Close-Grip Chin-Up

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Grasp the pull-up bar with an underhand (supinated) grip, with hands spaced 6-8 inches apart or slightly narrower than shoulder-width.
2. Hang from the bar with arms fully extended, crossing your ankles and bending your knees if the bar is low.
3. Depress your shoulder blades by pulling them down away from your ears to engage your lats before starting the pull.
4. Tighten your core and glutes to prevent your body from swinging during the set.

How to do it

1. Exhale as you pull your body upward by driving your elbows down toward your ribcage, aiming to bring your upper chest to the bar.
2. Continue the movement until your chin is clearly over the bar, focusing on a hard contraction in the biceps and back.
3. Inhale as you lower your body back to the starting position with a controlled, 2-3 second eccentric phase.
4. Return to a full dead hang before beginning the next repetition to ensure maximum range of motion.

Form checklist

• Keep your elbows tucked close to your torso rather than flaring them out.
• Maintain a 'proud chest' throughout the movement to avoid rounding your shoulders forward.
• Avoid using momentum or 'kipping' with your legs to reach the bar.
• Ensure your shoulder blades stay retracted and depressed at the top of the movement.
• Lower yourself until your arms are completely straight to fully stretch the lats and biceps.

Pro tips

• Focus on pulling through your elbows rather than pulling with your hands to enhance the mind-muscle connection with your lats.
• At the top of the rep, imagine trying to touch your chest to the bar to maximize rhomboid and trapezius activation.

Make it harder

• Add external resistance using a weighted vest or a dip belt with plates.
• Incorporate a 3-second pause at the peak of the contraction to increase time under tension.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the close-grip chin-up work?

The close-grip chin-up primarily targets the biceps, lats, rhomboids, and trapezius, and also works the abs and obliques as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the close-grip chin-up?

The close-grip chin-up uses pull up bar.

Is the close-grip chin-up good for beginners?

The close-grip chin-up is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• Band Bent Over One Arm KickbackBeginner · biceps, lats, rhomboids, and trapezius
• Side Step RowIntermediate · biceps, lats, rhomboids, and trapezius
• Band Assisted Chin Up From KneeIntermediate · biceps, lats, and trapezius
• Band Bent Over Lat PulldownIntermediate · lats, rhomboids, and trapezius