The Upper Body Squat

Are you looking to build upper body muscle mass and quickly increase functional strength?

What type of vertical pulling movement are you doing weekly to BACKup your bodybuilding goals?

If you ask any reputable strength or fitness coach they will agree, Chin-ups or pull-ups will effectively build width and thickness to your back and add solid inches on your arms by promoting growth on your biceps. 

The chin-up and its variations are like an "upper body squat.”

Many people don’t seem to realize that pull ups and chin ups are not the same thing. The difference between the two isn’t huge enough to make one exercise better or worse than the other, it just means that both exercises train the lats, shoulders and biceps in a slightly different way. Being a stickler for muscle symmetry and injury prevention I hope this article will encourage you to maybe mix up your currant routine to ensure optimal gains, without unnecessary pain. 

The most obvious difference between a pull up and a chin up is the type of grip being used.

Pull Ups - A pronated (overhand) grip where your palms point outwards so that they are facing away from you. The most common grip width is just slightly wider than shoulder width.

Chin Ups - A supinated (underhand) grip where your palms point inwards so that they are facing you. The most common grip width is shoulder width.

If your biceps tend to give out before you actually feel your back muscles fatiguing, you may benefit from using pull ups instead of chin ups when trying to correct this problem. Most people are stronger at chin ups than they are at pull ups because chin ups place the biceps in a stronger line of pull. To prevent overuse of the biceps and to hit the lats a little harder,  choose pull ups. The wider grip and range of motion put the  biceps in a slightly weaker position.

I don’t recommend using a grip any wider than just slightly outside of shoulder width. In my experience, a very wide pull up or Lat Pull down grip is common cause of shoulder injuries.

Range of motion is critical in any exercise. For chin ups or pull-ups , hang below the bar and then pull yourself up until your chin clears the bar.

Beginners can use bands to help support some body weight until your strength and confidence increases to do unassisted reps. 

Using lifting straps for Pull ups and Rows can also help get some heavier weighted reps to build muscle density without your grip strength pre fatiging before your back day workout is complete. 

Whatever you choose to include for your vertical  pull exercise, I recommend you mix it up to ensure safe, long lasting balanced back gains.