Pull-ups are an important exercise for creating a thick and wide back. Whether you do pull-ups or chin-ups, with a wide or narrow grip, they all train more or less the same muscle groups to more or less the same extent. However, there is a pull-up exercise that is just a little bit different: the neutral grip pull-up, or with the hand palms facing each other. In this article you can read why this exercise can be a useful addition to your back training.

MUSCLES INVOLVED

First, let’s list which muscles you train with pull-ups. These are:

• Back: latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius (low and middle);
• Shoulders: rear delts;
• Armen: biceps, biceps brachialis.

In addition, your forearms, core and shoulders also participate in the exercise. It even trains your chest muscles to some extent.

This list applies to all vertical pulls, including pull-ups, chin-ups and pulldowns. All in all, it is an all-around exercise for your entire back plus your biceps.

WHY A NEUTRAL GRIP?

Pull-ups and chin-ups are usually done with an overhand and underhand grip, respectively. See this article. But you can also pull up with a neutral grip. This offers the following advantages:

• Some gym-goers find that pull-ups and chin-ups put strain on their wrists, elbows and/or shoulders. A neutral grip is kinder to these areas;
• You train your entire back just as well, but you involve slightly more rear delts (back of the shoulders) in the exercise;
• You train your arms just as well, but involve a little more brachialis in the exercise. That is the muscle under your biceps that pushes your biceps upwards. The best-known exercise for the brachialis muscle is the hammer curl.

Note that the differences between the various pull-up variations are small. We recommend the neutral grip version especially to people who struggle with shoulder mobility when doing pull-ups and therefore want to minimize the role of the shoulders. This extra comfort and stability often makes it easier to do more repetitions or add extra weight.

In addition, the stimulus, with slightly more emphasis on the rear delts, is slightly different from regular pulls, thus creating an even more diverse training volume.