Over my time as a trainer I have taken great pride in helping people get to the point of completing FULL CHIN UPS. I use capital's to emphasize that I'm not talking about people squirming and flipping around, trying to get a single eyelash above the bar. I mean a full chin up that starts in a dead hang, moves with a controlled but powerful pull, and finishes with the chin over the bar. On many occasions I've seen people get to the point of not only completing full chins with proper form, but doing it with additional weight hanging from them! And this isn't just for my male clients. Truth be told, more often than not this has been with the girls!
In my experience, most people who can't get there can narrow it down to a few weak points. For example; they need to lose a few kg's to make themselves lighter. For others, it can be a little more complex. Below is a list of some common problems people face on their road to completing chin ups, and my opinion on how they could over come them:
1. THEY DON'T THINK THEY CAN, SO THEY DON'T TRY
Try and fail, but don't fail to try.
Stephen Kaggwa
The mind is a very powerful thing. I'm not saying you're going to be able to 'wish' your way to chin ups. What I'm trying to say is that if you don't commit to the goal, your not going to get there by accident. As I said above, chin ups should be a goal for nearly everyone who can't already do them. Do your research, assess your limitations and weaknesses, then start to correct them. Making the decision to work towards this exercise is your first step in getting there.
2. THEY PRACTICE POOR TECHNIQUE
Doing crappy chin ups is only going to make you very good at doing crappy chin ups. You'll see it every time you walk into a gym. Some guy starts his chins by jumping up to the top of the bar, lowers himself about 1/8th the way down, pulls back up with a posture that would make a hunchback look good, then does it for a set of 10. 10 points for trying!!!
All jokes aside, practicing chin ups with proper technique is only going to make you better! For those of you wondering what that might look like, here's an awesome clip of Poliquin Strength Coach, Mary-Pier Gaudet, completing 2 full chin ups WITH an additional 10kgs!
YouTube video credit: charlespoliquin.com
3. THEY NEGLECT THE IMPORTANCE OF STRUCTURAL BALANCE
When looking at structural balance, what I'm talking about is the strength balance between the prime movers (like the lats), and the stabilizers and assistance muscles (like the external rotators, the biceps, and the lower traps).
Here's a bit of a case study to stress the importance of structural balance in a chin up. Recently, I've had a client who came to me with the goal of being able to properly perform chin ups. At this point they could not do a proper chin up. On assessing that clients structural balance, we found that they had very strong lats, but very weak rotator cuff, traps and biceps. For the next 8 weeks, my client DID NOT PERFORM A SINGLE BACK EXERCISE as part of their training plan, and spent a lot of time completing exercises that brought up the strength of the weak muscle groups. At the end of the 8 week block, I asked my client to jump up on the bar and give chin ups another go. They completed 5 FULL CHIN UPS (with perfect form)! If this sounds like you, find yourself a reputable trainer and have them assess your weaknesses. You'll be there in no time.
4. NO TICKETS TO THE GUN SHOW
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We all know that Lat strength plays a big part in chin ups. But what a lot of people neglect is the role the biceps play as well. I'm not saying that everyone needs to step out and do a full day of arms every week in an effort to get the job done (even though you don't know what your missing if you don't). What I'm saying is that neglecting to train this important muscle group may limit you in achieving your goal. Try adding some direct arm work to your training plan. Remember to vary your elbow position (elbows in front, in-line or behind the body), and hand position position (palms up, down and hammer positions) to achieve the best results.
5. THEY HAVE THE GRIP STRENGTH OF THIS GUY
This isn't to say that all nerds have weak grip, but this guy definitely isn't winning any strongman contests in the future.
If you find yourself always having to re-grip the bar during a set of pull-downs or rows, or having to put the bar down on a deadlift because of your grip, I'm afraid that you may be in the same boat as this guy. If this is you, start training your grip strength! Simple movements like dumbbell extensions and curls are a good start, and implements like THICK BARS and FAT GRIPS are another great way to bring up your lagging body parts.
6. THEY DON'T TRAIN IN LOWER REP BRACKETS
No matter the training goal, we all have our favorite rep range to train in. For some unknown reason, I love to train around the 8 rep mark (I have no idea why). One of the best ways to break plateaus and discover new strength is to break that habit and move to another rep bracket.
We all know that lifting heavier weights than you do habitually used to will make you stronger. This principle can also be applied to your chin up training. Once you find where you're weak, try training it in with low reps ranges (less than 5 reps) and use a weight that challenges you within those reps. By doing this you'll increase strength, and take it one step closer to your goal. This does not apply to everyone though. Like I've said before, novice trainers must earn their stripes in the weight room before progressing to advanced training methods. If you're not sure where you fall on the strength training totem pole, or aren't sure how to apply low rep/high weight training in your plan, find a trainer who can help you!
That's it. Remember that these are only a few of the limitations that I come across (and there's a lot more). Assess your weaknesses, address those weaknesses, and you'll get there.
And along the way, do your best not to look like this guy.
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