Movement overview

The chin-up is a compound upper-body exercise that primarily targets the latissimus dorsi muscles in the back, along with the biceps, forearms, and shoulders. It involves pulling your body up to a bar using a supinated or underhand grip, with hands typically shoulder-width apart.

Step-by-step cues

1. Stand beneath a pull-up bar and grasp it with an underhand grip, palms facing you, hands shoulder-width apart.
2. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and feet off the ground. Engage your core and keep your body straight.
3. Initiate the movement by pulling your shoulder blades down and back, then pull your chest towards the bar by bending your elbows.
4. Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar. Pause briefly at the top of the movement.
5. Lower yourself back to the starting position in a controlled manner, fully extending your arms.
6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Technical tips

• Focus on engaging your back muscles rather than just pulling with your arms to maximize lat activation.
• Keep your core tight throughout the movement to prevent swinging or kipping.
• If you're unable to perform a full chin-up, use resistance bands for assistance or perform negative chin-ups by jumping to the top position and lowering yourself slowly.
• Ensure a full range of motion by fully extending your arms at the bottom of each rep.
• Avoid using momentum; perform each rep in a controlled manner to increase strength effectively.