Pull-ups with a narrow grip

Narrow grip pull-ups are a common exercise among those who like to work their back muscles from different angles. Depending on the grip, you will be able to work out almost the entire array of muscles in the upper back without creating an axial load on the spine. The difference between narrow and wide grip pull-ups is significant.

The essence and benefits of exercise

A wide grip more involves the large round and upper part of the latissimus dorsi, which gives the athlete's torso an athletic silhouette: broad shoulders and chest, developed back muscles, voluminous arms, and a narrow waist. A tight grip makes your back muscles thicker and stiffer, which means you will look heavier and more muscular when viewed from the side. It turns out a kind of 3D load. Also, the use of a narrow grip contributes to the development of strength indicators. Over time, you will not notice that the working weights in all basic upper body exercises have grown significantly.

This exercise is used in many sports disciplines: fitness, bodybuilding, crossfit, workout, martial arts, etc. It gained popularity due to its technical simplicity, accessibility (horizontal bars and bars are now in almost every yard) and safety. In our article today we will look at the benefits of this exercise and how to do it correctly.

The benefits of narrow grip pull-ups

Due to the fact that you will use a narrower grip, you will ask your back muscles more prerequisites for growth. Wide grip pull-ups are one of the most effective exercises for gaining muscle mass, but you need to understand that its amplitude is almost two times shorter than that of narrow grip pull-ups. Large muscle groups like the back and legs like to work as hard as possible. This makes them stiffer, fuller and stronger. Hopefully everyone remembers what is the bottom of the barbell squat range?

This principle applies not only to pull-ups, but also to other pulling movements on the back, such as the bent over row or overhead pulldown. From time to time, replace the grip with a narrow one in these exercises, your muscles have not yet adapted to such a load, so this will lead to rapid progress.

Contraindications

Hanging on the horizontal bar creates a strong tensile load on the spine. Sometimes this is beneficial, and sometimes it is fraught with great potential danger. With osteochondrosis, hernias in the thoracic or lumbar spine, protrusion of the intervertebral disc, spondylosis or deformities of the spine (scoliosis, lordosis, kyphosis), doing exercises on the horizontal bar is strictly contraindicated. This can exacerbate existing problems. Ask a qualified personal trainer to create a health-friendly exercise program for you. Better yet, contact an experienced therapist, he will give recommendations on how to strengthen the back muscles with your ailment.

What muscles work?

Pull-ups on the bar with a narrow stance of the arms involve almost the entire array of back muscles:

• large and small round;
• diamond-shaped;
• trapezoidal;
• lats and serrated.

Also, part of the dynamic load falls on the biceps, forearms and posterior bundles of the deltoid muscles. The static load is carried by the extensors of the spine, abdominal muscles and gluteal muscles, in this case they act as stabilizers.

Varieties of exercise

Depending on the grip, you can shift the emphasis of the load to certain muscle groups.

Narrow parallel grip pull-ups

The close parallel grip pull-up allows you to concentrate very well on the work of the large round muscle of the back. To do this, you need to bend a little in the thoracic spine and make the movements a little shorter, without going through the last 15-20 cm of amplitude.

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If your gym does not have a dedicated parallel bar, use a parallel bar from a block machine. Just hang it over the bar and try to reach it with the bottom of your chest during pull-ups. The blood filling in the back muscles will be incredible.

Narrow straight grip pull-ups

Narrow, straight grip pull-ups are a different story altogether. Much depends on your deflection in the thoracic spine. If not, then almost all the load will be distributed between the forearms, biceps, back deltas and trapeziums. From these pull-ups, the back is unlikely to become even slightly larger or stronger. If you make a slight deflection, then pull-ups with a narrow grip turn into an almost isolated exercise for working out the lower part of the latissimus dorsi. The main thing is to “catch” the amplitude in which you will constantly feel the work of your back, not your arms. Carpal straps are very helpful for this. The position of the elbows is also important - they should be pressed against the sides.

Narrow Reverse Grip Pull-ups

But pull-ups with a narrow reverse grip shift the load on the biceps. This exercise is very good for developing him. Combined with bicep curls and dumbbell hammers, it will lead to good results.

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Exercise technique

It is recommended to perform pull-ups with a narrow grip on the horizontal bar as follows:

1. Hang on the bar and straighten completely. As with the narrow grip bench press, don't take the phrase "narrow grip" too literally. There should be at least a distance equal to the length of two thumbs between the hands. Putting your hands close to each other will put too much stress on your hands. A grip slightly narrower than the shoulders is also allowed. The grip should be used closed, clamping the horizontal bar from below with your thumb. With an open grip, you will have less grip on the bar. If the grip is your weak link, your fingers will unclench faster than the set ends, and your hands will tire faster than your lats.
2. Bend slightly in the chest, so the latissimus and large round muscles of the back will be more involved in the work. Start reaching upward, trying to bring your shoulder blades together. Hands should be kept as close to the body as possible, otherwise the entire load will go to the biceps and forearms. You can either pull up to full amplitude, stretching the muscles and completely stopping the momentum at the bottom, or you can use something like a static-dynamic mode of work, moving in a limited amplitude and constantly contracting and stretching the latissimus dorsi. In any case, the positive phase of the movement is passed on exhalation and in a more explosive manner than the negative one.
3. Slowly lower yourself down and fully straighten your arms. The descent should be approximately twice as long as the ascent. At the lowest point, you should linger for 1-2 seconds and additionally stretch your back muscles. This will strengthen the connection between the brain and muscles, and each subsequent rep will be more productive than the last.
4. The number of approaches is not limited, but on average, from three to six approaches are performed. Pull-ups should be done until you can do more than 8-10 repetitions in one approach without breaking the technique. It makes no sense to work in a small repetition range in such exercises, the back muscles "like" more medium and large repetitions.

Crossfit complexes with pull-ups

These complexes are designed for the experienced advanced level with well-developed strength endurance and used to working to the limit of their abilities. They will be too tough for beginners. Beginner athletes can remove one or two exercises from each complex and do them at a calm pace, without chasing records. This will help prepare your body for more serious work.

Watch the video: WIDE Vs. NARROW Grip Pull Ups. Whats the difference (November 2024).