The Narrow Seated Chin-up targets your upper body strength, particularly the back and biceps. This exercise is performed while seated, providing stability and focus on the pulling motion.

  1. Begin seated with your hands gripping the narrow bar, palms facing you.
  2. Engage your core and pull your body upward until your chin is above the bar.
  3. Lower yourself back to the starting position with control.

How to perform the Narrow Seated Chin-up

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Narrow Seated Chin-up using your body weight.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your trapezius.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your trapezius rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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