Suggestions on how to improve chins/pulls

[Vitamin J]

Hey bro's I am new here so first of all a big howdy to one an all. I am a newbie at the weight training game, currently cutting, and am having a problem performing the body weight exercises mentioned above. What would you guys suggest to help improve my perfomance in these areas? As a newbie I cannot do one pull up/chin up and usually opt for the lat pull down machine. Would a suggestion be to stick with the lat pull down for a set or two and do once practice set of chin/pulls each time and then when I can do chins/pulls knock out the lat pull down? Thanks bro's and I look forward to my time learning with all of you.

 

[stryder]

If you have a partner have him assist you while you're doing the pull-ups by holding your feet. I learned this way also. Some gyms have the weight assisted pull-up machine. The more weight you put on the stack the less bodyweight you pull. As you become more proficient decrease the weight until you're pulling 100% on your own. If you don't have access to any of the aforementioned then alternate with the lat-pulldowns and the pull-ups. Even if you can't do one rep, go as high as you can and hold it for as long as you can, then repeat.

 

[jminis]

If you have a partner have him assist you while you're doing the pull-ups by holding your feet. I learned this way also. Some gyms have the weight assisted pull-up machine. The more weight you put on the stack the less bodyweight you pull. As you become more proficient decrease the weight until you're pulling 100% on your own. If you don't have access to any of the aforementioned then alternate with the lat-pulldowns and the pull-ups. Even if you can't do one rep, go as high as you can and hold it for as long as you can, then repeat.

I agree and couldn't of said it any better, either train with a partner that can assist you or use the weight assisted pull up machine.

 

[Dwight Schrute]

My trainee has spoken


This is one exercise in which it could take time for you to develop but once you do they are a GREAT exercise for developing your back.

 

[Vitamin J]

Just to let you bro's know my gym doesn't have an assisted pull/chin station. Also I don't workout with a partner as the one I had seemed more interested in macking on chicks then getting work done in the gym. I'm all for girls but I go to the gym to fvcking lift. Also this was a guy who went to the gym seven days a week and did nothing but chest/abs/biceps. A real chicken legged fella if you will.

Thanks for the suggestions though. I take it that all things considered doing a set of lat pull downs and a practice set of pulls/chins would be sufficient until I master the movement.

Also, do you guys find pulls or chins easier to do and which one do you think benefits your back more?

 

[ManBeast]

Pulls are more bicep inherently, and chins are more lats. Grip width also determines how much of the back is used, wider is more lats, but don't go so wide that it is uncomfortable. I didn't start doing chins or pulls until later in my training due to my first workout partner acting like the assist machine was a girly machine and if you couldn't do dips or chins at your bodyweight at least, you shouldn't be doing them... Stupid idea huh? See if someone who works at the gym you go to can give you a spot perhaps?

ManBeast

 

[tattoopierced1]

I used to not be able to do a single chin, but I started doing reverse wide grip
pull downs and now I'm able to do chins. I think this helped out greatly in getting me
to that point. Give it a try and see if it works for you.

 

[mtuggle]

Well, something I did was to get one of those total gyms (with the cables and the slide board...like Chuck uses on tv) and practice pull-ups on there. It costs a couple of hundred bucks, but - to me - is well worth it to supplement my weight training. I do pull-ups on it in the morning. You can adjust the angle, therefore adjusting the level of resistance/weight you are pulling up. I do one set in the mornings and add 1 rep per day. I think it's a good start to becoming strong enough to do regular sets of pull-ups in the gym. Just my 2 cents. -MT

 

[Cuffs]

A real chicken legged fella if you will.

Hey, I resemble that remark...

Since you have no partner, and no weighted assistance machine (which I have never used). I would suggest you do some wide grip pull downs. Also, try placing a bench under the pull-up bar, and use it as a spotter. When you get to your sticking spot, use your feet to help raise your body. When you get to the top, hold the position for a moment, then slowly let yourself down. Kinda like doing a negative. Do these for a few weeks and I bet you'll be able to get some reps out without assistance.

This is what I did, and I'm doing 4 sets of 12-15 now. Not great, but I'm still working on it. I still need to purchase a belt to hold some weights.

 

[bioman]

The lat pulldowns helped me out quite a bit. I kept it geared towards higher volume and this seemed to help me get to a point where I could do 10 pull ups and about 8 chins fairly easily. Now I'm to the point where I can strap 10-25 pounds on for low reps of both chins and pulls. Picture yourself dangling over a pit of scorpions and pull! lol


I still use the lat pulldown machine to maintain a bit of endurance and do higher volume.

Tie in some DB shoulder presses as well to round out the development.

 

[RobInKuwait]

I had the same problem. I began putting a bench under the chin up bar and put my feet on them. Eventually I was able to do regular chin ups. I also think the hammer lat pull machine really hits the lats hard. If you have access to that machine, that really helped me strengthen my lats.

 

[jjjd]

if you are looking to improve your chins specifically (not so much as using them for hypertrophy, etc) then i recommend pavel's method in the milo article he wrote. get a pullup bar in your house and do pullups maybe 5-10 times a day, WELL short of failure, every day. this "greases the groove" so to speak. do this for 3-4 weeks, maybe doing sets of 5 or 6 (if 10 is your max), but doing this multiple times per day.

this method works for pushups as well

pullups are SO much about "weakest link", "groove", and are such a complex bodyweight exercise, that this method is excellent

if you are doing pullups for hypertrophy, then i generally recommend a more bb'er esque protocol, and doing weighted pullups to increase loading

but doing the pavel method is good to get a base developed.

when i started lifting, i had a swimming/surfing background, and i could do 15 pullups the first time i tried. swimming and surfing definitely greased that groove for me

 

[PastorofMuppets]

I second...(or third?) what everyone else is saying. Pullups and chins are something that you have to teach your body to be able to do.

Personally I found my quickest response when starting out was doing as many as possible, and then jumping up into the top position and doing slow negatives until near failure. Beyond that, gradually adding weight induced some of my biggest mass gains I've ever had in my back, (stretch mark city).

One thing that may help. Before you do back, make sure that your chest is good and stretched. For some reason I find that if there is slight internal rotation of my shoulders due to stiffness I do not get the proper recruitment of my back.

Don't give up!

 

[Jag]

i always found chins difficult when starting my back workout with them but when i started with heavy deadlifts they felt so much easier.

maybe try the same.

Jag