Training for chins

[figgs]

I wish I were able to drastically improve my chinning strength. Instead of wishing I have to work. What's a few good chin workouts guaranteed to strengthen that part of my back? Right now I make sure I do chins first thing in my workout every 3 workouts. I still want to maintain balance in my back workouts, including both rows and pull-ups and the occasional deadlifts.

[Jr. Yates]

If your trying to get stronger at your chins you can do them like a front lat pulldown. only grip the bar as if you were doing a chin up.

[JPM]

Might try negative chins for 12 or so reps. Stand on a bench, box, etc  about chin level and just lower the body down slowly to a full stretch bottom position. Add weight as you get stronger. After a couple of weeks try to do your regular chins. Reps will increase.

Get a dip/chin belt, add about 20-30 lbs, and only chin to a little below the half way point of a regular chin. Try for 8-10 reps. Second part of this chin training is to start from about the half way point and complete a chin to the top position, with added weight on the belt. Some of the stronger men I've seen have used over 300lbs for quarter chins from the bottom position. This is called partial  rep training, usually used in a power rack. Your chin can gain a alarming increase in strength training this way. Your regular bwt chin should shoot up like a rocket after a few week. In either the negatives or partial chins do not preform a regular chin in your workout until after a few weeks.  Just fron doing the negatives and/or partials your strength and muscle mass should increase. Good Luck.

[figgs]

Might try negative chins for 12 or so reps. Stand on a bench, box, etc  about chin level and just lower the body down slowly to a full stretch bottom position. Add weight as you get stronger. After a couple of weeks try to do your regular chins. Reps will increase.

Get a dip/chin belt, add about 20-30 lbs, and only chin to a little below the half way point of a regular chin. Try for 8-10 reps. Second part of this chin training is to start from about the half way point and complete a chin to the top position, with added weight on the belt. Some of the stronger men I've seen have used over 300lbs for quarter chins from the bottom position. This is called partial  rep training, usually used in a power rack. Your chin can gain a alarming increase in strength training this way. Your regular bwt chin should shoot up like a rocket after a few week. In either the negatives or partial chins do not preform a regular chin in your workout until after a few weeks.  Just fron doing the negatives and/or partials your strength and muscle mass should increase. Good Luck.

Excellent idea! How would I incorporate negatives and partial chins into my normal back workout? Because I'd be doing partials, would I need more sets? I usually do 3-4 sets of chins almost every workout.

[AVBG]

I wish I were able to drastically improve my chinning strength. Instead of wishing I have to work. What's a few good chin workouts guaranteed to strengthen that part of my back? Right now I make sure I do chins first thing in my workout every 3 workouts. I still want to maintain balance in my back workouts, including both rows and pull-ups and the occasional deadlifts.

Just an idea. Dont necassarily count sets. Instead count reps, for instance set a target of 50 reps per chins workout.

[dontknowit]

Do them on a almost daily basis.

I don't know where you live,
but buy a cheap chinbar, attach it somewhere against a wall and start working out.

[GoneAway]

I don't know if my back or bis are getting stronger, but I simply do about 50 reps per back workout for chins. Each set to failure until I reach that rep range. I grip the bar just wider than shoulder length apart.

I have seen improvements in the fact of doing more reps per set and reaching the target number of reps faster, so it has made something stronger. Hopefully it is my back. Good luck.

[JPM]

That 50 rep idea (or even a 100 in extreme cases) is good. But you may want to space the chins throughout you workout day. The more you rep a exercise the better you become at it. Example for the chin might be doing  5 or 6 easy reps (or whatever is easy for you) every hour or so. The purpose is to teach the motor nerves (among a lot of other things) to get use to doing a movement. You do not want to over tax the CNS. Some guy's have done this method for 2 days in a row, take a few days break and start the pattern again. Usually 2-3 weeks is the duration of this training style.  Remember these are based on easy rep's, maybe 3 or 4 less than you can normally do in a regular workout. Of course you want to avoid the point of failure at all cost in this form of training.

Figgs might want to try pullovers and bent arm pullovers if he selects the negative or partial rep workouts.  Could try  straight arm pullovers follower right away by a set of bent arm pullovers  (SS's). A very good lat builder, not to mention the triceps and a lesser degree,the pec's. Do 2 sets of each SS.

Another plan would be to do the partial chins followed by negative chins as the last exercise of a back workout. You will not need the pullovers or any other type of back exercise with this workout. Can be very demanding on the CNS.

In any event try for 2-3 sets of partials in the bottom to half/half to top positions (7-10 reps). Same scheme for the negatives. Good Luck.

[figgs]

I'm going to have a lot of fun back workouts for the next few weeks! I really appreciate all the advice. THANKS!!

I'll update on any improvements!