Women, You Can Get Over It — The Bar!
My chin-up journey and a practical guide to empower more women to join the club
Definition of a chin-up
: something you say to someone in a difficult situation in order to encourage them to be brave and try not to be sad
: an exercise in which one hangs by the hands from a support (such as a horizontal bar) and pulls oneself up until the chin is level with the support
The first definition is obviously not the one which applies to this article, however, I thought it was somewhat applicable as I found that training for this exercise is a brave undertaking given the time, patience and determination required. Mastering this exercise and performing it demonstrates mental and physical strength and it has certainly been an exercise that has made me smile in the gym, both achieving it myself and seeing other women bashing a few out too!
Muscles worked
The science and somewhat boring bit — but I think when you know the muscles that are being worked, it can help with understanding the movement, performing the exercise correctly and developing the relevant strength.
The primary muscles involved in the chin-up are the biceps brachii (upper arm), brachialis (upper arm), brachioradialis (forearm), latissimus dorsi (back), teres major (rotator cuff muscle), posterior deltoid (shoulder) and the deep spinal stabilizers, including the transverse abdominis, lumbar multifidus and thoracolumbar fascia.
This is a good place to note the difference between chin-ups and pull-ups. Some people use them interchangeably, but they are different. Chin-ups are easier to master when starting out than their pull-up sister! In a chin-up the palms face towards the body (underhand grip), whereas in a pull-up the palms face away from the body (overhand grip). An overhand grip relies more on the lats (latissimus dorsi), while an underhand grip offers the assistance of the biceps and forearms.
Benefits of the chin-up
The primary benefits of the chin-up are increasing strength and definition of the upper arms, shoulders and back. More practically, they can help develop grip strength, which can come in handy for opening stubborn jars or having an impressive handshake! Less tangible but arguably more important benefits are increased mental toughness, confidence and self-esteem.
My journey
Since starting regular training sessions at the gym, chin-ups have always been THAT exercise that intrigued me. As a feminist, I was motivated by an exercise that seemed dominated by men. I saw very few women doing them as part of their exercise routine in the gym and so when I did, I was inspired by their strength and motivated to join this special club. I was also motivated by a bet I had with my husband who (perhaps skeptical of either my ability or grit and determination) agreed that if I achieved one unassisted chin-up, he would accompany me on his first ever half-marathon!
So, my challenge was locked in and I began training on 19th January 2014. I know the exact date as I make a note of all my workouts and this is something I’d encourage everyone to do. A workout diary helps you to monitor your progress and stay motivated, especially when you’re having a bad day or a wobble, by allowing you to recall just how far you’ve come.
“I won’t be able do a chin-up”
This is what a lot of women will think and it will be true if you’re not strength training and engaging in a regular routine. It’s not an easy exercise, but with consistent practice and determination, I have been able to master the chin-up and progress to multiple reps and other variations e.g. pull-ups, neutral grip (palms facing each other) and weighted reps. Guess what? You can too!
Consistent practice is key. With regular practice of the exercises below on average 2–3 times per week, I achieved my first chin-up on 21st June 2015 - approximately 17 months of training. I did have gaps in my training for various reasons so you could progress more quickly than this — don’t let this time-frame put you off. Think of the gains being made during the journey rather than the end goal.
“I’m not the right size”
You don’t have to be super lean to be able to do a chin-up, but common sense tells us that the lighter you are, the easier it might be. I am petite and weigh on average 106 pounds, so I admit it is an easier task for someone of my size. Depending on your size, it will mean training that bit harder and longer, and incorporating this goal-specific training into your overall plan that focuses on weight loss and full-body resistance training which will help to change your whole-body composition.
Practice makes perfect
Here are some of the exercises and techniques that I used and found helpful when training to do my first unassisted chin-up.
If you can’t get to the gym (especially during this period of social distancing due to coronavirus), you could make use of home equipment to practice some of the exercises and techniques. For example, a portable pull-up bar such as this which is available from various online retailers and you can attach to most door-frames. As this is both my husband’s and my favourite exercise, we purchased the Pull-Up Mate for our workouts at home.
Assisted chin-up machine
Many gyms have the assisted chin-up machine that uses a weight stack to counterbalance your body weight. For some people, they don’t like the fact that this doesn’t give you the sensation of pulling yourself up against gravity, but I found that when done with some of the other exercises below, it can be a really effective tool for progression.
Play around with the weight until you find one that allows you do 10 reps to start with and aim for 2–3 sets to get used to the exercise. Then, gradually reduce the weight so you’re always being challenged for a least one of your sets — you may only be able to achieve 6 reps on this weight. Once you work your way up to 10 reps on a new weight then bring the weight down further. You could aim for one difficult set on a lower weight and 1–2 sets on a higher weight.
An example of progression could be as follows:
Weeks 1–3
10 x 30kg, 8 x 27.5kg, 6 x 25kg
Weeks 4–6
10 x 27.5kg, 8 x 25kg, 6 x 22.5kg
Weeks 7–10
10 x 25kg, 8 x 22.5kg, 6 x 20kg
I also experimented with 15kg and 12.5kg during some gym sessions to see how many reps I could do and get an idea of my progression. After 10 weeks of training, I could achieve 2 reps on 15kg and 1 rep on 12.5kg. It’s not necessary to attempt these lighter weights during each session but use them as markers perhaps once every 4–6 weeks. Once I could achieve 15kg for 8 reps and 12.5kg for 6 reps, I was able to perform 1 unassisted chin-up!
The weights on the assisted machine can vary and be difficult to reduce by small increments especially when you reach the lower end of the scale. I had metal chains made weighing 1kg and 0.5kg that I clipped on to the weight plate of the machine so I had more control over my weight choices. You may be able to get your own made at a local hardware store or get in touch and I can give you more information about what I used.
TRX Inverted Row
This is a good upper body pulling exercise and great way to build upper body strength to help with your chin-ups.
Hold the handles close to your chest and walk your feet forward to get a sense of how much resistance you want and are comfortable starting with. Extend your arms and then pull your body upwards, keeping chest elevated and back straight throughout. Aim to get your upper chest to the same level as the handles. Hold the top position for a second, and then lower your body, steadily, back down to the starting position.
Start out with your body at a high incline and as you progress and can do 10 reps comfortably, lower your body to decrease the incline. You are aiming to reach a starting position where your body is parallel to the floor and you can comfortably achieve 10 reps from this position.
The Pull-Up Mate mentioned above can also be used to practice inverted rows at home.
Negative chin-ups
With a negative chin-up you’re only going to be performing the negative portion i.e. the way down. These are great for allowing you to get a proper feel for the exercise with your own body weight.
Climb onto a box or bench that puts you above or close to the bar and jump into the starting position which is a flexed hang (elbows bent), with your chin over the bar and palms facing towards you. If it’s easier, you may be able to get someone to lift you up to the bar. (I was lucky that I worked out with my husband so I had someone I could easily call on!) Getting into position shouldn’t exert you otherwise it will hinder your performance on the lowering phase which is the focus of this particular exercise.
Hold this starting position for a second, making sure your chest is out, shoulder blades back and down, glutes and core tight and then slowly lower yourself down UNDER CONTROL.
Resistance bands
Resistance bands aren’t something I personally used but they are a popular method for training for chin-ups.The band will help take some of your weight and assist as you pull yourself up and over the bar. Not all gyms will have them so you may wish to invest in some of your own. Here is a link to an example on Amazon.
Loop it around the bar and make a loose knot. Then either place your foot or knee in the band. Placing your foot in the band will give you the most assistance while a knee in the band offers less assistance. Also, the thicker the band, the more support it will offer, so you can reduce the thickness as you progress. Keep your spine long, lift the chest and brace the abdominals to help create stability in your core. A helpful cue is to think about lifting the chest to the bar by pulling the elbows past the rib cage.
Hang out
At the top, or the bottom, hanging is a great place to be when working on chin-up strength. If you are holding at the bottom, be sure to keep your shoulders down, so that they aren’t creeping up towards your ears. At the top, make sure your chin in over the bar. Hold the position for as long as is comfortable. It’s most important to build up with proper form, squeezing your glutes and keeping your core contracted. This will teach you to pull your body up as one unit.
Weighted Hang-out
Use the same technique from above but add weight to your body via a belt holding a plate. This drill will increase strength and make you feel lighter when doing body weight hangs and chin-ups.
Other exercises that I built into my gym routine to develop strength and help with chin-ups:
Single Arm Rows
Deadlift
Core exercises e.g. plank, crunches, bird dog
This list is not exhaustive. It’s important to develop a routine that works all of your body equally e.g. push /pull exercises for upper body and knee/hip hinge exercises for lower body. It’s also really important to experiment and find exercises that you enjoy as you’ll be more motivated to continue with them over the long-term.
Final thoughts
Proper technique wins out over impatient progress.
“Success is the sum of a lot of small things done correctly.” -Fernand Point
Having the correct breathing pattern can make or break a lift. As you grip the bar, take a breath in, then breathe out as you begin to pull, inhaling again as you lower back to your starting position. Don’t hold your breath.
Practice often.
LIFT heavy to increase strength — heavy resistance training is relative to each individual but the aim is to feel challenged, make steady progress and only go as heavy as you can while maintaining correct form.
I hope this article has gone some way to explaining the benefits and beauty of this exercise and has inspired you to start your own chin-up journey. I can say that it is one of the best exercises I have learnt and has been a massive help in improving my overall confidence in myself, my body and as a woman in the gym.
