Chin-Ups don't get enough credit as a big-time bicep-building exercise.
However, they can actually be even more effective than most curls, primarily due to the increase in load being placed on the biceps by using your bodyweight.
Positionally, you can also then force more workload onto the biceps by keeping your body as vertical possible while keeping your face close to the bar. This gives you maximum elbow flexion work, which is bicep work.
In addition to THAT, you can do THIS.
You can stretch a pair of bands over the power rack cross-beam then clamp down on them WHILE you're doing a chin-up.
Why does this work? Because it doesn't look like it should...
Here's the thing about this one...it doesn't directly add resistance to the biceps while doing the exercise, like if you were to add a plate or a dumbbell to the movement.
It increases ACTIVATION.
One of the best ways to increase activation in the biceps in the chin-up is to use the cue of squeezing the bar as hard as you can.
This method is a way to force you to squeeze it even HARDER.
And it will light up your biceps with an insane contraction.
Just FYI, this is an advanced exercise. You should be able to do at least 8-10 regular chin-ups before trying this one. It's a great way for an advanced trainer to jack up the intensity on the biceps without adding weight to the exercise.
How to Set Up Band Clamp Chin-Ups
To do this one, you'll need a few things...a pair of bands, a power rack and a bar.
For bands, I found the green ones to work the best for this (medium/thick). The thinner ones don't give enough resistance and because they're thinner, they dig into the hands rather than forcing you to clamp down.
Hitch the bands to the back cross-beam of the power rack using a simple bale hitch (putting the end of the band through itself around the beam).
Set the safety rails of the rack as high as you can set them then set a bar on the rails, against the uprights.
Next, grab the band ends and bring them over top of the other cross-beam (or chin-up bar) of the rack.
Now hold both band ends with your right hand then duck your left arm under the bar and grab them.
Duck your right arm under the bar and grab the right band.
Get the ends of the bands gripped flat in your palms.
Pull the bands down then grip onto the bar, clamping the bands down in your hands.
While this may seem complex in pictures and written words, once you see it done in the video (and do it once or twice yourself) you'll see it's actually pretty easy.
Now bend your knees and get into the bottom position of the chin-up. If you have a taller rack, you might be able to do this with straight legs, but likely you will need to bend your knees.
Now do a bicep-focused chin-up, meaning keep your body as vertical as you can and bring your face close to the bar.
Come up as high as you can to get the full contraction on the biceps.
Come down then go up again, squeezing the bands and the biceps hard on the way up.
You literally will be just doing normal chin-ups here...the clamping action of the bands will LIGHT UP your biceps by forcing you to grip the bar harder...the action of which I find goes directly into the biceps.
Do as many reps as you can with good form. Stand up and release the bands then repeat after a rest.
When you're done, your biceps will start swelling up like balloons.
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For a powerful Positions of Flexion complete bicep-building workout, follow this exercise with an incline curl variation, targeting the stretch position of the biceps, like Bench-End Incline Curls then follow that with Beside-the-Head Concentration Curls to hit the peak contraction.
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Want more unique and challenging exercises to work your entire body with simple equipment? All you need is just a barbell, dumbbells and a bench. Check out The Best Home Gym Exercises You've Never Heard Of!
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