Article # 215. Benefits of doing Chin ups

Benefits of Doing Chin-Ups

Chin-ups can be done anywhere there is a sturdy overhead bar such as a door molding, patio beams, tree branches and even a clothesline bar. They build upper body strength and help improve performance in sports that use the upper body such as tennis, mountain climbing, gymnastics and boxing. Chin-ups use gravity and body weight to improve endurance and strength and are a powerhouse exercise that uses simple training methods.

There are some great benefits to doing chin-ups. If you haven’t tried to do them, I suggest you try them and incorporate them into your routine.

Some of the benefits of chin-ups and pull ups are:

Balancing effect

Chin-ups will strengthen the back. Strengthening the muscles in your back will also have the effect of pulling your shoulders back and greatly improving your posture. Commonly the posture of people is compromised because of sitting too much, carrying extra weight in the chest area, carrying children or general imbalance from doing too much in the frontal plane. This slouchy posture not only looks bad but also causes shoulder problems like frozen shoulder. Increasing your strength in “pulling” movements will correct this imbalance and give you a great looking back!

Quiktrain core exercise

Since chin-ups involve so much effort doing few sets of chin-ups a week is enough to maintain a great deal of strength and tone of the upper body without a lot of time invested. It also keeps you in check about your body fat as carrying extra body fat will make it very difficult to complete this exercise. Once you get to this goal, you save a bunch of time on your workout by making it a staple and I promise, you will get better at it but it will never become easy. That is a Quiktrain exercise.

Multi-joint Movement

Chin-ups are a multi-joint movement that works more than one major muscle group. They challenge all the upper body muscles along with working the core muscles. Chin-ups use the latissimus dorsi, also called the lats, biceps, trapezius, deltoid, rhomboids and the core muscles. Working multiple muscle groups in one exercise is more efficient and reduces workout time. This is especially useful if you are limited on time or want to get a quick workout during the day.

Build Upper Body Strength

Chin-ups build upper body and core strength by pitting your body against gravity. The primary muscles worked are the back and biceps. The supporting muscles support and help aid the other muscles in the movement. Chin-ups use a pulling motion, which builds back and arm strength. The core muscles used are the rectus abdominus, these are the muscles that give you six-pack abs, the obliques and the transverse abdominus. Strong abdominals also strengthen and support the back muscles. Chin-ups are one of the base exercises used in off-season conditioning to build strength by the Georgia Bulldogs, according to Kyle Woody in an article published in the November 2008 issue of "Stack."

Simple Training & Versatility

Chin-ups are done using a simple pull-up motion. This movement is an extremely efficient upper body workout. A variety of chin-up variations can challenge your muscles in different ways. Using the one hand static hang will build stamina and strength. The chin-up bar side crunch targets the core muscles and uses static strength. One-arm chin-ups are done by holding the wrist of the hand gripping the bar. This variation uses more resistance, which is good for strength building.

Warm-up Exercise

Chin-ups are a good warm-up exercise before isolation movements. Chin-ups are a compound movement that engages all the muscles of the upper body. Performing one set of chin-ups before starting any isolation routine that involves muscles of the upper body will prepare the major muscles and the supporting muscles, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.