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Chin ups are one of the best upper body strength exercises and are excellent for promoting fat loss because they tax the muscular system and burn a large amount of calories. The problem occurs when chin ups become a daunting exercise because they are so difficult for many people, especially women. Because of this, many individuals (men and women) shy away from the exercise because they just don’t know where to start.

In this three part series of articles I will break down the exercise and give tips on how to build up your strength and fitness so you can begin to perform them on a regular basis.

A lot of people resort to exercises like lat pull downs and rows because they cannot perform chin ups. These are great movements but if you really want to develop a strong and fit body with a high potential for fat loss and calorie burn, then you need to perform larger movements and chin ups are one of the best.

The best way to begin a chin up program is to seek the help of a qualified and nationally certified personal trainer. A trainer can help you to develop a proper scheme of repetitions and monitor your progress so that you know when you are ready to take the next step or modify your technique if necessary.

If you do not have access or resources for a fitness trainer, then here is the first step toward developing a solid chin up program.

Inverted Rows or Body Rows:

Inverted rows are also called body rows and these are a great starting point for people who cannot yet perform a chin up. In order to perform an inverted row, set up a barbell in the squat rack at just above waist height. You want this height for now and as you get stronger you will lower it a notch or two.

o Lie on your back under the bar with your knees bent

o Grasp the bar with a shoulder width grip, arms straight

o Lift your hips off the ground

o Pull your shoulder blades down and back to activate your upper back muscles

o Using your back as the primary mover, pull your body up with your chest coming toward the bar

o Slowly lower your body toward the floor without relaxing your back muscles at the end of the movement

o Repeat for as many repetitions as you can, 3 sets

Once you can perform 3 sets of 8 repetitions, lower the bar one notch and continue to build up the repetitions. You always want enough room to fully extend your arms without releasing the tension in your upper back. Having a personal trainer watch your technique is important because you want to maintain a tight and straight back without using momentum.

As you progress in this fitness program and your strength increases, you can straighten your legs, then eventually elevate your feet on a bench and set the bar at waist height. You should be able to perform 3 sets of anywhere from 6-12 repetitions.

Use this progressive model to improve your upper body strength and fitness levels. Stay tuned for the second part of this article to learn more about chin up progressions. You are now well on your way to building up great strength, developing a toned and fit looking upper body, and boosting your metabolism to burn a ton of body fat.

Callie Durbrow is a Boston personal trainer and she runs small group training programs for busy individuals looking to lose fat and get toned. Click here for more fitness training tips.