Chin cheater?

[VNV]

Hi Rip,

Is the following chin bar modification a cheat, for chest-to-bar chins? I wrapped a narrow turf-like carpet around the middle of my chin bar a couple of time to increase the diameter. Without it, I can get to the right altitude, but have significant trouble touching chest to the bar, particularly with weighted chins. I was not so challenged at a gym which had fatter chin bars.

IMG_0696.jpg

(I hope the image doesn't post in "thumbnail" mode again. If so, how to avoid that?)

Vince

[Mark Rippetoe]

Maybe you have long forearms. And I can't help you with the thumbnail.

[AndrewLewis]

Hi Rip,

Is the following chin bar modification a cheat, for chest-to-bar chins? I wrapped a narrow turf-like carpet around the middle of my chin bar a couple of time to increase the diameter. Without it, I can get to the right altitude, but have significant trouble touching chest to the bar, particularly with weighted chins. I was not so challenged at a gym which had fatter chin bars.

IMG_0696.jpg

(I hope the image doesn't post in "thumbnail" mode again. If so, how to avoid that?)

Vince

You could also just hang a ball from a string and that's your unmoving reference point.

I see what you did with the thumbnail. That's not a bad idea.

[stef]

If you select the thumbnail, you bring up the larger image for the attachment.

If you don't want to use attachments, put the image somewhere and point to the url.

[Ben Patterson]

We use the chest touching as a means to quantify the distance we are moving. Dead hang to chest touching is the same distance every time, where as if your measure is only the chin clearing the bar that can be cheated and the distance can vary. So as long as you have a reliable means to quantify the distance and it’s not cutting off a substantial part of the ROM (in my opinion your modification does not) it’s fine.

[VNV]

Thanks to everyone for helpful responses.

("Chin-over-bar" is indeed a dubious metric.)