I came across an article on T-Nation that’s inspired me and is now something I am taking action on. It’s called the chinup project and by following the program it is said you will add an inch to your arms over the course of 8 weeks. Well, that’s a big statement so I’ve gotta know. Is the Chinup Project going to work for me?

Now I know I have decent arm size already, but the challenge alone of taking my training to the next level inspires me. Knowing that there may be a nugget of arm growth at the end of this cycle motivates me and I am up for the challenge. Couple that with the fact that this program will not cripple my current strength program, I’m in. So, how do you do it?According to the article, you use “greasing-the-groove” method. That’s doing a few sets of chinups, stopping before failure and do these individual sets throughout the day instead of all in one session. The first 2 weeks you’re doing chins with a neutral-grip (palms facing each other) and the next 2 weeks your doing chins with a supinated grip (palms facing you.)

Once you get through the first 4 weeks, you should start to see a 1/2″ or so arm growth and you’re now ready to move on to the second phase of the project. The second phase consists of weighted chins using your 6 rep max. You’ll complete 25 reps in as many sets as it takes to complete and you do this 3 days a week for 4 weeks.

Once you get through the second phase you should see another 1/2″ on your arms. Now there’s a bit more to it in the first phase such as 5 minute challenge days each week so I’m only giving you a brief summary. If you want to see the full challenge in more detail, you can check it out here.

For myself, I have gone ahead and taken “Before” pictures of my left and right arms and they are measuring 16″.

Once I get through the first phase, I’ll be sure to update you and let you know my progress. Until then, stay jacked, stay strong! Get HyperTroFried!

UPDATE:

After the first 2 weeks of chin-ups, I’ve learned a few things.

First, I came out the gate swinging.  162 chins in Week 1 left my arms mangled in Week 2.  I had to take more than one day in Week 2 to recover and only allow myself to hit 1 set in a day on a couple occasions.

Second, it takes a lot of will and good time management to get through this program.  More often than not, I find myself forgetting to hit my chin-ups throughout the day and remembering last minute.  Going into the next 2 weeks I will set a reminder on my phone.

Lastly, I am glad the first 2 weeks are complete and I can move on to the supinated grip.  I am a bit burned out on neutral grip chins and am happy to see a bit of change.

I’ll be sure and update my progress after these next two weeks are complete.

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