Chin up Bars Build Big Biceps

Written by Ed Szczepanik

Every man wants bulging biceps so many devote time and energy into bicep curls. If you do this you are overlooking the premium bicep builder, the chin up. Why the chin up over the curl? The answer is simple!

1. More weight with chin-ups over bicep curls.

2. Greater range of motion with chin ups over bicep curls.

3. More muscles involved with the chin-ups over bicep curls.

So big deal you say! Yes it is and here is why. More weight is key to more muscle size. With barbell curls a 175 lb man might use a 50 or 75 lb. Barbell. The same man must use all of his 175 lbs for chin ups. On the other hand it would be impossible for him to perform curls with a 175 lb. Barbell.

Now greater range of motion means a longer time the muscles are under tension for one repetition. It also means more work is performed by moving the weight (your body) further. More work or more exercise volume is the second key to muscular growth.

This brings us to the fact more muscles are involved in one chin up. Of particular importance is the involvement of the largest group of muscles in your upper body, the back! A broad muscular back from chin-ups stimulates greater growth in the smaller muscles like biceps and shoulders. This often overlooked principle states that basic multi-joint exercises are the best for strength and size.

If you are convinced of the logic in making chin ups the foundation for biceps growth let us look at a good routine.

Monday: Medium grip (palms away from your) chin ups. Five reps times ten sets with one to three minutes rest between sets.

Wednesday: Close grip (palms facing you) chin-ups. Three reps times ten sets with one to three minutes rest between sets.

Friday: Close grip (palms facing you) chin-ups. Perform as many as you can without stopping until you cannot do anymore. Rest ten minutes and repeat to failure, rest ten minutes and repeat to failure. That will be a total of three sets of as many as you can perform to failure.

This workout plan is for three weeks. Each week on Friday you drop one set of chin ups. Week one has three sets on Friday with week two for two sets and week three one set. The routine is structured so that on Monday you perform at medium intensity, on Wednesday light intensity, with Friday high intensity all out effort. Make sure you adjust the reps and rest periods on Monday and Wednesday so that the workouts are medium and light as indicated for the day.

After three weeks take one week off completely for rest and growth. You should see additional arm size and strength after the full week of rest and at the beginning of your second three-week routine! Not only arm size but also back, shoulders, forearms and even grip strength will be enhanced with this routine.

P.S.: Make sure you have a chin up bar in your home or apartment. You won’t be sorry!

Feedback

Hi Ed,

It's Allen, I don't know if you still remember me. Doing pushups and pullups on your EasyChin Bar (a great bar) , I am definitely seeing results. I have just achieved and finished this routine below:
Regular Grip 4 sets x 4 reps
Reverse Grip 2 sets x 4 reps
Behind-the-neck 2 sets x 4 reps
Cliffhanger 2 sets x 4 reps

What do you think of this routine? Is it more for size or strength? For my next routine, I'm thinking of increasing one rep in each set. Is this a reasonable increase?

Thanks Ed! Your EasyChin Bar is phenomenal.

-Allen

Hi Allen,

Your routine is definitely for strength especially if you have rest periods greater than a minute. If you want to develop some size increase the reps and sets so that your total volume is greater per workout. Be very careful not to overdue it and increase the volume drastically. An increase of one or two reps and or one or two sets over six weeks is plenty. Note: you must always CHANGE YOUR ROUTINE EVERY SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS. A slight change in the reps, sets, order or rest period is all that you need for a change. In addition make sure that your change allows for an easy workout at the beginning so that you can ramp up the sets or reps during your six or eight weeks peaking at that time. This will keep you growing and more importantly keep you from overtraining or injuring yourself. Good luck.

-Ed

Hi there,

I found the article on building bigger biceps using chin ups (November 2003)very interesting. I have been gyming regularly for 6 months now and am starting to realize I've in fact been working out too often! I am going to use your chin up program starting next week and am keen to see some results! Just a quick question though...what (if any) exercises should I be doing on my off days (weekends and tues and thurs)? Can I still train chest, shoulders, triceps and back? Looking forward to your response and the workout!

-Greg

Hi Greg,

Yes you can work other body parts on your days off but do take it easy on your days off. The focus is on the back and biceps for a short time. Most people go from over training to inconsistency in workouts. Slow and steady wins the race. Always record your workouts and progress. Everyone is slightly different. Do what works for you.

-Ed

You can e-mail Ed your questions or comments at info@easyeffort.com

Copyright © 2002 by Ed Szczepanik All rights reserved.

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