Chinups vs. Pullups: The Video

[Mark Rippetoe]

Chin-Up vs Pull-Up | Mark Rippetoe

[millzners]

Coach, I was wondering just this week about why you teach the supine grip for the chin up but for bar bell rows you use a prone grip. Is this because the prone grip would limit the range of motion of the barbell row, or because the prone grip allows more muscle mass to be used? Thanks!

[skid]

I do pull-ups and chin-ups once a week and alternate them for 2 sets each. Regarding using more weight with the supine grip, I use the same weight for both, although I could probably use slightly more supine. Not enough difference though to adjust the weight on the belt.

I sometimes do ring pull-ups with a neutral grip and find I am by far the weakest with these, although if I use a neutral grip on a fixed bar that is my strongest way to do pull-ups.

[MartinB]

If I understood the video correctly chinups use more bicep but treat the other back muscles the same as pullups. Is it the same thing for underhand/overhand row?

I have problems understanding the correct finishing position for a chinup, I was counting the rep when my chin cleared the bar without extending my neck. I have the long forearm in relation to humerus thing and I cannot touch my sternum unless I do a combination of pointing the elbows back, protracting my shoulders and flexing my wrists. This creates a series of longer lever arms, meaning that I can do less weight touching the sternum. Is touching the sternum something everyone should do to consider the chin complete or just people with normal anthropometry, like in the case of the starting position for the press (float vs sitting on deltoids)?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Coach, I was wondering just this week about why you teach the supine grip for the chin up but for bar bell rows you use a prone grip. Is this because the prone grip would limit the range of motion of the barbell row, or because the prone grip allows more muscle mass to be used? Thanks!

I also use a supine grip for BB Rows.

[Fedaykin]

Coach, I have been doing chins to my throat for years. Chins to my chest seems to cause my right shoulder to click. I have not trained this method because of this. Your argument is intriguing, and I enjoy Chins to a degree. Any idea as to why this might be happening? Or a method to over come this?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You most likely have a little swelling in the biceps tendon, perhaps caused by your technique. Change it and see what happens. The good thing is that you're measuring your reps.

[Mark D]

What do you think of pull-ups with a neutral grip (palms facing each other)?

I ask because I have limited range of motion in my right arm (result of breaking it 40ish years ago), if I stand with my elbows at my sides, bent 90 degrees and palms up, my right palm isn't quite level,the thumb is a little higher than the little finger. Back before I saw the light and thought barbell curls were the thing to do I couldn't comfortably curl a straight bar, I got considerable discomfort in my wrist and would use an EZ curl bar. Would a neutral grip pull up involve the bicep too?

[LimieJosh]

Another thing to keep in mind is that damaging shoulder position we see a lot in dips and in a poorly performed bench, the one the brings the head of the humerous anteriorly into the acromiom, is something you see very commonly on back work with an overhand grip when the reps get hard. It's a lot more difficult to subconsciously kip a chin and so long term you shoulders will probably benefit from focusing on this variation.

[naherron]

I would also think that the chin-up is easier on the ol' shoulder and rotator cuffs due to the external rotation component of the movement, and thus can be trained harder.

You most likely have a little swelling in the biceps tendon, perhaps caused by your technique. Change it and see what happens. The good thing is that you're measuring your reps.

What technique faults would we want to look out for if we were experiencing this issue?