Hand-Over-Hand Chin-Ups - A Unique Bodyweight Back Attack!

The Chin-Up is, quite honestly, one of the best exercises you can do not only for your back but for your entire body. It's a classic bodyweight exercise that never gets old.

Now, if you're a fan of the chin-up, this version of it is one you'll love. It'll blow your lats and your biceps up like crazy!

To perform it, you should be able to do at least 8 to 10 regular chin-ups. It's a tough exercise and requires some base chinning strength to perform. If you're not currently able to do at least that many chins, read this exercise and keep it in mind, but hold off on doing it until you've developed the strength for it.

For this one, you'll just need a chin-up bar. I'm using the one that goes across the frame of my power rack and that works just fine. You can even use the Smith machine bar set at the top height.

So first, go to one end of the bar and stand perpendicular under it (not like you normally would directly under the bar).

Take a staggered grip on the bar (like a baseball bat grip).

Now pull yourself up to one side of the bar - the side you'll want to pull to is the same as the hand that is furthest from you. Basically, if your left hand is furthest away, pull up on the left side of the bar.

Now lower yourself down part way...not the whole way. You should have some bend in your elbows. At this point, move your furthest hand over behind your nearest hand (hence the hand-over-hand name!).

The key here is to be sure you've got a bend in the elbows and tension on the lats. Because when you take one hand off, you're basically putting your entire bodyweight (just for a moment) on the one lat. You're going to get some big time tension here because of this moment of weight transference.

Once you've placed the hand, pull yourself up to the other side. Lower yourself down, step your hand backward on the bar again. Now pull up to the other side again.

Continue along the bar until you run out of bar then go back the way you came, moving your hands forward this time. Keep going forward and backward along the bar until you can't do any more reps.

It's a BRUTAL back exercise that makes regular chins look like nothing. By the time you're done, your entire back and your biceps will be so swollen full of blood, you won't believe it. The continuous tension and bodyweight combination really makes for a potent back attack!