Chinup or Pulldown?

[Jake]

Well, I am undecided on this one. Its my opinion that pulldowns actually work the lats more directly, but that chins give better generall back work.

I find that chins, especially when done with weight, end up working the rhombus (spelling? i dont need no stinking spelling!) a lot more then pulldowns do. However, you have a lot more control when doing a pull down, and less tendancy to arch forward to get that last inch on that last rep. But, chins, when done properly can also do this. But, you have less control over how much weight you are acutally pulling (seriously, I lose or gain about one or two chins depending on how much water I drink).
Anyway, you get the point. What do you think?

 

[buffed]

Chin ups all the way...

 

[buffed]

Thats the no1 exercise for my v shaped back... <<chin ups>>

 

[Mr.No]

Originally posted by Jake


But, chins, when done properly can also do this. But, you have less control over how much weight you are acutally pulling

This is because you need to balance your whole body, and with pulldowns you allready have it balanced. Because of this:
Chins = massive lats, Pulldowns = Half-assed massive lats

 

[Flex]

why not both

 

[CowPimp]

I do chins and dumbell rows. Both hit up the lats pretty good in addition to giving your whole back some work.

 

[Rocco32]

I HATE pulldowns of any type now after doing chin's and wide grip pullups!

 

[titans1854]

pulldowns suck. they hurt my joints.

 

[Hawk]

Chins 4 sure!

I like the close grip chins
and the underhand

~Hawk~

 

[Sean0621]

Originally posted by Flex
why not both

I agree, doin both isn't gonna hurt ya any.

 

[derekisdman]

I <3 chins, I just wish I wasn't such a weakling and could do more

I've only been doing them for about a month and a half now.

 

[Spitfire]

same here though I weigh about 187 and have only benn doing them for a month and a half, I can only do like five or some thing ( use the assisted machine)

 

[Hanz29]

I agree with derek on this one.....my back is not strong enough to lift my 187 lb ass with good form.....i end up using my biceps and forearms up before my back is sore, and the assisted machine we have feels akward.....plus I think I can get more variety with the pull down machine and the different attachments

my two cents

 

[Hanz29]

i weigh exactly the same as spitfire........on a 5'6" frame.....I wanted to ask earlier, but what weight would be a good weight for me. My BF is about 16%.....2 years I had a DXA done and was 21% so I'm guess-timating
I wanna drop to six pack showing weight....I've never had one and I want one by a month....is it possible?

 

[JerseyDevil]

An exercise where you move your entire body thru air, is always superior to a more static movement that works the same basic muscle group.

Squats, deadlifts, dips, chins, pullups, and weighted pushups. Need I say more?

 

[derekisdman]

Let me clarify, I definitely prefer Chinups. Since starting them i've made very noticeable gains in width just within a 1 1/2 months time. I just still can't do that many.

 

[Jake]

any one else find that it is easier to blance with the dumbell between your legs than with a dip belt on? I do.... Ever thought of wearing the dip blet backwards so you would not be pulled so far forward??? Time for a gym experiment!

 

[DEF Bungis]

Great thread!
I never knew chins were preffered so much more than pull downs.
I am adding them from here on to my routine since I've never done them.
Right now I'm doing pull downs at only 150, so I hope I can at least knock out 6-8 proper chin ups.

 

[x~factor]

I like to start with pull downs just to properly warm up then move on to chin ups. For me, jumping to chin ups right away is like doing my heavy set as my first set without warm-ups.

 

[Mr.Attitude]

Been doing chins since i was a kid, love them.

My back workout consists of:

chins, barbell rows and deadlifts.

 

[Spitfire]

Originally posted by Hanz29
i weigh exactly the same as spitfire........on a 5'6" frame.....I wanted to ask earlier, but what weight would be a good weight for me. My BF is about 16%.....2 years I had a DXA done and was 21% so I'm guess-timating
I wanna drop to six pack showing weight....I've never had one and I want one by a month....is it possible?

Hanz, I dont want to sound discouraging But I had a four pack a month and a half ago with 12% bf I am now under 11% and am now trying to cut the fifth 'ab' in half to make a real six pack.
By the way, The amount of weight, depends on you routine.

 

[htotcb]

Chins all the way. I workout at home, and don't have cable equipment, however, a straight bar in the garage is easy to rig. 4 sets with weight, 8-10 reps.

 

[Hanz29]

i see....

i'm still going to try, i'm planning on somehow getting in 2 cardio sessions a day- only 30 min. each. I hope it will get me halfway there.

thanks spitfire

 

[Spitfire]

That sounds like a perfect start Hows your diet? That should get you the other half.

 

[Hanz29]

My diet is probably going to consist of about 170-200 grams of protein a day. 2-3 pieces of fruit (bananas and oranges) And the rest varies since I have little money- the only sure thing is the 3-4 protein shakes I will be having daily out of a total of 6-7 meals.

I'm only concerned with the akward hours I will have to work with due to exam and paper assignments due within the next 2 weeks-------can I have a double serving of cortisol please and thank you.

I have all the necessary supplementation- I think the most important thing will be to make sure the meals I do have throughout the day have lean protein sources- most likely eggs and oatmeal and chicken

 

[Spitfire]

It sound good.
Do you know your caloric intake is.
Are you cutting back now, or have you already?

 

[I Are Baboon]

Originally posted by Flex
why not both

I agree. I do both, Maybe not always during the same workout, but I do varities of both.

When I started doing chinups (palm out) over a year ago, I couldn't do three. Now I can do 20. Funny though, my lats are not big at all. I don't mind though because I am more concerned about strength than how I look.

 

[Hanz29]

it's low- maybe too low- but I add cheat days and I'm taking SAN tight- and ephedrine