Chin Ups Vs. Pull Ups

Just to clarify:

Chin Ups work the back but mainly the biceps right?

Pull Ups work the upper back and gives you that V shape?

What else do these two exercises work?

So what grip should i be using for pullups then? Currently I use the wide grip.

This is what I always thought - hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Both use the lats - the big muscles of the upper back, one of the main muscles in the 'V'. Plus lots of the other muscles in the upper back are worked but the lats do most of the work.

However, pullups (palms away) use the brachialis (muscle under the bicep) and less bicep than chin-ups do. AS the bicep is a stronger, bigger muscle, you can do more chinups than pullups - usually.

As for grip width, I have always used roughly a shoulder width grip. Except for chins I have a hard time holding onto the bar unless I use a fairly close grip. I would think a wide grip would reduce the ROM as you are pulling yourself a smaller distance. I dont beleive the phrase "wide grip pullups = wide back". I have never done wide grip pullups and my back is quite wide.

As XenNova said, sternum pullups are a very good uper body pulling exercise because of the extended ROM over a normal pullup.

I would rotate between grips. A neutral grip (palms facing each other) is usually the strongest grip, the grip where you'll pull more weight or perform more reps. A palms away grip is usually the hardest. I use this grip the most at the moment as I have a specific goal. I want to acheive 10x10 BW pullups in 10 mins. Play around and see what you prefer.

You guys already summed up which grip works what. So as far as what grip I use. I alternate. I always do palms facing away. Wide grip, shoulder width grip,parallel grip, and commando grip. I do two sets of each.

A good alternative is take the rope that most people use for tricep pushdowns, and through it over the bar. Use it as the bar for pulling up. It is a fun and effective alternative.

Which one is better for overall development?

It depends on who you ask, and what you would like to prioritize. I prefer the palms facing away.

too wide pullups hurt my shoulders

Palm facing away is my fav by far.

I did a 5x5 of pull ups today.  It felt good.  Not done pull ups in a while.

I had for the past 3 months or so been doing wide grip pull ups.  Got  nice fat lats now but I was in that time doing a lot of Gymnastics though so that helped.

Both are good.  Mix it in with some wide ones also.  It doesn't take much time to do them and if you can do one you have a pull up bar so you can do the others.

Koing

I did a 5x5 of pull ups today.  It felt good.  Not done pull ups in a while.

I had for the past 3 months or so been doing wide grip pull ups.  Got  nice fat lats now but I was in that time doing a lot of Gymnastics though so that helped.

Both are good.  Mix it in with some wide ones also.  It doesn't take much time to do them and if you can do one you have a pull up bar so you can do the others.

Koing

I did a 5x5 of pull ups today.  It felt good.  Not done pull ups in a while.

I had for the past 3 months or so been doing wide grip pull ups.  Got  nice fat lats now but I was in that time doing a lot of Gymnastics though so that helped.

Both are good.  Mix it in with some wide ones also.  It doesn't take much time to do them and if you can do one you have a pull up bar so you can do the others.

Koing


I did a 5x5 of pull ups today.  It felt good.  Not
done pull ups in a while.

I had for the past 3 months or so been doing wide grip
pull ups.  Got  nice fat lats now but I was in that
time doing a lot of Gymnastics though so that helped.

Both are good.  Mix it in with some wide ones also. 
It doesn't take much time to do them and if you can do
one you have a pull up bar so you can do the others.

Koing

I did a 5x5 of pull ups today. It felt good. Not done pull ups in a while.
I had for the past 3 months or so been doing wide grip pull ups. Got nice fat lats now but I was in that time doing a lot of Gymnastics though so that helped.

Both are good. Mix it in with some wide ones also. It doesn't take much time to do them and if you can do one you have a pull up bar so you can do the others.

Koing

I did a 5x5 of pull ups today. It felt good. Not done pull ups in a while.

I had for the past 3 months or so been doing wide grip pull ups. Got nice fat lats now but I was in that time doing a lot of Gymnastics though so that helped.

Both are good. Mix it in with some wide ones also. It doesn't take much time to do them and if you can do one you have a pull up bar so you can do the others.

Koing

I did a 5x5 of pull ups today. It felt good. Not done pull ups in a while.

Wait, wtf?

Once you get up to a decent amount of reps, it won't make much of a
difference. My suggestion is do them palms facing in, palms facing
out, close grip both ways, etc. I avoid wide as it aggrevates a shoulder
problem that I have.

I do pullups that is applicable to judo.

I throw a judo gi over the bar and do pullups gripping the cloth.

Also I do isometrics holds with palms facing me. This will simulate pins. I hold for a count of 5 and do 5 sets of them (25 seconds total).

Yo Binhster, I do the same but instead of bringing my entire gi to the gym I use towels. The added tension of keep the towel taut makes the pullups a little more challenging.

Robert Van DeWalle mentions this training method in his book on Pickups.

Nice article for chin ups and pull ups:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/charles4.htm

ttt