Overview
Chin-ups engage your upper body muscles, especially your back and biceps. Chin-ups done with good form need strong abs to keep your body from swinging and strong pecs and triceps to assist in the movement. You also need to decrease your body fat as a means of lowering your weight. The lighter your body is, the less weight you have to pull up and the more chin-ups you can do. Your local gym has equipment to help you increase your chin-ups.
Step 1
Assess your starting point. Use a stool to get up on a chin-up bar. Place your hands palms up, shoulder width apart. Step off the stool, crossing your ankles. Pull your body up, lifting your chin over the bar. Return to starting position and repeat. Record the number of times you were able to get your chin over the bar.
Step 2
Make your back stronger. The National Strength and Conditioning Association reports that lifting weights heavy enough to permit only six to eight reps per set promotes larger gains in strength than lighter weights. Work your back with chest and abs on Monday. Complete a round of each pair of exercises for five to six rounds in this order: lateral pull-downs using a wide grip; palms-down hand position with basic crunches; flat bench press with bicycle crunches; one-arm dumbbell row with V-ups on the bench; incline dumbbell presses with side bends; and flat dumbbell flies with lateral pull-downs using a shoulder-width grip, palms-up hand position. Take a rest for two minutes between each round.
Step 3
Increase your biceps strength. Your biceps help your back to pull you up. Work these muscles on Thursday. Use weights heavy enough so you can only do six to eight reps per set. Work your biceps with triceps: dumbbell curls with triceps push-ups, EZ barbell curls with two arm dumbbell extensions and hammer dumbbell curls with triceps rope press-downs. Complete four to five rounds for these smaller muscles. Take a two minute rest between each round.
Step 4
Lose some body fat with cardio. You need to burn off excess body fat. Do cardio three to four times per week, varying in intensity and duration. For instance, on Tuesday you can do a sprint and walk combination. Sprint for 20 seconds, walk for 60 seconds and repeat for up to 20 minutes. Reserve Wednesdays for a moderate intensity run lasting for 30 to 45 minutes, alternating between a fast one minute run with five minutes of easier jogging. Saturdays will be your long session, jogging for 45 to 60 minutes at a slower pace. Use this cardio format with your favorite cardio activity if you do not like to run.
Step 5
Count your calories. Consume 1500 calories (women) or 2200 calories (men) to lose weight. You need to eat to support your exercise. Eat five to six small meals throughout the day. Eat one meal about an hour prior to exercising to fuel your workout. Eat another meal immediately after your workout when your muscles quickly absorb nutrients.
Step 6
Do chin-ups once a week. Before you start your back workout on Mondays, get up on the chin-up bar to see how many chin-ups you can do. Record this number for comparison.
Tips and Warnings
- Be sure to include exercise for your lower body and shoulders as part of your training program.
After you can do five to six sets of eight reps, move up to the next weight. Every fourth week, do ten to twelve reps for several sets to prevent training plateaus.
- Get physician’s approval prior to starting an exercise program.
About this Author
Paula Quinene has been writing since 2006. She received her B.S. in exercise science from the University of Oregon in 1997, and is ACSM/ACE certified. Quinene has worked in the health and fitness field since 1990. She also taught CPR and first aid classes for 13 years with the American Red Cross.
