Back Exercise · Body Weight

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Side-To-Side Chin

Category

Back

Equipment

Body Weight

Target

Lats

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Shifting your chin from one side of the bar to the other during a pull-up turns a straightforward vertical pull into an asymmetric one, briefly loading one lat harder than the other with each rep. It's a way to add variety and address left-right imbalances without switching to single-arm work entirely. Control the shift rather than swinging into it — momentum is an easy shortcut here.

How to Do the Side-To-Side Chin

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees softly bent.
2. Grip a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands set slightly wider than shoulder-width.
3. Hang from the bar with arms fully straight and body relaxed.
4. Bend your elbows to pull your body upward, bringing your chin toward the bar while keeping your body straight.
5. Once your chin clears the bar, lower yourself back down to the start.
6. Continue for the set reps, taking care to lower with control and reset your posture between each rep.

Muscles Worked

The Side-To-Side Chin primarily targets the Lats, with Biceps as the primary synergist muscle group, along with the Forearms.

More Back Exercises

Alternate Lateral Pulldown Cable · Lats Archer Pull Up Body Weight · Lats Assisted Parallel Close Grip Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Assisted Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Assisted Standing Chin-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Assisted Standing Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats

More Lats Exercises

Back Pec Stretch Body Weight · Lats Band Assisted Pull-Up Band · Lats Band Close-Grip Pulldown Band · Lats Band Fixed Back Close Grip Pulldown Band · Lats Band Fixed Back Underhand Pulldown Band · Lats Band Kneeling One Arm Pulldown Band · Lats

Equipment Alternatives

Don't have body weight? These target the same lats with different equipment.

Alternate Lateral Pulldown Cable · Lats Assisted Parallel Close Grip Pull-Up Leverage Machine · Lats Band Assisted Pull-Up Band · Lats Barbell Bent Arm Pullover Barbell · Lats

FAQ

What muscles does the Side-To-Side Chin work?

The Side-To-Side Chin primarily targets the lats, with the biceps and forearms assisting.

What equipment do I need for the Side-To-Side Chin?

The Side-To-Side Chin is done with no equipment — just body weight.

What's a good alternative to the Side-To-Side Chin?

If you don't have access to the space or setup it needs, the Alternate Lateral Pulldown targets the same lats using cable instead.