Wide-Grip Pull-Up

What is the Wide-Grip Pull-Up?

The wide-grip pull-up is a bodyweight vertical pull done with the hands set noticeably wider than shoulder width. Taking the grip out wide shortens the range slightly and shifts the emphasis toward the outer lats and the width of the upper back, which is why lifters chasing a broader V-taper reach for it over a standard pull-up.

Muscles worked

Primary: Back

The lats are the prime mover, and the wide hand spacing puts them in a more stretched, adducted-heavy position so the outer lats take a bigger share of the pull.

Secondary: Biceps, Traps

The biceps assist by flexing the elbows, though the wider grip gives them a weaker line of pull than a standard or underhand grip, and the traps help control the shoulder blades.

Stabilizers

The core braces to stop the body swinging, and the forearms grip the wide bar hard to keep you locked on for every rep.

How to perform the Wide-Grip Pull-Up

1. Grip a fixed bar with a pronated grip set noticeably wider than shoulder width, roughly one and a half times shoulder width, thumbs wrapped around.
2. Hang with active shoulders by pulling the blades down out of your ears, since the wide grip shortens the range and makes a passive dead hang risky.
3. Brace the core and squeeze the glutes so the legs stay quiet, avoiding any kip that the wider, weaker mechanical position tempts you into.
4. Pull by driving the elbows down and out toward the floor, tracing the wide grip line to bias the outer lats and teres over the biceps.
5. Rise until the collarbones approach the bar, keeping the chest tall rather than craning the chin over to fake the top of the shortened range.
6. Lower under control to a fully extended active hang, resisting the larger stretch load the wide grip puts on the shoulders at the bottom.

Suggested working range: 5–10 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A bilateral vertical pull with a wide pronated grip: the shoulders adduct and extend while the elbows flex to bring the chest toward the bar. As a compound it trains the back and arms together, but the wide grip biases shoulder adduction over elbow flexion, so the lats do relatively more work and the movement feels harder than a shoulder-width pull-up.

Form cues

• •Set the hands clearly wider than your shoulders and start from a full dead hang with the blades pulled down.
• •Drive the elbows down and out toward the sides rather than tucking them straight to the ribs.
• •Pull the chest toward the bar and avoid leading with the chin. Think about closing the armpit.
• •Control the descent to a full hang; the wider stretch at the bottom is easy to drop through.

Common mistakes

• •Hanging passively in a dead hang with the shoulders shrugged up, which stresses the joint in the wide, weak position.
• •Kipping and swinging the legs to fake reps because the wide grip is mechanically harder than a standard pull-up.
• •Cutting the range short and never getting the collarbones near the bar because the wide grip shortens available motion.
• •Pulling with the biceps and letting the chin crane over the bar instead of driving the elbows down and out with the lats.

Variations & alternatives

• •Standard pull-up: a shoulder-width grip through a longer range and a slightly easier pull.
• •Wide-grip lat pulldown: the machine version that scales the same wide-grip pattern below bodyweight.
• •Neutral-grip pull-up: palms facing for a more shoulder-friendly, biceps-involved vertical pull.
• •Assisted pull-up: band or machine help to accumulate wide-grip volume before you can do full reps.

Conventional Deadlift

Back · Barbell

Barbell Row

Back · Barbell

Pull-Up

Back · Bodyweight

Lat Pulldown

Back · Machine

Seated Cable Row

Back · Cable

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Program wide-grip pull-ups as a primary vertical pull for back width in the library’s 5–10 rep range. Because the wide grip is harder than a standard pull-up, expect fewer reps and lean on band assistance or wide-grip pulldowns to build volume if you fall short of the range. Once you exceed it, add weight with a belt. Two to four sets on a pull day is plenty.

Frequently asked questions