Gironda Sternum Chins

What it is

This advanced pulling exercise is designed to create an intense contraction in your back. It primarily targets your latissimus dorsi (lats), with significant engagement from your biceps brachii (biceps) and middle back. You perform this challenging movement by pulling your sternum to the bar while maintaining a strong arch in your spine. It is an excellent compound exercise for developing upper body strength and muscle definition.

Technique tips

• Grasp the pull-up bar with a shoulder-width underhand grip.
• Maintain a strong arch in your spine throughout the entire pull.
• Keep your head leaning back, away from the bar.
• Pull until your lower chest or sternum touches the bar.
• Exhale as you pull yourself up, inhale on the descent.
• Control your movement, especially on the way down.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.