More Chins - help required!

[Hirdy]

I've noticed that after a few reps my sticking point is right at the top, I seem to fly up and then the last 2 inches (getting my chin over the bar) takes about 3 seconds and is draining as fark.

Why is this? Are my lats tired so I'm relying on biceps? Why do I find myself curling into a ball (knees to chest)?

Is there any kind of assistance work I can do? Do I need to focus on recruiting another muscle group at the top?

It might be noteworthy that I do chins AFTER squats, o'head press and bent rows...

 

[Bazza20]

It's a common sticking point, just get stronger don't worry about assistance exercises.

You are bringing your knees to your chest to make the lift easier. When people hit a sticking point on chins they lift there knees up. This gives you a very slight kick up to get over the sticking point. It's like a very slight version of the kipping pull up crossfit do.

 

[Goosey]

Your arms will tire long before you make any inroads to fatiguing your lats.

The biceps purpose is to rotate the hand and lift the arm over the shoulder.
To prove that point position the hand so the your palm is facing down, now bring your hand toward the shoulder, now feel the bicep, it unflexed-right?... Now while in that position rotate the hand clockwise and feel it contract.

To further contract the bicep, stay in that position, bring your flexed hand over your shoulder to a position behind the neck and push down hard.
Your bicep will literally cramp ecause it's been fully contracted for the first time in your life.

Now that we now know the biceps function it makes complete sense that the position of the hand in the chin-up should be supinated to improve our opportunity to make inroads to exercise the back.

If you are at a sticking point I suggest you finish a set with as many slow negatives as you can

 

[eje]

While i am certainly no chin up master..i do have a tip that works for me..if i think chest up and push it up towards the bar, it switches my back on especially between my shoulder blades on and i get up there easier, its not really arms getting last bit at the top for me, it is back that gets me there...no knees up, it breaks the tension in my back and drops my chest again.....works for me...

 

[bro]

It's a common sticking point, just get stronger don't worry about assistance exercises.

I agree with this.

Hirdy, if you want to focus on getting your chin up numbers up, there is one method that is better than any other. This is called the grease the groove method, by Pavel. Some info on in here:

Grease the Groove for Strength | The Human Machine

I did something similar to this when I got a chin up bar at home in November. I could almost do 1 chin up when I got the bar. After a week of trying to do one chin up several times I did my first. Then I started doing 1 chin up many times and after another week I did 2.

From then on, I did half my max chin ups, 10 times spread throughout the day, on non-gym days. My max chin ups went up by 1 every 2 weeks (at the start even less than 2 weeks). I'm sure I could have made even faster progress by doing it 6 days a week, but I didn't want it to interfere too much with my other lifts. Although, once I got to 7 chins, I cbf doing it anymore... and I haven't made much progress with chins since lol.

The only problems with the method are that you need access to a chin up bar throughout the day (possibly at home) and it *may* interfere with your gym lifts.

 

[Hirdy]

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately i don't have access to a chin bar all day, I'd love one in my office though lol.

And Ive started doing 30 chins in a session in sets of 3, with 1-2mins break in between, rather than just do say 6, 6, 4.

Ill think about getting my chest up too eje and see if that works, thanks!

 

[Ausyank]

Im not comfortable giving chin advice to someone who can do 30.
I was either too fat or too weak from dieting to get more than 12 or so.
My hats off to you brother.

 

[bro]

Im not comfortable giving chin advice to someone who can do 30.
I was either too fat or too weak from dieting to get more than 12 or so.
My hats off to you brother.

He said 30 in 10 sets lol, not 30 in 1 set...

 

[Ausyank]

He said 30 in 10 sets lol, not 30 in 1 set...

Oops..

Now that I think about it Im sure I couldnt do 30 in 5 sets.

 

[chrisp]

Move your hands,
Use a over hand grip, wide grip or narrow grip, the more you do the better your become.
Try pulling from your elbows too, and at the top squeeze your shoulder blades together.
But dont give up you will get better and if you get better at pull ups/chin ups you will get a strong back

 

[Dancelot]

My Dad was/is very good at chins and dips, because in his days, those were the only available exercises. He didn't have access to barbell or weights. He just did a lot of chins and dips daily. He said he did over 60 consecutive chins in his 20s and I saw him do an easy 29 at 49 years old to win a bet with friends (he only had to do 20 to win). He can still do 15-20 now at 60.

When I had a chinup bar at a previous home, I could do 4 sets of 20 at one point, just because I was doing a set (5~7 reps) every time I walked pass it.

 

[knoted]

Volume. Just keep doing lots and lots of chinups, as best as you are able.

 

[walt]

Pavels ladder to chin ups, its great, if you get up to 7 reps your doing 40+ reps.

 

[Goosey]

My Dad was/is very good at chins and dips, because in his days, those were the only available exercises. He didn't have access to barbell or weights. He just did a lot of chins and dips daily. He said he did over 60 consecutive chins in his 20s and I saw him do an easy 29 at 49 years old to win a bet with friends (he only had to do 20 to win). He can still do 15-20 now at 60.

When I had a chinup bar at a previous home, I could do 4 sets of 20 at one point, just because I was doing a set (5~7 reps) every time I walked pass it.

Good story

 

[John555]

Hey I tried the ladder thing and it works great! Gives you a greater amount of volume but doesn't burn you out... love it

 

[misc.]

+1 for a ladder.

started on a ladder to 4 reps max. Now doing 8. Thats 64 total reps. About doubled the total reps i can do in less than 2 months. Really happy with the ladder method.

It doesnt burn you out, and I find its a great self warm up. By the time you get to the highest set you have plenty of blood in ur muscles and should have your form down.

Now i have reached 7-8 I'm working on doing it with strict no leg movement, much harder. I was only 'cheating' a little before, knees through the same last 2 inches.

 

[Goosey]

It is one exercise that improves by losing andipose tissue.

More often than not, this is the key to improving this exercise.

Another method to add is doing shrugs at the end of a set, difficult to master at first.

 

[Hirdy]

It is one exercise that improves by losing andipose tissue.

More often than not, this is the key to improving this exercise.

Another method to add is doing shrugs at the end of a set, difficult to master at first.

Do you mean with your chin over the bar still?

Im trying to imagine how to do that.

 

[Goosey]

From a dead hang.

I find after your last set of chin ups is the best time do to do this.

It's a shrugging motion, but using the muscles controlling the pulling movement of the upper arm.

 

[Hirdy]

That makes sense. Usually after Ive failed on my last set I'll try and hold the position Ive failed in for as long as possible rather than just give up, but Ill try multiple shrugs as you suggest, cheers.