• Keep up to date with Ausbb via Twitter and Facebook. Please add us!
  • Join the Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

    The Ausbb - Australian BodyBuilding forum is dedicated to no nonsense muscle and strength building. If you need advice that works, you have come to the right place. This forum focuses on building strength and muscle using the basics. You will also find that the Ausbb- Australian Bodybuilding Forum stresses encouragement and respect. Trolls and name calling are not allowed here. No matter what your personal goals are, you will be given effective advice that produces results.

    Please consider registering. It takes 30 seconds, and will allow you to get the most out of the forum.

Chin up ROM / form and shoulder health Q

jj80

jj80

Member
How far should I go up on chin ups?

I used to pull the bar to touch my shoulders / upper chest, but it gave me serious shoulder pain which put me out of action for a few weeks.

Yesterday I was pulling my 'chin to the bar' and feeling some serious shoulder stress. I started pulling so only my eyes got to the bar and it felt a bit better.

I notice a lot of really really strong guys limiting the ROM even more.

30 rep chins - YouTube
 
Everyone's built differently, just go up as far as you can, what's important is to get a good stretch at the lats and a good contraction at the shoulder blades.
That's a pull-up not a chin-up.
 
People generally focus too hard on trying to get their chin over the bar, which causes them to roll their shoulders forward. The rolling increases the ROM but is totally unnecessary.
You just want a full contraction of the lats. The aim should be to pull your chest towards the bar, contracting your lats/scapulas like a reverse bench press.
 
I remember when I said I did this and posted videos of KK and Kroc and Wendler doing similar things and people saying it was wrong and no-one logically thinking "so this is how +800lb deadlifters do their chin-ups"
 
I will try to get an angle on myself to see when I start rolling the shoulders.

I was doing chin ups like this and progressing well:
129kg total x 5 - too much ROM here. How NOT to do chin ups. - YouTube

"I'm being really good and using a full ROM, getting the maximum benefit from this exercise" was my thinking.

3 weeks later I had to stop chin ups altogether due to a very very aggravated and painful left shoulder. (btw I cant do pull ups for some reason - they destroy my elbow)
 
Last edited:
tom bro said:
People generally focus too hard on trying to get their chin over the bar, which causes them to roll their shoulders forward. The rolling increases the ROM but is totally unnecessary.
You just want a full contraction of the lats. The aim should be to pull your chest towards the bar, contracting your lats/scapulas like a reverse bench press.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've noted this often here, the arms just need to be inline and slightly behind the torso to accomplish full contraction.

One also needs to be careful when lowering to the bottom, you got to keep the shoulders tight here.
 
I've never had problems with shoulders doing chin / pull-ups but always fuck my elbows.

Like others have said it seems to be the top of the ROM that fucks things up.

When my elbows are better I am going to see if I can get away with parallel grip chins and not going fully to the top.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top