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Quick Tip – Pull Ups/Chin Ups

It’s no secret one of the best ways to build a big, strong back, along with stronger arms is to do good old fashioned pull ups or chin ups…you know, those things you hated in gym class but had to do. Unless you are either naturally strong, or incredibly light weight, chances are you cannot do many, if ANY if you are just starting out. I learned a few years ago how to do them without a spotter OR a counter-weighted machine to assist me.

In DC training, Dante shared an exercise called Rack Chins that he uses to build a big, strong back. The advantage to the muscle geek is the extended stretch it puts you in, along with the ability to easily add weights for extra resistance once you are strong enough. The advantage to the weak newbie is the ability to control how much cheating you do to complete the exercise. While the video below features someone using wrist straps to help with grip, and a weighted bar for extra resistance, pay attention to the height of the bar and the placement of his feet. Try adding these to your next routine in place of the “convenient” machine with cables and a weight stack and really challenge yourself to get stronger!

Note: This is obviously not a video of me, but I thought Bruno did a nice job demonstrating them. The key if you have poor upper body strength is to use your legs a lot in the beginning to assist the lift, and over time rely on them less. For example, do as many as you can for a couple of sets, and when all the sets have at least 10 reps, consider doing either more reps, or adding some weight.

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