The close grip chinup is a bodyweight exercise targeting the lats, with significant involvement of the bicep and forearms. It requires pulling your body up to a bar with a close, underhand grip, emphasizing upper body strength.
Also Works
BicepsForearms
How to Perform
1
Grab the pullup bar with your palms facing towards you and your hands shoulder-width apart.
2
Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your feet off the ground.
3
Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar, keeping your elbows close to your body.
4
Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar.
5
Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
6
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Pro Tips
•Use a grip with hands about 6-8 inches apart, roughly at the inner edges of your shoulders.
•Focus on pulling your chest to the bar rather than just getting your chin over it for a deeper back contraction.
•Control the descent for a full 2-3 seconds to maximize the eccentric stimulus on the lats and biceps.
Common Mistakes
•Placing the hands too close together (touching), which puts excessive strain on the wrists and limits pulling power.
•Relying almost entirely on biceps by not engaging the lats at the start of the pull.
•Swinging the legs forward to generate momentum instead of pulling with a still lower body.