Which Do I Use And Recommend? Which Is Best For You?

I honestly like and use both exercises, but if you put a gun to my head (and why would you ever do such a thing?), I’d say that I personally like pull ups done with a slightly wider than shoulder width grip more than any other type of chin up or lat pull-down variation.

My current personal record with this grip is my body weight plus an additional 65lbs for a solid 6-8 reps (UPDATE: currently at 80lbs for 6-8 reps). It’s one of my all time favorite (and strongest) exercises.

However, this is nothing more than a personal preference. I don’t think this grip will work any better or faster than anything else… I just personally feel strongest and most comfortable with it. Will you? I have no idea.

So then, which will work better and faster for you? Which would I most often recommend?

Well, putting the true best answer of “do what’s best for you” to the side for a second, I’ve found that the best (and safest) results come from using a mix of different grips .

Maybe do pull ups for lower reps one day, and then chin ups for higher reps another day (like I recommend in The Muscle Building Workout Routine ).

Maybe do chin ups for 8 weeks, then pull ups for the next 8 weeks. If your gym has neutral grip handles available, maybe give that a shot for the 8 weeks after that and then start the cycle over again with chin ups.

Of course, if you find that a certain grip feels more or less ideal for you, you should make the obvious smart decision of using that grip more or less often.

Whatever it ends up being, some type of vertical pulling movement (be it pull ups, chin ups, or lat pull-downs) should almost always be a major part of your overall workout routine, just like it is in ALL of the highly proven workouts included in my brand new premium guide, The Best Workout Routines.