Even the most well heeled athlete might view little difference between the pull-up and the chin-up. After all, the exercise is performed on the same overhead bar. Only the grip is altered. The chin-up requires the hands to wrap around the bar with the palms facing you.
The pull-up is the absolute reverse. Your palms are forward, away from you. It would seem arbitrary, but place your hands high above your head, palms forward. Now, pulling down notice the muscles that are strained. Again, place your hands above your head, palms toward you and repeat that regimen. You should notice an extreme difference.
In either aspect, the forearms are subject to an almost overwhelming strain. Repetitions rely soley on the strength of the arms. The chin-up, however, targets the muscle groups in the chest and abdomen. You’ll feel the pronounced “burn” with every lift. It’s common for athletes to efficiently complete a dozen chin-ups on chin up or pull up bars before fatigue assails the arms.
At this point, you would be wise to disengage. A taut muscle bruises easily and requires a lengthy period to recuperate. Building your body and your body’s tolerance should be taken in closely monitored steps. Over extending might lead you back to square one.
The pull-up is a far more difficult lift. Again, the arms take on the savagery of all the work and, again, the chest and abdomen are being exercised but the target is the shoulder muscles. From the very first lift, you’ll be able to feel the pinch across the shoulders and into the neck.
Although a far more expedient exercise, and one that has been long adopted by the military, the pull-up can exhaust you very quickly and it’s highly recommended that you pace yourself. Aggressive pursuit of such an activity can easily lead to injury. Slowly build your ability and tolerance. Any exercise that involves the muscles of the neck should be approached with extreme caution.
Now, you know the difference between a pull up bar and a chin-up bar. The simple turn of the hands can equal quite a difference in targeted muscle groups and an enormous difference in strain. Decide how you want to build your body and then proceed with vigilance and care.
Related posts:
Chin Up Bars, Chin Ups, Pull Up Bars, Pull Ups
January 10th, 2011 at 4:38 am
heres a good way to improve you chin ups by trying to improve your Pull ups