Is a chin-up = to the equivalent of curling your bodyweight?

[RawHawg]

It would seem on the surface that a chin up is the same as cheat curling with swing your bodyweight for one rep. Do others get that feeling, or do you find a cheat curl with your bodyweight much harder than a dead hang chin up?

 

[tdluxon]

On a chin up you can use your lats a lot more

 

[Sano]

On a chin up you can use your lats a lot more

Yeah this.

In a curl you'll use your biceps yes, when you're flexing the elbow, and a bit of shoulder flexion and hip drive/backwards lean if you're cheat curling.

During the chinup you are using your biceps as well when flexing the elbow, but you are using shoulder extension as you pull the elbows back and down which is what the lats do. The lats are very strong.

So it's the use of momentum on cheat curls vs engaging the lats on the chinup. I wouldn't be able to cheat curl my BW 10 times, not even close, so lats win here.

 

[RawHawg]

Yeah this.

In a curl you'll use your biceps yes, when you're flexing the elbow, and a bit of shoulder flexion and hip drive/backwards lean if you're cheat curling.

During the chinup you are using your biceps as well when flexing the elbow, but you are using shoulder extention as you pull the elbows back and down which is what the lats do. The lats are very strong.

So it's the use of momentum on cheat curls vs engaging the lats on the chinup. I wouldn't be able to cheat curl my BW 10 times, not even close, so lats win here.

Thank you for this excellent explanation!

 

[Hotora86]

Yeah this.

In a curl you'll use your biceps yes, when you're flexing the elbow, and a bit of shoulder flexion and hip drive/backwards lean if you're cheat curling.

During the chinup you are using your biceps as well when flexing the elbow, but you are using shoulder extention as you pull the elbows back and down which is what the lats do. The lats are very strong.

So it's the use of momentum on cheat curls vs engaging the lats on the chinup. I wouldn't be able to cheat curl my BW 10 times, not even close, so lats win here.

Great answer. I'll just add this - muscles used in chin up:

Even more detail:

I do still advise incorporating the chin up in bicep training, it makes good use of them.

 

[Sano]

Thank you for this excellent explanation!

No worries!

Great answer. I'll just add this - muscles used in chin up:

Even more detail:

I do still advise incorporating the chin up in bicep training, it makes good use of them.

Yeah if you want to get really technical about it you definitely use more muscles. The pecs (pec minor) to some degree, coracobrachialis, biceps brachii, brachialis, finger flexors (flexors digitorum), rectus abdominis to hold against lumbar extension, various core musculature to stabilise, teres major, latissimus trapezius (trap 3 if done fight) and maybe a few more I forgot.

Biceps and lats are prime movers though, rest are more or less synergists

 

[corpse]

No worries!


Yeah if you want to get really technical about it you definitely use more muscles. The pecs (pec minor) to some degree, coracobrachialis, biceps brachii, brachialis, finger flexors (flexors digitorum), rectus abdominis to hold against lumbar extension, various core musculature to stabilise, teres major, latissimus trapezius (trap 3 if done fight) and maybe a few more I forgot.

Biceps and lats are prime movers though, rest are more or less synergists

can you explain to me why so many people can do more dips than chins/pull ups? (with comparable rom/form)

is it the angle of movement or the muscle combo?

 

[Sano]

can you explain to me why so many people can do more dips than chins/pull ups? (with comparable rom/form)

is it the angle of movement or the muscle combo?

Hard to compare really. Dips are more like half repping chinups/pullups ROM wise, and they both use very different muscle synergies. Dips are more triceps and pecs, chins more biceps and lats.

Personally I don't do dips that much, and I'm better at chins/pullups than dips.

 

[corpse]

Hard to compare really. Dips are more like half repping chinups/pullups ROM wise, and they both use very different muscle synergies. Dips are more triceps and pecs, chins more biceps and lats.

Personally I don't do dips that much, and I'm better at chins/pullups than dips.

thank you.
i just wondered because with barbell or dumbbell moves the back is naturally stronger. all the calisthenics dudes can do more dips than pullups. i don't think the rom has something to do with it. maybe it's just the completely different angle. normally you also can't overhead press the weight you can pull up (bw + added weight).

ok,
have a nice day

 

[JosephDredd]

Look up a hefesto or an inverted muscle-up if you want to see someone curl their body weight. That shit is nuts.

 

[DoomPatrol]

Great answer. I'll just add this - muscles used in chin up:

Even more detail:

I do still advise incorporating the chin up in bicep training, it makes good use of them.

It's weird because the first one shows your core being targeted and the second one doesn't, but I definitely feel core activation when doing pullups and chinups.

 

[Hotora86]

It's weird because the first one shows your core being targeted and the second one doesn't, but I definitely feel core activation when doing pullups and chinups.

Good point, the core is definitely activated. Every good coach will tell you to tense up the abs and buttocks even when you've completed the downwards movement so you don't hang like a loose string of spaghetti. Prevents you from swinging too.

 

[DoomPatrol]

Good point, the core is definitely activated. Every good coach will tell you to tense up the abs and buttocks even when you've completed the downwards movement so you don't hang like a loose string of spaghetti. Prevents you from swinging too.

Yeah it's definitely activated, but I'm not really sure its enough activation to consider it working out the abs.

 

[Ultra O’Dia]

once my arms fatigue, i happily complete a few reps with a knee drive just FOR the core engagement. It becomes much more of an ab lift, then.

 

[beat...people...up?]

once my arms fatigue, i happily complete a few reps with a knee drive just FOR the core engagement. It becomes much more of an ab lift, then.

You could also hang (flexed arm) and do knee lifts or toes to bar.

 

[hearthstone25]

Superset of heavy weighted chin ups with regular barbell bicep curls

Rest

Superset of heavy weighted pull ups with reverse barbell bicep curls

This made my arms bigger fo sho