Chin ups: Overhand or Underhand?

[iLikeMilk]

What do u guys do and whats the difference in the muscles worked?

[TommyBoy]

I do both. Just to mix it up.

[Phenom]

Overhand is a lot of back and forearms. Underhand I feel just takes a little away from the back and forearms and puts it on the biceps.

[Con]

Overhand is a lot of back and forearms. Underhand I feel just takes a little away from the back and forearms and puts it on the biceps.

Underhand puts you picep in the best line of pull, but working back or not is primarily a function of form.

[Jorge Sanchez]

I use a neutral grip, but that option isn't on your poll.

[Shouji]

Strictly overhand. It always seems like I can do 1 overhand for every 2 underhand pullups.

[ZenMonkey]

overhand all the way

[KingWilder]

technically a chinup would be palms facing towards you and a pullup would be palms facing away/overhand

[tyciol]

technically a chinup would be palms facing towards you and a pullup would be palms facing away/overhand

Bumping thread to criticize this silly new-age technicality.

Who started this pullup = pronated and chinup = supinated crap?

This must have began in the late 90s or something because I have about 6 bodybuilding books produced in the 80s which use the terms pretty interchangeably.

If anyone's interested, I will find and scan pages which show it being called 'chins' or 'chinups' when people are using an overhand grip.

Even browsing Google Books I found a good example of this:


This image is from a 1952 manual by the US army on physical reconditioning which can be freely read here:

https://play.google.com/store/books/...AAAYAAJ&rdot=1

I'm sure there are numerous other examples. Chinning has included overhand grips for a long time. The move to exclude overhand grips and call them 'pull ups' is a new movement, and one that seems incredibly lame.

Chin-ups and pull-ups work different muscles.

I tire out with just as many chins as I do with pull-ups.

Give it up, you're doing it wrong

Here's a book from 1884 (which you can also get for free at http://books.google.ca/books?id=dKACAAAAYAAJ&num=16 ) which uses the term "pulling up" (obvious predecessor to pull-up) to describe underhand grips:

[iLikeMilk]

thanks.. mr scienTIST

[lakeripple]

both...kinda. i do overhand, then i do parallel.

[Magilla]

Pullups only

[Unreal]

All. I like the feel of neutral the best but do over and under too.

[Guido]

All. I like the feel of neutral the best but do over and under too.

[Cirino83]

I voted both. I prefer underhand, but switch it up occasionally as well.

[Shouji]

Chin ups: Overrated or underrated?

[brihead301]

I do them all too - overhand, underhand, and neutral. They're my favorite exercises to do.

[radioheadhead]

mostly chinups, but I do pullups instead of curls for my biceps.


* strike that, reverse it.

[mongoose06]

Chinups themselves may be slightly overrated-- they don't target the biceps as much as other compound exercises, and they don't work as many muscle groups (lats, delts, etc.) as much as overhand pullups do.
Pullups FTW!

[Doobs]

Chinups themselves may be slightly overrated-- they don't target the biceps as much as other compound exercises, and they don't work as many muscle groups (lats, delts, etc.) as much as overhand pullups do.
Pullups FTW!

You think chins don't work the lats? You must be doing them wrong - you have to straighten your arms completely at the bottom of the lift. The only difference is that when you do pullups you'll put your arms in a weaker position, causing them to fail before your lats. Best for lats - neutral grip > underhand > overhand.

[BFGUITAR]

Underhand because I feel my back worked doing deads and rows, a little extra bicep doesnt hurt especially when your lacking in the arms department

[Ockhams_Razor]

i do both, gotta switch it up once in a while

[North]

I like doing nuetral the best

[Anthony]

Overhand, underhand, mixed grip, towel grip, rotating bars, thick bars, rings ... do them all.

[Chubrock]

Look guys, the grip doesn't matter. Go heavy and don't worry about it.