Chin-ups: how to do it
Main muscles: Latissimus dorsi (lats), Biceps. Helpers: Brachialis, Teres major, Lower traps. Below: step-by-step form, common mistakes, a muscle map, reps and rest, and what to swap it for.
Equipment
Bodyweight
Reps
6–10
Rest
150 s
Muscle group
Back
How to do it
- Underhand grip at shoulder width, shoulders down, torso leaning back a little.
- Reach for the bar with your chest and keep the elbows close to your sides.
- Lower under control to fully straight arms.
Common mistakes
Kicking with the legs, stopping halfway.
Muscles worked
primary·secondary
- Primary
- Latissimus dorsi (lats), Biceps
- Secondary
- Brachialis, Teres major, Lower traps
A secondary muscle gets roughly half the stimulus of a set — that is also how the log’s stats count it.
Alternatives: similar exercises
Pull-ups
Bodyweight · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major
Lat pulldown
Cable · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major
One-arm dumbbell row
Dumbbells · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major, Rhomboids
Close-grip lat pulldown
Cable · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major
T-bar row
Barbell · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Rhomboids, Middle traps
Straight-arm pulldown
Cable · Latissimus dorsi (lats), Teres major
Log your sets — the app suggests the next weight
GymAssist tracks the load on each of 40 muscles, paints it on a body map and uses double progression to tell you when to add weight.
Free forever for the first 500