The controversy between chin ups vs. pull ups has been going on for years. Not many people can agree about which way is the best way to grip a bar in order to pull your body weight. Although this is true, this is more than just how you prefer to grip the bar with your hands; it has effects on which muscles are built up and used during your exercise routine.
For clarification purposes a chin up is when you grasp a bar with your palms facing towards you then you pull your body up until your chin is over the bar you had just grasped. Your hands are generally at shoulders width or closer when performing this exercise. The lat muscles and biceps are the ones that benefit most from performing this routine.
A pull up is when your palms are facing away from you when you grasp the bar or at a 90 degree grip angled from the bar. The separation of your grasp is generally greater than shoulder width. When you pull yourself up with this exercise you can place your chin above the bar or have your head go under the bar and touch it with the back of your neck. The muscles that are used for this exercise include the lat muscles and the teres major.
Both chin ups and the pull ups are considered compound exercises. This to say they work multiple muscles at the same time during the exercise. This is an effective way of building up muscles for strength purposes. The larger the range of motion an exercise permits the body to move thru is what is most beneficial for a greater number of people. Because you go high, and then lower yourself with hands closer together, the chin up is the preferred exercise. This especially applies to those wishing to build their biceps.
Pull ups are beneficial to those wishing to increase the muscle tone of their back muscles with focus on the lats and teres. This is the exercise you use to help give your back a wider appearance.
What both types of exercise do is to help develop the arms and shoulders along with the middle and upper back muscles. The pull up is considered more difficult because of the nature of exercise. For this reason many just skip it or avoid it on purpose.
The way you grip the bar will also affect just how your body is exercised with either of these exercises. The closer your grip is together, the more your biceps will be used to pull your body up. The wider the grip is, the weaker position your biceps are in and your lats will then take a blunt of the exercise.
The width of your grip should be limited to twice that of your shoulder space. Too wide of a grip can lead to shoulder problems. The wider the grip the less range of motion the exercise will also have. Both of these are negative and should be avoided for those reasons.
The winner of the chin ups vs. pull ups is the person that includes both in their regular routine. They both have similar purposes but accomplish them differently. By including both, you will have a better rounded body that will not only perform better but look better. Chin ups and pull ups are fantastic bodyweight exercises.
Here is an example of each to help you see the difference.
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