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Chin-Ups vs Pull-Ups: Which Should a Beginner Learn First?

by Cristian Serb · published 2026-09-11 · 5 min read

A man seen from behind at the top of a pull-up on an outdoor bar

A chin-up uses an underhand grip and a pull-up an overhand grip, and that is the whole difference. The chin-up recruits more biceps and chest, the pull-up more lower trapezius, and the lats work equally hard in both. For a beginner with healthy shoulders the chin-up comes first because the extra biceps makes the first rep arrive sooner; with any shoulder history, the overhand pull-up does.

Say where you stand. CaliRep sets the target. coming soon

What is the difference between a chin-up and a pull-up?

The difference between a chin-up and a pull-up is the grip: a chin-up holds the bar underhand, palms facing you, and a pull-up holds it overhand, palms facing away. Everything else in the standard is identical. Both start from a full dead hang, both finish with the chin above the bar, both are lowered under control, and neither allows a kick or a swing. The form standard is spelled out in how to do your first pull-up.

The grip changes the position of the forearm, and the forearm position changes which of the helping muscles get the most work. That is the entire physiology of the argument.

Which muscles does each grip use more?

Each grip uses the lats equally and shifts the helpers. Youdas et al. (2010) measured 7 muscles in 25 people doing pull-ups and chin-ups and recorded the lats at 117 to 130 percent of a maximal isometric contraction in both, with no difference between grips. The chest and the biceps were significantly more active in the chin-up; the lower trapezius was significantly more active in the pull-up. The elbow travelled through 93 degrees in the pull-up and 101 in the chin-up.

Muscle	Chin-up (underhand)	Pull-up (overhand)	Source
Latissimus dorsi	117 to 130 percent MVIC	117 to 130 percent MVIC, no difference	Youdas et al. 2010
Biceps brachii	Significantly higher	78 to 96 percent MVIC	Youdas et al. 2010
Pectoralis major	Significantly higher	44 to 57 percent MVIC	Youdas et al. 2010
Lower trapezius	45 to 56 percent MVIC	Significantly higher	Youdas et al. 2010
Middle trapezius	not measured	60.1 percent MVIC, against 37.1 for neutral grip	Dickie et al. 2017

Dickie et al. (2017) tested underhand, overhand, neutral and rope grips in 19 trained men and found the shoulder, arm and forearm muscles activated to a similar degree across a full rep in all 4, with the overhand grip standing out only for the middle trapezius. The takeaway for a beginner is that the grip decides the flavour, not the meal. Both grips are a back exercise first and an arm exercise second. The full list of muscles with their numbers is in what muscles do pull-ups work.

Which is easier for a beginner?

The chin-up is easier for most beginners, because the underhand grip adds biceps and chest to a rep that is otherwise the same. The biceps is the muscle a beginner is most likely to have trained by accident, carrying shopping and lifting children, and the chin-up lets it help. The evidence is not unanimous, though. Urbanczyk et al. (2020) modelled shoulder forces in 11 men and found it was the overhand front grip that favoured the biceps and brachialis, with the wide grip favouring the lats and the underhand grip the rotator cuff. Youdas measured muscle activity and Urbanczyk modelled muscle force, and they disagree on where the biceps works hardest; the honest summary is that the chin-up’s advantage is real for most people and small.

“Most” is not “all”. Someone with a strong grip and forearms from climbing or manual work may find the overhand version arrives first. The rungs under both are the same: dead hang, scapular pull-ups, inverted rows, negative pull-ups, then band assisted reps. Train the rungs with whichever grip your wrists tolerate and test both when the band comes off.

Which is safer for the shoulder?

The overhand pull-up at shoulder width is the version neither shoulder study flagged, and the chin-up is the one both did. Prinold and Bull (2016) tracked scapular movement in 11 regular pull-up trainees across front, reverse and wide grips and found the reverse technique, which is the underhand chin-up grip, showed extreme internal and external rotation at the shoulder joint, and the wide grip a reduced range of shoulder blade movement, both patterns they linked to impingement risk. Urbanczyk et al. (2020) found the same underhand grip produced the highest proportional rotator cuff load of the 3 techniques.

That does not make chin-ups dangerous for a healthy shoulder; both papers describe a loading pattern in 11 men each, not an injury rate. It does decide the tie. If you have had shoulder pain, an impingement diagnosis, or a rotator cuff problem, learn the overhand pull-up at shoulder width first and treat the chin-up as the variation you add later. If a chin-up hurts your wrist or the inside of your elbow, switch to neutral or overhand; the lats do not care.

Does grip width matter?

Grip width matters less than the fitness industry says. Andersen et al. (2014) had 15 men perform 6 rep maximum lat pulldowns, the machine version of the same pull, at narrow, medium and wide grips and found similar lat, trapezius and infraspinatus activation across all 3, with the narrow and medium grips lifting more weight (80.3 and 80.0 kilograms against 77.3 wide). A wide grip does not build a wider back. It builds a weaker rep with the shoulder blade pattern that Prinold and Bull (2016) linked to impingement risk.

Shoulder width, or a little wider, is the width for both grips. Hands 1 to 1.5 times shoulder width apart, elbows finishing beside the ribs on a chin-up and slightly behind them on a pull-up.

So which should you learn first?

Learn the chin-up first if your shoulders are healthy and the underhand grip suits your wrists and elbows, because the same lats plus more biceps and chest mean the first strict rep arrives sooner. Learn the pull-up first if you have any shoulder history, because the overhand grip at shoulder width is the one neither shoulder paper flagged. Every rung under the two is shared, so nothing is wasted either way, and once you have 3 to 5 strict reps of one (rule of thumb), add the other and alternate them; the pull-up’s extra lower trapezius work is worth having.

The rung and set structure that gets you there is in the beginner calisthenics workout plan, and a first target to test toward is in how to start calisthenics.

When I built CaliRep I kept the grip out of it on purpose: the app takes your rep count for pull-up, push-up and dip, and which way your palms faced is your business, because the lats do not know. You enter the number, 0 included, and a goal workout is 6 sessions ending in 1 attempt at a target computed from that number and held fixed until you reach it. The first goal workout, Foundation, is free.

Questions people actually ask

Are chin-ups easier than pull-ups?

For most people, yes. Youdas et al. (2010) measured significantly higher biceps and chest activation in the chin-up than in the pull-up, so the underhand grip brings more muscle to the same rep. The difference is small, and someone with strong forearms and a weak biceps may find the reverse.

Do chin-ups and pull-ups work the same muscles?

Mostly. Youdas et al. (2010) recorded the lats at 117 to 130 percent of a maximal contraction in both, with no difference between grips. What shifts is the support: more biceps and chest in the chin-up, more lower trapezius in the pull-up. Dickie et al. (2017) found overall activation similar across 4 grips.

Which is better for building a wide back?

Neither by a useful margin. The lats are the muscle that widens the back and they work equally hard in both grips. Andersen et al. (2014) found the same lat activation across narrow, medium and wide grips in the lat pulldown, the machine version of the same movement.

Is a chin-up or a pull-up safer for the shoulder?

The overhand grip at shoulder width is the one neither study flagged. Prinold and Bull (2016) found the wide grip and the underhand grip showed kinematics linked to impingement risk, and Urbanczyk et al. (2020) found the underhand grip put the largest share of the load on the rotator cuff. Anyone with a shoulder history should start overhand at shoulder width.

Should I learn chin-ups or pull-ups first?

Chin-ups if your shoulders are healthy and the underhand grip suits your wrists and elbows, because the first strict rep arrives sooner. Pull-ups if you have any shoulder history, because the overhand grip is the one the shoulder studies did not flag. Every rung under the two is the same, and once you have 3 to 5 of one, add the other.

Does a neutral grip count as a chin-up or a pull-up?

It sits between them. Dickie et al. (2017) found the neutral grip produced less middle trapezius activation than the overhand grip, 37.1 against 60.1 percent of maximum, with the rest of the shoulder and arm similar. Most people find it the most comfortable of the 3 on the wrists.