Should I do pull ups instead of chin ups?
Well to begin with Pull ups are one of the best exercises for building muscle and strength. Now both exercises are great but Pull ups are a lot more difficult, which leads people to believe that they are better. Each exercise has its own place in your workout. The main difference is that chin ups will target the biceps, while pull ups target the back. Both will help build grip strength by working the fingers, hands, and forearms, as well as developing the biceps, triceps, and shoulders. Whichever you choose, you cant go wrong, pull ups just target a much larger muscle group, which results in building more strength and muscle.
How important is form?
Like every exercise in the gym, form is paramount. Bad form will lead to injuries and will take away from the exercise, which will defeat the purpose of doing the exercise to begin with. When doing a pull up you want to make sure it is a controlled movement. Kipping or body movement will only lead to injuries and will put more stress on the shoulder joints.
Should I do wide grip or close grip pull ups?
Both. Each will target a different group of muscles. Wide grip pull ups will target the upper lats while close grip will target the lower lats, so both are necessary to get an overall bigger and stronger back.
Should I have my thumb over the bar, or under the bar?
Now this is all personal preference. With the thumb over the bar you are lessening the grip of the hands during the pull up and more or less resting your palms on the bar and pulling.
Do I need to do weighted pull ups?
Absolutely. Think about it this way if you were trying to build a strong chest would you continue to bench press 135lbs all day long or would you add weight to every workout? You would add weight. To build strength you are going to need to add weight. If your looking for more endurance and stamina then stick with body weight pull ups, but still use weighted pull ups as part of your weekly workouts. This article about weighted pull ups will explain in more detail. http://www.extremepullups.com/when-to-start-weighted-pullups/
Should I do pull ups everyday?
No. This will lead to overtraining and is not necessary to see improvement in your pull ups.
I cant do 1 pull up, how do I get started?
There are many easier exercises that can help you perform the basic functions of a pull up without actually doing a bodyweight pull up. This article will go into more details about the steps beginners should take to be able to accomplish 1 pull up. http://www.extremepullups.com/5-ways-to-help-you-improve-your-pullups/
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