Lat Development

Q: Which works the Latissimus Dorsi better, pull-ups or chins-ups?

A: Firstly let me distinguish the difference between these two exercises. A pull-up is an upper body compound pulling exercise where the body is suspended by extended arms, gripping a fixed bar, then pulled up until the elbows are bent and the head is higher than the hands, utilising an overhand (pronated) grip. Now with a chin-up the only difference is that you utilise a under-hand (supinated) grip. While both the pull-up and chin-up target the lats the pull-up wins the contest. If your goal is to enhance that V-tapered look concentrate on a wide variation of the pull-up. Chins are great for working lower lats and biceps, but pull-ups reign supreme for lat width and overall size.

Pull-Up followed by Chin-Up


Peter Mamo
Physique Personal Training
Fitness First Darlinghurst