Have you ever taken a critical look at how you are doing things?
Broken down every single exercise?
When you think about calisthenics, chin ups are usually one of the first exercises that come to mind.
Still, it’s not quite clear to a lot of people how to actually progress to their first chin up.
You might be one of those people.
And for the people who already have a chin up in their body weight workout backpack, they are usually missing some check points.
You might have skipped some steps to speed up the process.
Let me ask you this:
Do you know what a good chin up is?
You might think you already know.
What if I told you, chances are you don’t.
What if I told you that the chin ups you are doing right now will end up becoming weak spots down the road.
Want to know why?
- 1. 5 Progressions To A Proper Chin Up
- 2. The Passive Hang
- 3. The Active hang
- 4. The Chin Row
- 5. The Negative Chin Up
- 6. The Full Chin Up
5 Progressions To A Proper Chin Up
So you’ve been doing chin ups?
At least so you think.
When it comes to a chin up you need to keep a few things in mind.
Your shoulders have to be mobile enough.
Your grip has to be strong enough.
And you have to be able to activate different muscle groups. One after the other in the right sequence.
Done incorrectly and you will use momentum to lift yourself up.
Flare out your elbows which will cause tendonitis.
And you will never develop strength through the entire move.
Meaning you will have a big ‘reality check’ when you move on to muscle up exercises.
There are 5 progression which you can use to slowly build and to correct your current chin up.
Perfect each of those before you move on to the next.
No chin up will ever be the same again.
Ready to chin up?
1. The Passive Hang
Main goal: Developing basic shoulder strength and flexibility
Additional goal: Warming up for pulling exercises and providing decompression for the lower back
1) Start by grabbing the bar with an underhand grip at about shoulder width.
2) Allow yourself to hang completely relaxed.
3) The only thing working at this point are your lower arms and hands which you need to activate to keep hanging.
4) Hold this for time.
Mastery at 5×60 seconds
Note: While simply hanging from a bar probably isn’t the thing that makes you look cool. It’s the thing your shoulders need the most, especially if you want to prevent injuries or have a history of shoulder issues.
2. The Active Hang
Main goal: Increasing strength in the scapulae area/shoulders
Additional goal: Developing the skill to activate different parts of your shoulder, increasing the flow of blood and recovering from shoulder injuries
1) Start by grabbing the bar with an underhand grip at about shoulder width.
2) Allow yourself to hang completely relaxed.
3) From a fully relaxed position, both push your shoulders down and pull your shoulder blades together until they touch. These two things are called depression and retraction.
4) Hold this for 1-3 seconds and go back to your passive hang.
5) Repeat.
Mastery at 5×15 repetitions
Note: Most people have completely lost the ability to retract their shoulder blades, mostly because we sit behind desk and are front communicators so very little activity actually requires full retraction.
For a proper chin up this is essential however.
If you have lost this ability, I suggest you check out this video and work on your shoulder mobility first.
3. The Chin Row
Main goal: Going through the entire chin up motion, understanding the movement and building strength for a full chin up
1) Find a lower chin up bar which allows you to place a part of your weight on the ground.
2) Start by grabbing the bar with an underhand grip at about shoulder width.
2) Allow yourself to hang completely relaxed.
3) From a fully relaxed position, both push your shoulders down and pull your shoulder blades together until they touch. These two things are called depression and retraction.
4) Activate your arms at this point and pull yourself to the bar until you chest touches the bar.
5) Hold it for 1-3 seconds and slowly lower yourself to the active hang and from the active hang go to the passive hang.
6) Repeat.
Mastery at 5×15 repetitions
Note: If you are unable to touch the bar with your chest, chances are that your retraction isn’t sufficient. I suggest you check out this video and work on your shoulder mobility first.
4. The Negative Chin Up
Main goal: Conditioning the tissues in the lower arms and shoulders and building full chin up strength
Additional goal: If you are doing a full routine and are unable to do a full chin up, instead of completely stopping, transition to a chin up negative.
1) Find a bar which will allow you to jump into the highest position. Ideally a position where your chest touches the bar.
2) Start by grabbing the bar with an underhand grip at about shoulder width.
3) From full retraction and depression, slowly over a 10-20 second count lower yourself to an active hang.
4) Make sure you keep your elbows as close to your body as possible to prevent tendon issues.
5) Go from your active hang to a passive hang and fully relax.
6) Repeat by jumping into the chest to bar position again.
Mastery at 5x5x20 second repetitions
Note: Only transition to this exercise if you can complete the previous exercises with ease and have full retraction. The eccentric/negative chin up will place the biggest possible load on your body.
If you lack preparation and mobility in your shoulders you will run yourself into unnecessary injuries by compensating with your elbows. Patience is key.
5. The Full Chin Up
Main goal: Going through the full chin up and building strength for more advanced moves
Additional goal: Feeling cool and victorious 😉
1) Start by grabbing the bar with an underhand grip at about shoulder width.
2) Allow yourself to hang completely relaxed.
3) From a fully relaxed position, both push your shoulders down and pull your shoulder blades together until they touch. These two things are called depression and retraction.
4) From your active hang initiate your arm motion explosively, keep your elbows as close to your body as possible.
5) And touch the bar with your chest. No touch, no count.
6) Hold the tension at the top position for 1-3 seconds and slowly go down over a 3-4 second count.
7) Go back to your active hang and lower yourself into a passive hang by fully relaxing.
8) Repeat.
Mastery at 5×5 repetitions
Note: If executed correctly a simple chin up will become more effective and will allow you to develop muscles and strength at a much faster pace. Over time you will automate the different steps.
If you break down a chin up it basically comes down to the following sequence: Passive hang -> active hang -> activate arms -> chest to bar -> active hang -> passive hang.
This sequence might mean you discover that instead of 10 bad form chin ups you can only do 3 good form chin ups, but please drop the ego.
That’s a big part of becoming a master at something.
You Don’t Want To Go Back To The Basics
And it sucks. I know.
You’re probably like, “Rich really!$!@$%, do you mean I have to start all over again? You’ve got to be kidding me!”
The honest answer:
Yes and no.
Yes, when you embarked on your journey, you might have accidentally taken a step in the wrong direction.
Skipped a check point.
Completely missed the sign saying: ‘quicksand ahead’.
If you realize you have, this is the time to deal with it.
The good news is, there are also a lot of things you have learned down the road.
And you still carry those is your backpack of experience.
Just realize that ‘basic’ often isn’t as basic as it sounds.
And if you are facing or stuck in a ‘quicksand’ of injuries already.
Use this blog as a rope to climb out.
Beast mode ON!
