Thread: What is harder, pulls ups or chin ups?

pull ups are more difficult. the wider grip places us in a biomechanical disadvantage.

I am just about equal doing pull-ups and chin-ups, but that is just me. The question has no answer, because harder is a relative term and no two people are the same. If you train pull-ups more often and you have weak biceps, you might be able to do more pull-ups than chin-ups.

Originally Posted by KelJu

I am just about equal doing pull-ups and chin-ups, but that is just me. The question has no answer, because harder is a relative term and no two people are the same. If you train pull-ups more often and you have weak biceps, you might be able to do more pull-ups than chin-ups.

I agree. As P said though, most people will have more trouble with pull-ups. Your biceps are pronated, making their lever terribly ineffective. Your lats are also worse at adducting than extending the shoulder and your pecs are involved less in adduction. The wider your hand grip, the worse all this gets.

Originally Posted by Witchblade

I agree. As P said though, most people will have more trouble with pull-ups. Your biceps are pronated, making their lever terribly ineffective. Your lats are also worse at adducting than extending the shoulder and your pecs are involved less in adduction. The wider your hand grip, the worse all this gets.

Thank you!

The "wide grip builds width" myth has simply GOT to die. At best, they work anyway. At worst, you'll get a very sore set of RCs.

Originally Posted by Built

Thank you!

The "wide grip builds width" myth has simply GOT to die. At best, they work anyway. At worst, you'll get a very sore set of RCs.

<---living proof of that

pull ups for sure

Originally Posted by Built

Thank you!

The "wide grip builds width" myth has simply GOT to die. At best, they work anyway. At worst, you'll get a very sore set of RCs.

I don't think pull-ups are a bad exercise though. They're just more 'isolation' compared to chin-ups.

'pull-ups build back width' is a myth of course, but your lats are involved more relatively compared to chins. Meaning, a larger percentage of total force comes from your lats. Often, the absolute amount of force produced by your lats is the same in chin-ups (or even greater) so it's definitely a myth. I'm just saying people who want to
1. focus on their lats and not their biceps or
2. people who have trouble activating their lats (if they exist, lol) or
3. trainees who want to switch things up
could reap the extra benefits of pulls over chins.

That said, I prefer chin-ups as well.

A wide or behind the neck grip is in no way beneficial, as you said. RC tears walhalla.

I never said pullups were bad! Pullups are great - I do them all the time.

What exercises DO build back width then?

Chinups and pullups.

Any and all rowing movements.

Deadlifts.

Dumbell bent over rows with the elbows close to the body are good for hitting lats correct?

You bet.

I'm also a big fan of self-assisted weighted chins. Load up with a weight you can only crank out for a few reps, but set up so that you can stand on a platform or a bench to get to the "up" position. That way, you can still do the negatives, nice and slow and all the way to a full hang. Sel-assist with your toes to get back to the "up" position, then another slow, full-hang negative. 5x5 of these followed by one-arm lat pulldowns are my latest toy.

From things that I have read, I believe part of the "wide grip pullup builds lat width" myth stems from the fact that there is a smaller muscle, the name escapes me at the moment, that is used more in the pullup than the chinup. I believe the article I read called this muscle the "baby lats", and implied that by doing pullups you would be stressing this muscle more than on a chinup, thus adding to the illusion of wider or bigger lats, where in effect, the chinup actually allows for more actual lat involvement.

I also want to add that when doing either the pullup or the chinup, as with most back exercises, you really need to focus and think about what you are doing to get the most benefit out of the movement. It is too easy with either movement to just start pulling with your arms and not involving your back as much as you should/could.

you will know when you do them this way, you can tell and feel the difference.

what about close grip pull ups? i feel like they hit my biceps a lot more??

Originally Posted by Built

I'm also a big fan of self-assisted weighted chins. Load up with a weight you can only crank out for a few reps, but set up so that you can stand on a platform or a bench to get to the "up" position. That way, you can still do the negatives, nice and slow and all the way to a full hang. Sel-assist with your toes to get back to the "up" position, then another slow, full-hang negative. 5x5 of these followed by one-arm lat pulldowns are my latest toy.

That sounds in-friggin-tence!

They are, and they work!

i can attest to Builts negative chins's 1 arm lat pulldown, im on a program she made for me ( thanks again built) and those two exercises are amazing.. im in week 2 of the program and already see a bit of a diffence..

Originally Posted by Built

They are, and they work!

Just left the gym. You my friend are an ANIMAL. I'll be a hurting pup tomorrow

You will.

And you will SMILE...

For me it has to do with what I am accustomed to at the time.

For a while I was doing weighted wide grip pull ups for reps. However, I couldnt do the same weight when I did chin ups. When I could do weighted chin ups, my pull ups would suffer.

And when I found a happy medium, dont even ask me about Neutral grip pull ups..

Pull ups are harder for me

Thanks for replying everyone!

I think it also makes sense to look at your overall training picture and then choosing the best exercise to suit your needs. For example, I am using chinups right now solely because I am not doing any direct bicep work, and I feel that chinups will help my biceps a little bit more than pullups at this time. But if you are doing a full bicep routine, you might want to choose pullups instead.

I love pullups!!! close. med, or wide. it doesn't matter!!!