Why Rack Chins?

[quote]josh86 wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
there is none. I’m sorry, a bigger guy can say all he wants on this, but from a biomechanical standpoint it ain’t gonna make a difference, assuming all other things equal. Just use a belt if you want to use more weight for a chinup.

But hey, variety in exercises makes things fun. Rather than only doing 1 or 2 great exercises, you have another variation.

there I said it.

You are wrong. I’ve done them both and Rack Chins by far stretch the lats and hit them much harder than a regular weighted pull-up. I don’t even care what the science says behind it…real world application is what matters. And I can FEEL the difference…there is zero doubt about this.[/quote]

Also just to throw it out there, it seems like its hardest at the bottom, which makes sense about the stretch part. Its a tad easier at the top the way the legs are positioned. Unless I’m doing them wrong.

I’m in love with these, always struggled to progress with traditional pull-ups - strangely not with chin-ups though…

Why do them?

Because I have miles of new stretch marks exploding on my lats and arm pits after starting them a month ago.

[quote]tribunaldude wrote:
L.O.L

You funny…

jehovasfitness wrote:
from a biomechanical standpoint it ain’t gonna make a difference, assuming all other things equal.

[/quote]

Unfortunately nobody else noticed he was joking :D.

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
there is none. I’m sorry, a bigger guy can say all he wants on this, but from a biomechanical standpoint it ain’t gonna make a difference, assuming all other things equal. Just use a belt if you want to use more weight for a chinup.

But hey, variety in exercises makes things fun. Rather than only doing 1 or 2 great exercises, you have another variation.

there I said it.[/quote]

That’s like saying that there is no difference between a back squat, a front squat, and a zercher squat. From the waist down they’re all identical movements. But, the placement of the resistance and the angle of pull changes which muscles get targeted/emphasized.

The same can be said of rack chins as opposed to regular pull-ups. Also, as many have already said, the stretch on the lats is far greater at the bottom of a rack chin than at the bottom of a regular pull-up.

I love rack chins, I think they are vastly superior to regular wide grip pulldowns. Unfortunately I don’t do them too often since my back days usually are when my training partner isn’t available. I have to admit that sometimes I Just “forget” about them as well hah. They are a great exercise though IMO.

[quote]Sentoguy wrote:

That’s like saying that there is no difference between a back squat, a front squat, and a zercher squat. From the waist down they’re all identical movements. But, the placement of the resistance and the angle of pull changes which muscles get targeted/emphasized.

[/quote]

I don’t buy that analogy.

So, you’re telling me rack chins because of where the weight is shifted emphasizes different muscles than a pull-up?

I’m not knocking the exercise, and I will say I’ve never done them. Flame away, and I’m not saying I’m right, but this is just my thoughts. Just seems because some big guys do a movement in a hyped program that everyone thinks it’s the best exercise there is.

It has its place I’m sure. But to say it’s superior to a pull-up? Really? Why?
Don’t say what you said above. And don’t say it stretches the lats more? How so?

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
But to say it’s superior to a pull-up? Really? Why?
Don’t say what you said above. And don’t say it stretches the lats more? How so?[/quote]

More rhomboid stimulation, as well as moving the scapulae in a different plane perhaps?

Can someone post a vid or link? I’m not sure I’m following this exactly…

Thanks!

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
Sentoguy wrote:

That’s like saying that there is no difference between a back squat, a front squat, and a zercher squat. From the waist down they’re all identical movements. But, the placement of the resistance and the angle of pull changes which muscles get targeted/emphasized.

I don’t buy that analogy.

So, you’re telling me rack chins because of where the weight is shifted emphasizes different muscles than a pull-up?

I’m not knocking the exercise, and I will say I’ve never done them. Flame away, and I’m not saying I’m right, but this is just my thoughts. Just seems because some big guys do a movement in a hyped program that everyone thinks it’s the best exercise there is.

It has its place I’m sure. But to say it’s superior to a pull-up? Really? Why?
Don’t say what you said above. And don’t say it stretches the lats more? How so?[/quote]

It works well because the people doing them have bigger lats than you.

Good enough?

[quote]Therizza wrote:
Jason Wojo Rack Chins - YouTube [/quote]

How tall is that guy? Anybody know? I’m trying to see how wide i should be going. I see his hands are alllllllll the way out as far as they can go. Not sure if I should mimick that if he is 6’ 5 as I am 5’10.

[quote]Therizza wrote:
Jason Wojo Rack Chins - YouTube [/quote]

Sweet, thanks… yeah, I sit here bored at work all day and can’t figure out that I should just go to youtube. Geez…

[quote]Stronghold wrote:
jehovasfitness wrote:
Sentoguy wrote:

That’s like saying that there is no difference between a back squat, a front squat, and a zercher squat. From the waist down they’re all identical movements. But, the placement of the resistance and the angle of pull changes which muscles get targeted/emphasized.

I don’t buy that analogy.

So, you’re telling me rack chins because of where the weight is shifted emphasizes different muscles than a pull-up?

I’m not knocking the exercise, and I will say I’ve never done them. Flame away, and I’m not saying I’m right, but this is just my thoughts. Just seems because some big guys do a movement in a hyped program that everyone thinks it’s the best exercise there is.

It has its place I’m sure. But to say it’s superior to a pull-up? Really? Why?
Don’t say what you said above. And don’t say it stretches the lats more? How so?

It works well because the people doing them have bigger lats than you.

Good enough?[/quote]

And lat pulldowns work well enough for people to have bigger lats than me. Many people have built impressive physiques without rack chins. That’s like saying you have to do BB squats for impressive thighs.

Again, I’m not saying don’t do the exercise, just wondering where the superiority of this exercise is coming from.

Ive never done these, but based on the videos I have a little theory as to why they are better than pullups and maybe even pulldowns.

It looks as if there is a lot less stabalization required doing these, so you can really hammer away at the big muscles. In a regular pullup you have to be really careful not to start swinging and you use a lot of stabalizers to accomplish this. This takes away from the main point of hitting the lats, traps, romboids, etc. Also the angle is definately a bit different since the weight is more in front of the bar. These would be more like a compbination of a BW row and a pullup, which means your working a combination of the vertical and horizontal movement. Maybe, most people are stronger at this mid angle than a vertical angle and thus can lift more weight.

Looks like a sweet exercise though, with easy gradual progressions. I’ll be trying this sometime soon.

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
Sentoguy wrote:

That’s like saying that there is no difference between a back squat, a front squat, and a zercher squat. From the waist down they’re all identical movements. But, the placement of the resistance and the angle of pull changes which muscles get targeted/emphasized.

I don’t buy that analogy.

So, you’re telling me rack chins because of where the weight is shifted emphasizes different muscles than a pull-up?

I’m not knocking the exercise, and I will say I’ve never done them. Flame away, and I’m not saying I’m right, but this is just my thoughts. Just seems because some big guys do a movement in a hyped program that everyone thinks it’s the best exercise there is.

It has its place I’m sure. But to say it’s superior to a pull-up? Really? Why?
Don’t say what you said above. And don’t say it stretches the lats more? How so?[/quote]

Why not try them? I and many others prefer them to any other back width exercise.

[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
Sentoguy wrote:

That’s like saying that there is no difference between a back squat, a front squat, and a zercher squat. From the waist down they’re all identical movements. But, the placement of the resistance and the angle of pull changes which muscles get targeted/emphasized.

I don’t buy that analogy.

So, you’re telling me rack chins because of where the weight is shifted emphasizes different muscles than a pull-up?

I’m not knocking the exercise, and I will say I’ve never done them. Flame away, and I’m not saying I’m right, but this is just my thoughts. Just seems because some big guys do a movement in a hyped program that everyone thinks it’s the best exercise there is.

It has its place I’m sure. But to say it’s superior to a pull-up? Really? Why?
Don’t say what you said above. And don’t say it stretches the lats more? How so?[/quote]

The upper body angle appears very different (check the Wojo vid) than a standard pull-up. It has a similar angle to a “lean-away” pull-up (Gironda popularized I believe and Poliquin mentions as well). Lean aways are said to give more lat activation. The upper body angle is maintained throughout the range of motion which is tough to do in a standard pullup especially for bigger guys. Hell, lean aways are a bitch period.

It looks to me that rack chins are an easier version of sternum pull ups.

So, according to Poliquin, “This exercise works more than just the lats. It also creates a great overload on the scapular retractors. The beginning of the movement, however, is more like a classical chin, while the midrange resembles a pullover motion. Finally, the end position duplicates the finishing motion of a rowing movement.”

[quote]rkelly281 wrote:
It looks to me that rack chins are an easier version of sternum pull ups.

So, according to Poliquin, “This exercise works more than just the lats. It also creates a great overload on the scapular retractors. The beginning of the movement, however, is more like a classical chin, while the midrange resembles a pullover motion. Finally, the end position duplicates the finishing motion of a rowing movement.”[/quote]

They are not easier if you put a 90lb db on your lap.

The whole point of rack chins is to take your lower body out of the movement and keep your upper body at an angle. That takes away the need to tense your entire body so you don’t swing (you can focus more on your back), and it gives a better stretch on your lats.

Why don’t people just try it.

Plenty of big people like them, plenty of big people have never tried them.

AccipitorQ, you might as well give them a shot to see if they do anything for you. I wasn’t much of a fan when I gave them a shot, but at least I know.

It never hurts to try something new in the weight room… give it one or two workouts and you just may find an exercise you love for the rest of your training career.