Chin-Up

Why it matters

Because the underhand grip puts the biceps in a stronger mechanical position than the pull-up's overhand grip, the chin-up loads them far more heavily than any isolation curl can — using your full bodyweight as resistance. It's simultaneously one of the best back exercises and one of the most demanding bicep exercises, which makes it efficient, even though it's significantly harder than a pull-up for most people starting out.

How to do it

1. Set your grip. Hands shoulder-width apart or slightly closer, palms facing toward you.
2. Hang with arms fully extended. Start every rep from a true dead hang, not a partially bent position.
3. Pull with both your back and your arms. Unlike a pure curl, this is a combined pulling and curling motion — engage your shoulder blades as you bend your elbows.
4. Bring your chin above the bar. Full range of motion matters as much here as in the pull-up.
5. Lower with control. Resist the descent rather than dropping — the lowering phase still loads the biceps significantly.

Common mistakes

• Using momentum or kipping. Same issue as the pull-up — swinging trades real strength for momentum.
• Only training partial range. A chin-up where the chin never clears the bar, or the arms never fully extend at the bottom, builds partial strength.
• Avoiding the exercise because it's hard. It's genuinely one of the more difficult bodyweight exercises — that's exactly why it's valuable. Build toward it with assisted variations rather than skipping it.
• Neglecting the lowering phase. Dropping quickly after the pull wastes the eccentric portion of the rep, which builds real strength too.

Sets & reps by level