutting the range short by stopping before the chin clears the bar or skipping the full hang at the bottom.

• Shrugging the shoulders up at the start so the traps take over and the lats never engage.

• Dropping fast at the bottom and skipping the slow lowering phase, where most of the strength gains happen.

About This Exercise

The chin up is the benchmark vertical pulling exercise. With an underhand grip, you pull your full bodyweight up until your chin clears the bar — loading the lats heavily while bringing the biceps in as a major mover. It's one of the cleanest tests of relative upper-body strength in any program. This clip earns a permanent spot in any strength app's core library. It's the natural pair to the bench press on any push-and-pull split, and it shows up in calisthenics, beginner-strength, and athletic-prep programs alike. App builders and creators can use it as a hero clip for back content where a generic lat pulldown wouldn't carry the same weight.

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