Pull ups / Chin Ups

[megad]

Pull ups or chin ups... which are better?
And, how far apart should your grip be? I heard shoulder width.

What are your views on this?

 

[Curious George]

No one grip is better than the other. The people that I have trained with the best backs tend to vary grip and width every workout. Try all kinds and see how your back responds. Some people say a wider grip means a wider back, but that has not been proven or disproven.

 

[gettinlarger]

I'm assuming you are using the term "chin ups" for an underhand grip. I never do these. They can recruit the biceps too much. Regular, overhand grip pull ups do to, but it is much easieer (IMO) to keep control and focus on the back.

I also vary my grip. Sometimes shoulder width, sometimes a few inches wider. Sometimes much wider. There is no one "best" way to do them.

 

[gymtime]

Agree with these guys. You just want to make sure you don't use the same grip each time. Keep mixing it up.

 

[megad]

I thought that you were supposed to be consistent in your lifts in order to gain muscle? WOuldn't changing your grip everytime hurt your gains?

 

[The Red Dragon]

The same muscles are involved, you just change the emphasis by changing grips. Pronated I assume hits the lats harder and supinated hits the biceps harder.

 

[the People's Champ]

I'm assuming you are using the term "chin ups" for an underhand grip. I never do these. They can recruit the biceps too much. Regular, overhand grip pull ups do to, but it is much easieer (IMO) to keep control and focus on the back.

I also vary my grip. Sometimes shoulder width, sometimes a few inches wider. Sometimes much wider. There is no one "best" way to do them.

I feel when I do an overhand grip, I recruit more forearms then biceps, and back second to those

On underhand grip, I feel I can target my back more, maybe because I pull up to my sternun and use a hook grip

 

[gymtime]

I thought that you were supposed to be consistent in your lifts in order to gain muscle? WOuldn't changing your grip everytime hurt your gains?

Good question. Changing your grip does not significantly change the dynamics of any excercise. Long as the basic excercise is the same, you're fine.

 

[Zander1983]

http://www.testosterone.net/nation_articles/260chin.jsp

 

[megad]

That testosterone.com thing looks like way too much work just to impvoe pulls/chins. I am getting good results from just doing them consistently.