If you struggle to “feel” your chin ups… I’m going to show you how creating a mind-muscle connection and activating your lats properly will lead to injury free superhero strength and size gains
Want a bigger and stronger back?
How about some shirt busting biceps?
Nothing builds the back or the biceps quite like chin ups. It’s by far the best exercise for massive upper body strength and size gains in my humble opinion. They also do a pretty damn good job of activating your abs, which is always a nice bonus.
And the exercise looks so simple, right?
Grab the bar… pull yourself up.
I used to do it the exact same way, but over time I notice I simply wasn’t making gains like I thought I should. Worse, my left elbow and shoulder started bothering me.
At first, I just started noticing some discomfort while doing chin ups but then it started to hurt during other exercises as well… and before I knew it I was icing both my elbow and shoulder as part of my post-workout routine.
So, eventually, I gave up on chin ups.
I told myself they weren’t for me…
I can make gains without them…
Lat pulldowns are just as good, right?
Wrong on all accounts.
Tell me…
- Can you “feel” your lats during your chin ups?
- Do you have shoulder or elbow pain during or after a set of chin ups?
- Do you feel your back and biceps are lagging behind your other body parts in terms of strength or size?
- Do you simply want a wider back or bigger baseball sized biceps?
If you can’t “feel” your lats during chin ups, are having injury problems, or simply aren’t getting the gains you’d expect from doing a copious amount of chin ups — I’ve got news for you:
You’re probably doing your chin ups incorrectly.
Don’t feel bad, you’re in good company. It’s not your fault. Nobody ever taught you how to properly do them to maximize strength and size gains while reducing the chance of injury.
It’s not like there is a class in college called Chin Ups 101. Where do I sign up for that class? It beats being the TA for Econ 101.
(Side note: I was one of those nerdy TA’s in college that tried to get a bunch of college freshman excited about supply and demand curves.)
Don’t worry, I used to do them wrong too, but I eventually learned, got better, and now chin ups are a regular part of my exercise routine.
They’re also one of the first exercises I teach to new clients because they’re so awesome… when done correctly.
(If they can’t more than a few bodyweight chin ups I start them on assisted chin ups with a long band but the principles remain the same.)
Here’s how to do them right:
Establish Your Mind-Muscle Connection
So often, we rush right into a set without thinking about what we are trying to accomplish or even what muscle(s) we are trying to work. Let’s just get to it and move some freakin’ weight. Hell yeah!
Hell no.
Next time you’re in the gym setting up for a set of chin ups, I want you to simply stop and think about your lats BEFORE you begin. Sometimes it helps to simply touch or tap the muscle with your hand before beginning a set just to say hello.
Now, once you begin the set continue to think about your lats and think about pulling from your lats as you drive your elbows down toward your hips. As your lats begin to tire, this will keep your body firing your lats instead of simply getting you up to the bar by any means necessary.
Remember, your body doesn’t give a shit about your desire to build a bigger and stronger back. And it could care less about the size of your biceps.
If you give your body a command like “pull my chest to the bar” then it will figure out the most efficient and easiest way of doing that. If you think about exclusively pulling from your lats and focus on your mind-muscle connection then your body will respond accordingly and it will fire off your lats.
Your mission instantly changes from Get Up To The Bar to Engage and Smoke Lats To Get Bigger and Stronger. See the difference?
Activate Your Lats Before Pulling
After you create your initial mind-muscle connection by thinking about your lats and touching them with your hand, I want you to grab the bar and go into a full dead hang.
From there I want you to pull your shoulder blades down and back. Another way to think about this is to pull your rib cage down.
This will activate your lats and prepare you to pull using your lats as the primary driver.
When you do this, think about it and feel your lats engage. It’s like sex, you got to get a feel for it. At first, it might be sloppy and sort of confusing but eventually you’ll get the hang of it and you’ll want to do it again, and again, and again.
Congratulations, you now have properly established a mind-muscle connection and activated your lats preparing you for a successful chin up. And like Arnold associating “the pump” with the pleasures of sex you just associated chin ups with all the positive feelings of sex — you’ll be winning Mr Olympia’s in no time 😉
Keep Your Lats Active
During the set, especially as you tire toward the end of the set, you will have a tendency to want to dead hang and disengage your lats in order to rest.
Don’t do it.
Keep your lats engaged by continuously pulling your shoulder blades down and back or by pulling your rib cage down.
If you can no longer maintain this position with your lats fully engaged then it’s time to end the set. Clearly, your lats are smoked.
If you want to continue, work in with a drop set using a band for an assisted chin up.
Action Plan For Success
- Take some time to practice your chin ups next time you’re at the gym.
- Establish your mind-muscle connection by thinking about your lats and give them each a little love tap to say hello. Maintain this mind-muscle connection throughout the set.
- Activate your lats by pulling your shoulder blades down and back. Another way to think about it is to pull your rib cage down.
- Keep your lats active throughout the entire set by continuously pulling your shoulder blades down and back for the duration of the set. Once you can no longer do this, end the set because your lats are obviously smoked.