We get a variety of clients in the gym. Age and athletic backgrounds vary vastly. They come with mobility constraints and carry the baggage of past injuries.
To facilitate this, we have a variety of tools to do chin ups on. We can vary the grip (prone, neutral, supine and everything in between and deviated grips), height ( 76 inches through 96 inches from the floor), thickness of the bar (27 mm, 30 mm, 32 mm, 35 mm, 38 mm, 50 mm). Each variation gets the bicep, lats, traps etc. involved to differing degrees. An effective vertical pull involves the scapula retracting or protracting, depressing or elevating and rotating. All of this happens simultaneously. And based on your strength, grip, shoulder health and implement in use, how the scapula behaves changes.
In the video below, you can watch these tools in action to perform the following moves:
Straight bar pull ups
Straight bar chin ups
Spider chin ups
Spider pull ups
Neutral grip pull ups
Ring pull ups
Nunchuck grip pull ups
And you will notice all the different ways in which the shoulders are positioned at the start of the repetition. And how the scapula and elbows move in different ways and to varying degrees.
The harder variations include the straight bar pull up and spider pull ups. These don’t allow your biceps to bend as much as in the other variants. And getting the scapula to rotate is more challenging for most people. These variants require you to do that.
Variants such as straight bar chin ups get the biceps involved to a greater degree. They also allow for easier retraction and depression of the scapula. Spider chin ups and neutral grip fall between the straight bar chin ups and straight/spider pull ups.
Rings or similar implements allow for a great deal of rotation. This is a double edged sword. Stabilising the rings comes easier to some. Some tend to clench too hard and rely on their arms.
Every tool has its pros and cons. The key is to play with many options, mix and match and gain a greater degree of control with a variety of tools for a healthier and stronger upper back & arms.
