Tip: The Back-Off Chin-Up Workout

Photo Credit: Igor Huerta Garcia

6 Steps to Chin-Up Strength

This method will boost your chin-ups fast:

1. After a few warm-ups, add a little weight with a dip belt and do 5 reps.
2. For the next set, add a little weight and do 4 reps.
3. Then add a bit more and do 3 reps.
4. Add more and do 2.
5. Now do a single rep that's heavy for you, but can still be performed with a good deal of power and explosiveness.
6. After this, do two sets of bodyweight chin-ups for as many reps as possible (AMRAP).

Each week try to add a little more weight to the top single and more reps to the back-off sets.

The driver in all of this is using the right amount of weight for the top single. It shouldn't be a grinding single. This is key because when the single is very difficult to complete, it'll tax your nervous system to the point where your back-off sets just suck. You won't be able to do as many bodyweight reps as you could've and you won't experience the same benefits.