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Direction-of-travel diagram for the vertical pull pattern. Photography for the Chin-Up is not shot yet.
CalisthenicsIn review

Chin-Up

A vertical bodyweight pull using an underhand grip on a fixed bar.

This page is a working draft. A coach has not reviewed it, so read it as a starting point, not as checked instruction.

Pattern
Vertical pull
Modality
Calisthenics
Difficulty
Intermediate
Mechanic
Unknown
Force
Unknown
Laterality
Bilateral
Impact
Low
Trains where
Gym
At home
No

How to do it

Set up

  1. Hang from a pull-up bar with an underhand grip and straight arms.

Do the rep

  1. Pull your elbows down and bring your chin above the bar.
  2. Lower to straight arms with a controlled descent.

What counts as a rep

A rep counts when the chin clears the bar and the arms return to a straight hang.

One rep starts in a straight-arm hang, reaches the top when the chin clears the bar, and ends in a controlled straight-arm hang.

Breathing

Exhale as you pull above the bar; inhale during the descent.

Cues

  • Keep the hang quiet
  • Pull elbows toward ribs
  • Lower smoothly

Common mistakes

  • Shortening the bottom position

    What you seeThe next rep starts before the arms straighten.

    FixFinish each descent with straight arms and control.

    Straight arms give every chin-up the same starting range.

  • Chin stays below the bar

    What you seeThe pull reverses before the chin clears the bar.

    FixReduce the rep target or add assistance so every rep clears the bar.

    Clearing the bar distinguishes a complete pull from a shortened rep.

Stop the set if

  • Stop if you feel sharp pain.
  • Stop if your grip slips or you cannot return to a controlled hang.
  • End the set when you cannot meet the stated range under control.

General educational content, not individual coaching or medical advice.

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