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Close Grip Chin Up

Close grip chin-up is a variation on the chin up exercise that targets the back muscles. The close grip chin-up works the lats and indirectly targets the core muscles.

Close grip chin upward will stimulate slightly more involvement of the biceps compared to other chin upward variations. The close grip chin-up is best used to increase bicep muscle mass.

Close grip Chin Up Instructions

1. Use a supinated grip to grasp the bar using a narrow grip.
2. Deepen your breath and squeeze your glutes. Brace your abs. Then, press the shoulder blades down and drive your elbows straight to the ground while activating your lats.
3. Keep your chin in front of the bar until your lats are contracted. Then, slowly lower yourself to the starting position and continue for the required number of times.

Close grip Chin Up Tips

1. False (thumbless) grip is a good way to reduce bicep involvement.
2. As hyperextension of the neck can cause compensations throughout your spine, it is best to maintain a neutral head position (looking straight ahead/a little up).
3. If the bar is too high, straighten your legs and keep them in front of your body.
4. You can avoid overextension of your lumbar spine by bracing your abs and squeezing the glutes.
5. When your lats are fully stretched, the chin-up is complete. Don’t pull any more and replace it with the pecs.
6. As you pull, imagine that you are trying to get your elbows down.
7. Your shoulders should be down, and your back should be straight. If they are rounded at the top, you have pulled too far.
8. The length of a lifter’s segments will affect whether they are able to lift the bar. However, this is not an absolute.
9. Keep the elbow extended to a minimum of 50%, but do not lock out. This can cause excessive strain on the ligamentous structures in the elbow and shoulder.
10. You can do a few bodyweight chin-ups, but not enough to complete the entire exercise.

Ask 12 strength coaches and they will tell you which is the best for building triceps. Most will recommend the close-grip bench presses or the dips. These compound movements will give you the most triceps overload. These movements also include other muscle groups, such as pecs and delts, but they are still the best way to get triceps working.

Consider all your major muscles and how big you would lift them. Each one has a unique compound movement, or bread-and butter lift.

For pecs, the bench press (or dips), and quads, the military press. Hamstrings would be the Romanian deadlift. Upper back, it would either be pull-ups or barbell rows.

It’s a bit strange for the biceps. The standing barbell curl is what comes to mind when we think about the bread-and butter lift.

There’s also a multi-joint big base for the biceps: the close-grip pull up. This exercise activates the biceps more than other direct biceps exercises, and it also uses a heavier weight. You’re lifting approximately 97% of your bodyweight without adding weight. It’s even more efficient if you do add weight.

Start your workout by doing the close-grip supinated, chin-up. You should load it up so that your reps fall within the 6-10 range. You should aim to be stronger while still maintaining good form.

What if you are unable to do 6 proper chin-ups while weighing your body?

There are two options available:

1. USE A PARTIAL RANGE OF MOTION.

You can start at the bottom and work your way up, without cheating or contorting. Your goal is to climb higher and higher over time.

2. Use A LAT PULLDOWN

If you can’t even do a partial rep, use a close-grip, supinated lat pulldown. You must make the pulldown seem like you are pulling it towards you and not just down.

This should be your first exercise in training your biceps. Do not give up, as chin-ups are responsive to the greasing of the-groove daily practice.