Chin as Much as You Bench

Author: Tommy Leung | 08/26/2008 | Fitness, Strength Training

The first question out of most guy’s mouths when we discuss working out is “how much do you bench?” A kid asked me that question recently so this epidemic is not just limited to adult males. I admit that I am guilty of bench press love at times–pushing heavy weights on the bench makes me feel strong. Because of this fascination with the bench press, a lot of guys have an upper body imbalance. This imbalance manifests itself in the form of “rounded shoulders” or it makes your shoulders more injury prone.

There are levels of severity to the imbalance. I’ve seen guys at the gym who have a very visible imbalance. Their posture looks off and you can tell that is not what fit human body is supposed to look like regardless of how much you can bench. My upper body imbalance was never too severe–being an avid reader of Men’s Health helps a lot. Ever since I discovered this problem, I’ve made sure to work my back harder than my chest. I also recommend putting back exercises before chest exercises in your routine–back muscles are bigger anyway.

There are mathematical ways to measure if you have a back/chest imbalance with rulers and lines and other semi-complicated things. Here is a way to figure out if you have an imbalance by comparing exercises. You should be able to chin as much as you can bench. Unless you want to strap a bunch of weight to yourself and find out your max chin, you can do as many chin ups as you can and then see if you can bench your body weight the same number of times. If all is equal or fairly close, you are probably okay. If your chest is significantly stronger, get cracking on improving your back.

Lucky for your back and shoulders, it is amongst the least favorite places for fat to hang out so getting them defined is a lot easier than getting your abs defined. Every guy wants the coveted V-shaped torso and women love it. The best way to get your body into balance and improve your shoulder strength is to put as many total body compound exercises into your routine as possible. My favorite one of them all is the deadlift. The more muscles you activate during a workout, the more growth hormones your body releases. This will help every muscle in your body grow faster.

Rows are also fantastic for building your back–bent over row, single arm row, etc. I’m not the biggest fan of shrugs but, they’ll work your traps. Shoulder presses with a barbell or individual dumbbells are good. You can end all your workouts with a few sets of chin-ups. Instead of doing them quickly, count and hold for two seconds at the bottom and top of each chin-up. It’ll be a lot harder and you’ll get a much better workout. If you are a bit weak in chin-ups, try the reverse pyramid technique that I mentioned a while ago.

Don’t ignore your back. It’s awesome!

By Tommy Leung