By Callie Durbrow
Mar 2, 2010
Chin ups are one of the best upper body exercises because they are excellent for promoting fat loss and they tax the muscular system and burn a large amount of calories.
Many people (especially women) shy away from chin ups because they seem very daunting. Most people simply need a starting point and a way to progress without getting frustrated.
In part one of this series I discussed the most effective way to begin a chin up strength program. Once you have progressed through your inverted row series and are able to perform 3 sets of several repetitions either with your feet on the floor or on a bench, you should progress to the next step.
The best way to begin a chin up program …show more content…
Assisted Chin Ups:
Many fitness facilities and gyms have a nautilus machine called the assisted chin up. This is not what you will use when you perform assisted chin ups. I do not recommend these machines because it is difficult to get a full range of motion and really use the muscles you are trying to activate.
For a proper assisted chin up you will need a thick stretch band or the assistance of a friend or a personal trainer to hold your legs. If you are using another person, bend your knees when you are hanging on the bar and have them place their hands under your shins for assistance.
For this article I will assume that you are using a stretch band because this is the most effective. Using a fitness trainer or a friend can also help but the manual assistance is hard to judge. Follow these steps for a killer upper body workout and one of the best fat burning exercises.
o Place a jump stretch band over the top of a chin up bar or the top bar of a squat rack.
o Slide it through to make a knot and let the rest hang down.
o Grasp the bar with a shoulder width grip and palms facing