neutral grip chinups

I remember reading somewhere that neutral-grip chins are the best activator of the lats, and the strongest mechanical position to do pullups.
I tried them the other day and I was stronger due to the fact the wrist and elbow are in a natural mechanical position and do not hinder the latissimus dorsi's action of pulling the upper arm back. I was just fooling around to try them, but the next day I had nice DOMS in my lats!
Until now I have been doing supinated chins (underhand) for lats and biceps and BOTH have been lagging. I am going to try to hit the lats harder with neutral grip chins and then do biceps seperately with DB curls.
Tomorrow I will buy a 3/4"x16" steel pipe, (2) 3/4"x36" steel pipes, tie them together with steel elbows and bolt them on top of my power rack, so I can do heavy-weighted neutral-grip chins and watch my back swell up like a tick! The parallel grips will end up being about 18 inches apart.

charles4ddbig.jpg
 
I'm strongest doing pull-ups like this and feel it in both the lats and biceps pretty equally.
 
I have performed a lot of neutral grip pull-ups and I feel that they are the most natural and comfortable position for your arms to be in.

However, I do find that I can pull slightly more load when I use a supinated grip and do chins. The downside to supine grip chins with heavy loads (after end of 5s) is that I develop some nasty pains in my forarms due to the rotation of my hands in the most stretched position following the exercise. My left forearm has been bothering me for about 3 weeks now and really needs some SD. But I still have nearly 3 weeks to the end of my cut. I'm switching back to neutral grip pull-ups as these don't hurt at all and will try sets of 3s to match the load I was using for chins.
 
I'm suprised to hear someone pulling more with supinated chins compared to neutral, but there you go, we are all different.

I have found the same thing as sci mus - supinated chins on their own are not enough for biceps or lats. For lats, I like pronated grip, but have recently introduced neutral grip as well.
 
Are neutral-grip chins the same as hammer chins? I wanted to try them myself, but the rack they're attached to at my gym is like 10 feet in the air....I don't know how I'd attach my 90 or so pounds to the dipping belt, climb up on a bench, then reach up to do the lift, then getting down safely. If anyone has a clue how to do this, I'd sure like to hear it. That's the main reason I do regular weighted chins....
 
There is a picture of neutral chins in 1st post of this thread.

As for how to do them, if you ask someone to support the weight you have on the belt as you climb up and down, shouldn't be a problem as the weight should be hanging low enough to do it comfortably.
 
Where exactly is that pain in your forearms Lol? I think I get the same thing, but it didnt go away when I SDed and did 15s. I had to cut out curls this cycle cause they were just killing my forearms.
 
I did neutral/hammer grip chins my last cycle and made some real strenth gains. However, I want to widen my lats more (need some "wings") and am thinking of going to regular pronated chins this cycle. Is the concensus that pronate chins are better for width, or are their other opinions?
 
Width is simply a matter of size. Large lats look wide, small lats don't. It is kind of like people who want more inner chest definition, the only way they will get it is to get bigger pectorals, it may take years to get the pectorals big enough to where the inner chest shows nicely. Changing exercises to hit different areas of the pectorals/lats/whatever is not the answer.

If pronated pullups allow you to load the lats heavier, then yes they will give you a wider back faster. If neutral grip allows you to load the lats heavier, then go with that. You want to find the exercises which stimulate the lats most effectively. I believe neutral grip chinups to be the best for loading the lats...so that is what I will do.
 
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(bgates1654 @ Apr. 09 2007,04:06)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Where exactly is that pain in your forearms Lol? I think I get the same thing, but it didnt go away when I SDed and did 15s. I had to cut out curls this cycle cause they were just killing my forearms.</div>
This cycle it is just affecting my left forearm but it has affected both before. I seem to be susceptible to this issue.

I get the pain deep inside my forearm and have been trying to figure out what it actually is. My conclusion at the moment is that it is a bit like shin splints, so there may be an issue with insertions on the ulna or radius. It's certainly very uncomfortable and prevents me from being able to do shoulder presses with a barbell.

All kinds of supine curls are unpleasant and even hammer curls are not good either. Too much strain directly on the various forearm muscles doing those.

I have been using a machine press with a neutral grip instead which has been helping. Same for bench. In fact, I'm having to do all neutral grip presses and chins while it heals (and I'm sure it would heal a lot quicker if I kept off the weights for a while).

All the best with your situation too.
 
I've not done neutral grips. I did wide pullups for years, and when I switched to narrow grip pullups, my lats flared out.
Could be 3 reasons:
1.) switching exersizes after wearing one out
2.) I could pull heavier loads with narrow, resulting in more growth
3.) This one is for certain: Narrow grip gives a longer ROM to the muscle.

I suspect that neutral may use a few more of the synergistic musculature in the lifts, just seeing as to how the pull is applied a little more to the front than to the sides, where the lats live. I couldn't say wether that is good or bad, but probably the best way is the one you like the most and are willing to do hard.
 
Lol, I think we may have the same problem. It feels a lot like shin splints. The locality of the pain for me is in the middle of the forearm, about 2 inches wide, right next to the ulna on the under side. Even when there is no chronic pain, pressure on that area can be excruciating. Mine started with weighted underhand pullups. Curls (in the 2nd week of 5s) hurt like hell and oddly enough fully supinated hurts far less than neutral grip/hammer curls. I started doing overhand pullups and cut curls from my workout and they seem to be healing even while doing OHP and bench with a barbell. It doesnt seem to be golfer's or tennis elbow, but I am no doctor.
 
<div>
(bgates1654 @ Apr. 09 2007,17:59)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Lol, I think we may have the same problem. It feels a lot like shin splints. The locality of the pain for me is in the middle of the forearm, about 2 inches wide, right next to the ulna on the under side. Even when there is no chronic pain, pressure on that area can be excruciating. Mine started with weighted underhand pullups. Curls (in the 2nd week of 5s) hurt like hell and oddly enough fully supinated hurts far less than neutral grip/hammer curls. I started doing overhand pullups and cut curls from my workout and they seem to be healing even while doing OHP and bench with a barbell. It doesnt seem to be golfer's or tennis elbow, but I am no doctor.</div>
We have a thread within a thread going on here!
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Yup. Sounds very similar. Forearms are stuffed full of muscles and it has been difficult to pinpoint the exact area where the pain emanates from.

I too think I first experienced the problem from weighted chins at the end of 5s. I think, once I was a bit fatigued, I was allowing myself to drop too quickly to the lowest (most stretched) point before a max effort to haul myself up again. (Bit like the way I injured my right calf doing seated calf raises.) It was probably just a bit too much strain on my forearms in the fully extended position with body weight plus the extra load. I don't think it would have happened if I had stuck with doing the neutral grip chins though.

Next cycle I will stick with neutral grip chins and see if I can avoid the problem. Just hoping that it will have time to heal before I'm back on the heavy stuff again.
 
I for one am 100% sold on these. Now that I have tried a true workout with these, my experience is as follows:

Pronated (overhand) grip- limited strength due to weak position of elbow flexors.

Supinated (underhand) grip- limited due to straining stretch of wrist joint.

Neutral (parallel) grip- natural feel, no limit to mechanical strength, really felt it working the lats, as the arms were not as strained in such a mechanically advantageous position. (which is why I added curls, the neutral grip allow heavy overload of lats, because the elbow flexors don't have to work as hard)
 
thats a nice set up. i like your idea of the neutral grip chins a lot and will have to look around the gym and see if i can work up something similar.

put some C clamps or something on the back U part of the bar where its duct taped to your rack. if that tape ever got old/failed and you shifted your wgt while chinning it looks like youd have a hell of hole in your ceiling, not to mention what would happen to you.

nice work.
 
I just began my 15's and havent done my chinups yet, I'm glad I have the opportunity to change them to neutral to not change my workout. Let's try this neutral grip out!
 
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