Body-weight exercises give you the ability to get a workout with little to no equipment. All you need to perform chin-ups and pull-ups is a pull-up bar. Unlike other body-weight exercises, pull-ups and chin-ups require you to move the entire weight of your body. Although these two exercises are often thought of as one and the same, they are actually different.
Identification
You perform chin-ups and pull-ups by pulling your body up to the bar and lowering yourself down. The main difference is in your hand position. You use an overhand grip for pull-ups and an underhand grip for chin-ups. An overhand grip means your palms are facing away from your body.
Muscles Worked
Chin-ups and pull-ups both work similar muscles, but the emphasis is different when you change your grip. Both exercises target the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius and biceps. The lats run from the lower to upper back, and they form a "V" shape when they are defined. The rhomboids and traps are in the center of the upper back, and the biceps are on the front of the upper arms. When you do chin-ups, you place more emphasis on the biceps.
Proper Form
For chin-ups and pull-ups to be effective, you need to execute proper form. You do a basic pull-up by placing your hands about shoulder-width apart on the bar. Bend your knees, and cross your lower legs behind your body. Steadily pull yourself up until your chin reaches the bar, and slowly lower yourself back down. When you pull yourself up, let your elbows move out to your sides.
The form with chin-ups is slightly different. Position your hands the same distance apart as with pull-ups, but in an underhand grip. Cross your legs, and pull yourself up as far as possible. But this time keep your elbows in front of your torso. Slowly lower yourself down, and repeat.
Variations
By changing your hand position, you can alter the emphasis on your body. For example, by moving your hands wider apart with pull-ups, you place more emphasis on the outer part of your lats. If you bring your hands closer together, you place more emphasis on the middle of your back. Performing chin-ups with a wide grip places more emphasis on the inner part of your biceps, and a closer grip will shift the focus to your outer biceps.
Tips
With any variation, it is important to not use momentum or sway back and forth when pulling yourself up to the bar. To prevent this from happening, contract your abs throughout. This is called bracing. Not only will this improve your form, but it will also protect your spine.
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