technique library

How to
chin up

The chin-up tells you exactly how much you weigh, in public, with no way to argue. This is the underhand-grip chin-up in six steps, three positions and the five faults we fix most often. Swinging counts as cardio, not as a rep.

  • DEAD HANGEvery rep starts from straight arms and set shoulders. A rep that starts with bent arms is a different exercise.
  • CHIN OVERYour chin clears the bar at the top, with the chest rising to meet it and your neck staying out of the effort.
  • ~SHOULDER WIDTHApproximate grip width, palms facing you. Your shoulders and wrists set the exact number.

the picture

Three positions

Side view, facing right. The dotted line marks the height of the bar. Your chin clears it at the top and your arms are straight at the bottom.

  • 01 / dead hang

    Arms straight, shoulders set

    Body still, ribs down, legs together or crossed behind you. Every rep starts and ends here.

  • 02 / midpoint

    Elbows drive down

    Elbows bent about 90 degrees and pulling down toward your ribs. Your chest rises toward the bar and your body stays steady.

  • 03 / top

    Chin over the bar

    Chest up to the bar, elbows down by your ribs, chin clearing the bar without craning your neck forward.

  • bar height, the line your chin clears at the top

the method

Six steps

Do them in this order, every rep. The chin-up rewards control and punishes momentum, in roughly that order.

  1. 01

    Set your grip

    Hands about shoulder width, palms facing you, thumbs wrapped around the bar. Step or jump up to the bar rather than hauling yourself up from the floor.

    cuePalms toward you, thumbs around.

  2. 02

    Find the dead hang

    Hang with your arms straight and your feet off the floor. Keep your ribs down and your legs together, or crossed behind you if that is more comfortable.

    cueHang long.

  3. 03

    Set your shoulders

    Before you pull, draw your shoulder blades down and slightly back, away from your ears. This engages your lats without bending your arms.

    cueShoulders down, away from your ears.

  4. 04

    Tighten your body

    Squeeze your glutes and pull your ribs down toward your hips. A tight body hangs still, and a still body is easier to pull.

    cueSqueeze glutes, ribs down.

  5. 05

    Pull

    Drive your elbows down toward your ribs and lift your chest toward the bar. Think about bringing the bar to you instead of pulling your chin up to it.

    cueElbows down, chest to the bar.

  6. 06

    Top and lower

    Clear the bar with your chin, hold for a beat, then lower under control until your arms are straight. Reset your shoulders before the next rep.

    cueDown slower than you went up.

troubleshooting

Five common faults

Most chin-up problems are one of these five. Film a set from the side, compare it with the diagrams above, then pick the closest match.

Swinging or kipping

likely cause

Momentum from the legs and hips is doing the work your back and arms should do.

what to try

Squeeze your glutes, pull your ribs down and stop the swing before you start the rep. Add a one-second pause at the top.

Craning the neck to clear the bar

likely cause

The pull stops short, so your chin pokes forward to reach the bar instead of your chest rising to meet it.

what to try

Pull your chest toward the bar. If you cannot clear it with your neck neutral, use a band or an easier variation.

Half reps

likely cause

Your arms never fully straighten at the bottom, so you only count the easy part of the movement.

what to try

Start every rep from straight arms and set shoulders. Count only the reps that begin and end there.

Shoulders shrug up to the ears

likely cause

You pull with your upper traps and neck instead of setting your shoulders down first.

what to try

Draw your shoulders down before you bend your elbows. Practise the scapular set from a dead hang.

Dropping fast on the way down

likely cause

You lower in a rush, which wastes half the exercise and loads your elbows and shoulders at the bottom.

what to try

Lower over about two to three seconds. Eccentric reps, where you jump up and lower slowly, build strength when you cannot yet do a full rep.

progression

Earn the full rep

Skip rungs and the bar finds the weak link for you. Move up when every rep on the current rung looks like the diagrams.

  1. Dead hangsets × time3 × 20 stempoholdeffortRPE 5
  2. Band-assisted chin-upsets × reps3 × 5tempo2-1-1effortRPE 6
  3. Eccentric chin-up, jump up and lower slowlysets × reps3 × 3tempo3-1-0effortRPE 7
  4. Chin-up, bodyweightsets × repsper your programtempoper your programeffortRPE 7-8

Numbers are an illustration of how a coach writes a prescription, not a program for you. Tempo reads as seconds lowering, pause at the bottom, seconds lifting. RPE is effort on a 10-point scale, where 10 means no reps left.

before you pull

Hang safely

  • Check that the bar and its mounting are secure, and that your weight will not move it.
  • Clear the space around the bar so nothing is in the way of your legs or your landing.
  • Lower yourself to the floor under control. Do not drop from the bar at the top of a rep.
  • Build volume gradually. If your elbows or shoulders ache after a session, cut back the reps before adding more.
  • Effort burns and pinches. Sharp or lingering pain, especially in the elbow or shoulder, is a stop sign, not a challenge.
  • This page is general guidance and not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, check with a qualified professional before you start chin-ups.

get it coached

Train like an athlete

A diagram shows you the positions. A coach watches your chin-up, catches the fault you cannot feel and fixes it in the session. 2 free – no obligation – sessions are available on request.

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