Chin-up with dumbbells

This exercise is more convenient to perform with a barbell. However, if you don’t have one, dumbbells are perfectly suitable as well.

Nuances and mistakes

1. Chin-ups with dumbbells are well-suited for home workouts, as more people have dumbbells at home than barbells.

2. The goal is not to lift the dumbbells as high as possible but to raise your elbows. The higher your elbows are in relation to the dumbbells, the better the anterior deltoids will engage.

3. I recommend keeping the dumbbells fairly close together, so they touch each other or are minimally spaced apart. No matter how wide you spread the dumbbells, your trapezius muscles will still engage at the top of the movement, but this is not a bad thing.

4. Try not to use your body or legs for assistance, except for the last few repetitions if necessary. Choose a weight that allows you to perform at least 8-10 repetitions.

5. My personal experience and observations have shown me that the shrug is not as effective of an exercise as it may seem. Therefore, I use it quite rarely in my coaching practice.