Chin Ups and Pulldowns: Monkey Business

"I got you these...because your pull ups look like crap."

What is it?
- The Chin Up(palms facing toward you) and Pull Up(palms facing away) are upper body movements involving pulling in a vertical plane and they are the first of the foundational movements requiring you to stabilize through the core without the use of the floor.

Why should I care?
- Because if you're like me you spent most of Silence of The Lambs wondering, "Why doesn't she just climb out of the well?"  Also, vertical pulling is another incredible way to strengthen the muscles of your back and provides a great strength benchmark for all trainees.  I implore you all the put in the necessary work to achieve your first pull ups/chin ups.  Maybe then The New York Times will stop publishing garbage like this: "Why Women Can't Do Pull Ups"

How to?
- Obviously the title of the exercise pretty much sums it up, but lets layer on a bit of specificity.  For starters, I think the chin up is poorly named.  Try thinking of these exercises as sternum ups.  In an ideal world we could all pull our chests to the bar.

Secondly, the exercise, like all the others, ought to be performed with a neutral spine.  Chin ups and pull ups rely primarily on your lats to produce the movement, and the harder the lats work the harder your abs(anterior core) have to work to keep you from extending at the low back...like this guy.

To be fair this video was made for the purpose of demonstrating poor form, so no one make fun of him! I can do it too!!!

For those interested in a detailed explanation of good Chin Up/Pull Up technique, here's Eric Cressey coming at you with all kinds of science...

For everyone else, think like a gymnast (i.e. toes in front of your nose).

Cues
- Grip the bar tightly overhead
- Brace the core by tightening glutes and stomach (i.e. toes in front of your nose)
- Pull elbows toward floor, finishing with chest on bar and elbows even with body
- Lower under control to starting position

Variations
- Chin Up (palms facing toward you)

- Pull Up (palms facing away)

For those of you wondering what happened to "toes in front of the nose", I had to modify it to "knees in front of the nose" because our chin up bar was made for wee folk and my feet hit the floor.

With all that being said, I'd like to point out that the Chin Up and Pull Up are movements that require a great deal of strength and core stability.  For those of you working your way up to your first pull up, start with the Tall Kneeling Pulldown

This variation allows you to train the same movement while you acquire the requisite strength necessary to perform your first Pull Up/Chin Up.

Superbands provide another means of training the Pull Up/Chin Up while developing your strength.

- Band Assisted Chin Up

Finally, for all the ladies out there interested in making the NY Times eat crow, I refer you to Tony Gentilcore.  No one fights on behalf of the strength of women quite like this dude.

- Chin Ups for Women Pt 1
- Chin Ups for Women Pt 2