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Pullups vs Chinups: The BIG Differences!

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Rating: 4.0; Vote: 1

The pullup and chinup are both tremendous upper body exercises that can help you add serious size to your back, but which one is better? This back exercise question can actually be easily answered if you get clear on your training goals. In this video, I pit the chin ups vs pull ups to help you decide which one (or both) are a must for your workouts. We have to start by identifying why both of these back and biceps exercises are great. They are affectionately known as the kings of the bodyweight exercises and some would argue best upper body exercise period, when weights are used. This is because they are both tremendous back and core stabilizers. Increase the strength and size of your back and you will no doubt be able to lift more on your deadlifts, squats, and cleans. Next, both the chinup and pullup can be a great barometer of your body composition. How so? While it is more difficult for heavier guys to perform these upper body pulling exercises than their lighter counterparts, it's not impossible. That is, unless you are carrying a great deal of body fat. If your size is coming from mostly lean muscle, even big guys can bang out chinups, pullups or even muscle ups. Understanding the differences between pullups and chinups or learning which one is better, requires an understanding of the contributions of the muscles that help you do them. The pullup is the more difficult version of the exercise because the biceps are minimized. When you have both the back and the biceps helping as you do in a chinup, you have more strength and the exercise becomes easier. The same can be said with pullups done with elbows forward. You increase the contribution of the brachialis muscle which makes that slight tweak easier than the traditional pullup. Try replicating the movements with dumbbells as I show you in the video. You'll feel how much weaker your biceps become when you place your arms out wide and in line with your body, as they would be in a regular pullup. Regardless of which exercise you attempt, you may not be strong enough to do either a pullup or a chin-up. If that is the case, be sure to follow the pullup progression shown here. Start with inverted rows to build up your pulling strength. Move onto the kneeling lat pulldown if you have access to a machine or just hang bands over a home pullup bar. Finally, get your body up to the bar using both negative only reps and isometric holds. Break out those assisted band pullups to finish off the progression to your full pullups. If you want to start looking like an athlete, then you're going to have to start doing both chinups and pullups. These upper body back and bicep builders are irreplaceable. To get a complete program that helps you to bang out rep after rep of each while building ripped athletic muscle be sure to head to to get your ATHLEAN-X Training System
Date: 2022-04-22

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Comments and reviews: 10

Bert
good stuff as usual from him, but disagree somewhat on his recommendation to be able to pull-up 25% more weight than to bench. Considering how imbalanced many people are, I think a better barometer is simply being able to pull up in the general ballpark of what you can bench. I don't think it needs to be necessarily even exactly equal, as long as it's close.
Further, the movements aren't in the same plane either: a more accurate barometer of symmetry between front and back would replace the pull up with, say, some kind of row and test that against the bench press/chest movement.
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7. 3
Hi Jeff
I love your videos. I was reading that when you get older, I'm 66. That you shouldn't be lifting heavy. Well i don't lift weights but I just do push ups and chin/ pull ups. For upper body. I'm still able to do 15 chin ups without much problem or getting sore. Im 5'10 190 lbs. My plan was to keep doing this till i can't. Whats your opinion.
I also bicycle, do pilates and yoga and cardio routines. My issue is the day I loose the desire to work out.
Thank's for any advice
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Micha-
Hey, could you adress in one of your movies one thing that is certainly happening to more and more people who use mobilephons and computers all day long - inward rotation of forearm. Right hand that most of use mouse with is more safe, but i have noticed that my left hand can not rotate properly outwards, and i asume that this is why i can't go down fill ROM, and my glenohumeral joint hurts. How can I help myself?
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ReneChiqueteReacts
I started doing pull ups and chin ups recently, and about 15 min after doing a set or two of 5-6 reps, I get really annoying pain (its not intense, but it has a lot of staying power, it feels completely muscular, right above the elbow, I'm not sure if that means I need to ease up or just keep working out and eventually my body would get strong enough for it, any advice for this?
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Hurry
I was an infantry soldier and pull ups were part of our fitness assessment. I left the army and continued to do 100 pull ups each day for 20 years. Now I'm 60 I still do 50 each day. I can recommend this exercise for maintaining all around fitness.
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Richard
Ever notice the eye popping muscles of gymnasts. they don't build those bulging muscles with standard weightlifting. it's muscle built by using their own weight. chins and pullups are all you need to build world class biceps and back
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Tiyen
This is very helpful, especially the lay down and pull up with wide grip to build back muscles: D Thank you. I train at home with homemade weights and pull up bar but was struggling with back coz I am a complete beginner
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Tubecraft1
It took me a while to realise that you are a real expert. The more I listened and learnt the more I realised other trainers are not covering thanks for the safety oriented advise you're more or less my go to now
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James
ALOT, of Big muscle guys CAN NOT do pull-ups, this is a something I have seen time and time again. Yes their bench and pull downs and squats and deadlifts are extreme but when it coMes to pull-ups it-s a No go.
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Darryl
6'2-, 185, still can do 4 or 5 pullups on a good day at age 73. Always start back workout with 4 sets of pullups and 4 sets of chin ups. May have stop with the chin ups, getting some tweaks in my biceps.
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