Neutral Grip Pull-Ups – Introduction
Neutral grip pull-ups, chin-ups, and their close relative, pull-ups, are three of the best upper body exercises you can do.
Unlike the lat pulldown, you don’t even need to go to the gym to do them.
Instead, all you need is somewhere suitable to hang from, such as a tree branch, a joist in your garage, or a doorway pull-up bar.
But what makes these exercises so beneficial, what are essential muscles worked, and what’s the difference between chin-ups and pull-ups?
Let’s discuss it!
Table of Contents
- Pull-ups vs Chin-ups
- What is a neutral grip?
- Neutral grip pull-up muscles used
- How to do neutral grip pull-ups
- How to build pull up strength – (when you can’t do a pull up)
- Neutral grip pull up benefits
- Recommended Gear
- Final thoughts
Pull-ups vs Chin-ups
While chin-ups and pull-ups share many characteristics, they are dissimilar enough that you should know the differences between them.
Both exercises use the same pulling muscles, but the hand position is different, affecting your pulling motion and arm action.
Chin-ups use a shoulder-width, supinated grip, or palms up hand position.
This underhand grip puts your biceps in a mechanically advantageous position.
Many exercisers find that this allows them to do more reps than pull-ups.
Because of your hand position, doing chin-ups results in extension of the shoulder joint, meaning your upper arm is pulled down and back close to the side of your body.
In contrast to a chin-up, the pull-up uses a wider-than shoulder-width, pronated grip, or palms away overhand grip.
The pronated grip is not such an efficient position for pulling, making this variation a little more challenging.
The most challenging version of this exercise is wide grip pull-ups, where the hands are placed well outside shoulder-width apart.
Pull-ups involve shoulder adduction rather than shoulder extension.
Shoulder adduction means the arms are drawn down and toward the body’s midline from the side.
Using a Neutral Grip
In addition, you can also do pull-ups using a parallel grip, a neutral grip pull up, where your palms face one another.
For difficulty, this pull-up variation falls somewhere between overhand pull-ups and underhand chin-ups.
Neutral grip pull-ups are also easier on your elbows than underhand chin-ups.
Because of this, for many exercisers, it’s the best of the three pull-up variations.
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Neutral Grip Pull Up Muscles Worked
Ask a personal trainer what muscles chin-ups and pull-ups work, and they’ll probably tell you that they are both back and biceps exercises.
The reality is that, while that’s true, there is a whole lot more going on when you do these exercises.
The major muscle groups involved in neutral grip pull-ups are:
Latissimus dorsi muscle
These are the large muscles on either side of your spine.
Well-developed latissimus dorsi look like a pair of wings.
These muscles are known as the lats for short.
Your latissimus dorsi muscles are responsible for shoulder extension and shoulder adduction.
The teres major, a muscle that lies beneath the lats, assists the lats in the neutral grip.
The lats are the prime mover agonist, and the teres major is a synergist.
Biceps brachii
More commonly known as the biceps, this is the muscle on the front of your upper arm.
Its main job is elbow flexion or bending your arm.
Chin-ups work your biceps a little more than pull-ups.
Brachioradialis
This muscle is located on your forearm and is primarily active during neutral grip pull-ups.
The neutral or palms-facing grip puts this forearm/elbow muscle in a dominant position, which is why most people find this hand position easier than overhand pull-ups.
On the other hand, the brachialis muscle sits below your biceps brachii and is the prime mover of elbow joint flexion.
Lower trapezius muscle
Your lower traps are below your scapulae or shoulder blades and work to keep your shoulders down during pull-ups and chin-ups.
Without this muscle, your shoulders would rise and hit you in the ears!
Middle trapezius and rhomboids
These muscles are across and between your scapulae.
They are responsible for pulling your shoulder blades back and together.
These muscles give your arms a more stable platform to work and protect your shoulder joint from unnecessary wear and tear.
Rotator cuff
The rotator cuff is the collective name for the various muscles that stabilize and control your shoulder joint.
There are four muscles in the rotator cuff:
- supraspinatus,
- infraspinatus,
- the teres minor, and
- subscapularis.
Rectus abdominus
Located on the front of your abdomen, your rectus abdominus, or abs for short helps keep your spine stable during pull-ups and chin-ups.
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How To Do Neutral Grip Pull-ups
To get the most from this or any other exercise, you must do it properly.
Correct exercise performance will make your workout more effective and keep your risk of a shoulder injury to a minimum.
These six steps are the right way to do neutral grip pull-ups:
Step #1. Reach up and grab the parallel handles firmly.
- Wrap your thumbs and fingers around the bar to make sure your grip is as secure as possible.
Step #2. In the starting position, hang with your arms straight, shoulders pulled down, and back.
- Lift your chest and look up toward the bar.
Step #3. Bend your legs and cross your ankles if you wish.
Step #4. Without swinging or kicking, smoothly bend your arms and pull your chin up and over the bar.
- Keep your chest up throughout.
- Inhale as you ascend.
Step #5. Extend your arms and lower yourself back down.
- Maintain control and do not just relax and drop.
- Exhale as you descend.
Step #6. Pause for a second at the bottom of your rep, and then go again.
How to Build Pull up Strength
Not strong enough to do neutral grip pull-ups yet?
No problem!
Here are a few strategies to help you develop the upper body strength necessary to do your first rep.
Band-assisted chin-ups
Attach a maximum load resistance band to your pull-up bar and then kneel or stand in the loop.
The resistance band will give you a boost, effectively reducing your body weight, making pull-ups easier to do.
Gradually use weaker resistance bands until you can do this exercise unaided.
Negative pull-ups
You are stronger eccentrically than you are concentrically.
In simple terms, this means you can lower more weight than you can lift.
This marvel is because of the structure of your muscular system.
Make the most of this phenomenon by doing negative pull-ups.
Using a step or box, climb up to the top of your pull-up rep.
Take your legs away and lower yourself down slowly and smoothly, using just your arms.
Climb back up and repeat.
In time, your strength will increase, and you’ll be able to do full, from the bottom to top pull-ups.
Leg-assisted pull-ups
For this method, place a box or chair behind you.
Adopt your usual pull-up position, but put your feet on the chair or top of the box.
Use your legs to help you pull yourself up.
Use less leg assistance as you get stronger.
Neutral Grip Pull Up Benefits
Neutral grip pull-ups are not an easy exercise to master, although most people should work up to doing them in time.
It is worth persevering with this exercise because they are very beneficial.
#1. Build a more muscular back
When it comes to building your lats, neutral grip pull-ups are tough to beat.
They work your lats through a wide range of motion with lots of muscle tension, and that’s the perfect recipe for muscle growth.
#2. Pump up your biceps
While most people think of pull-ups as a back exercise, they are an excellent biceps exercise too.
Because the bicep is a tinier, weaker muscle than the lats, some say pull-ups are an arm exercise first and an exercise for your back second.
Either way, if you want more muscular arms, pull-ups can help.
#3. Strengthen your grip
Pull-ups involve lifting your body weight using just your arm muscles.
The pull-up will test and develop your forearm and grip strength.
A firm grip can be essential.
It can be the difference between winning or losing to an opponent in wrestling or football.
You also need grip strength to perform deadlifts, one of the most effective compound exercises that work the muscles of your entire body.
At home, it’ll make opening tight-lidded jars much more manageable.
If nothing else, a more substantial grip will give you a firmer handshake.
#4. Boost your deadlift performance
A good form deadlift starts with powerful lats.
Your lats make sure the weight stays close to your center of gravity so you can lift heavier loads more efficiently.
Keeping the barbell close to your center of gravity, against your shins as you deadlift, will keep you safe from back pain or injury.
Neutral-grip pull-ups are one of the best deadlift assistance exercises because they develop stronger lats for better deadlifts.
#5. Weight loss and improved body composition
Neutral grip pull-ups can help you lose weight and fat in several different ways.
Burn more calories:
The more muscles an exercise involves, the more calories you’ll burn doing it.
Pull-ups use several substantial and lots of small muscles, which means you’ll burn a whole lot of calories whenever you do them.
Boost your metabolism:
Pull-ups build muscle, and muscle tissue is metabolically active, which needs calories to sustain it.
The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you will burn per day.
So, indirectly, getting better at pull-ups will lead to faster fat loss.
Circuit training program:
Bodyweight exercises like pull-ups and push-ups are perfect for circuit training because they involve minimal set-up time.
You can move quickly from one activity to the next, which increases your calorie expenditure.
Circuit training is one of the best workout methods for fat burning.
Motivation:
Pull-ups get more comfortable as you start to lose weight.
That can be both rewarding and motivating.
Use pull-ups to remind you of just one of the benefits of weight loss – increased athleticism!
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Neutral Grip Pull-up Attachment & Bars
To do neutral grip pull-ups, you need a pull-up bar with parallel handles.
Here are some of the best neutral grip pull-up bars for home use:
#1. Power tower
- [STABLE and FIRM] The power tower is made of high-quality steel structure, which...
- [ADJUSTABLE HEIGHT] The pull up station has 5 adjustable height from 64.6" to...
- [MULTI-FUNCTION EQUIPMENT] This standing machine supports push-ups, pull-ups and...
- [EASY ASSEMBLY] This station machine is equipped with a tool box and manual,...
- [ABOUT US]M HI-Mat provides various high-quality exercise mats, gymnastics mats,...
This freestanding power tower is ideal for many bodyweight and free weight exercises, including neutral grip pull-ups.
See The 7 Best Power Towers for Your Home Gym in 2023 for more of the most reliable power towers plus an excellent workout.
#2. Ceiling-mounted pull-up bar
- GRONK-UP YOUR PULL-UP: Master the king of upper body exercises using the right...
- ZERO-HUSSLE ASSEMBLY: 48" wide to fit standard studs. The Gronk Fitness pull-up...
- USE MULTIPLE GRIPS & TRAIN LIKE A PRO: The difference between results comes down...
- MORE THAN JUST PULL-UPS: Train your entire body functionally by not limiting...
Screw this multi-grip pull-up bar to your ceiling for lots of pull-up and chin-up options, including neutral grip pull-ups.
#3. Doorway pull-up bar
- 1 PIECE MAIN BAR CONSTRUCTION: The pull up bar with 1-piece main bar made of 1.6...
- MULTIFUNCTIONAL WORKOUT: Pullup bar has 5 positions of handles, suitable for all...
- FIT MOST DOORWAY: The length fits the doorway from 33-37 inches with door frame...
- EASY INSTALLATION: Our pull up bar for doorway comes with safety brackets, a...
- 1-YEAR WARRANTY, 30-DAY RETURN: You can contact us anytime if you have any...
Easy to install and remove, doorway pull-up bars are excellent for home exercisers who don’t have space for a power tower or want to put up a permanent pull-up bar.
This Yes4All Deluxe Chin Up Bar has parallel handles for neutral grip pull-ups.
#4. Wall-mounted pull-up bar
if you have a garage gym, a wall-mounted pull-up bar will make a great, space-saving addition.
This OneTwoFit Wall Mounted Pull Up Bar offers several hand positions, including neutral.
#5. Neutral grip pull-up handles
- SET OF 2 STEEL ROTATING PULL UP HANDLES
- ANTI-SLIP RUBBER PADDING: The rubber interior helps stabilize the pull up...
- SMOOTH 360-DEGREE ROTATION: The free rotating action helps rotate your wrists...
- THICK FOAM PADDED HANDLE: Feature with soft, comfortable, and tear-resistant...
- 1-YEAR WARR – 60-DAY RETURN: Our Rotating Pull Up Handles stand up to 1 YEAR...
if you have a straight pull-up bar, you can use after-market handles to do neutral grip pull-ups.
Just attach these neutral grip attachment handles to your bar to add variety to your pull-up workouts.
Neutral Grip Pull Up – Wrapping Up
If you aren’t already doing neutral grip pull-ups, it’s time to start.
It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or advanced exerciser; doing neutral grip pull-ups can help you reach new fitness and strength levels.
You can do this excellent exercise at home, making it very convenient, if not entirely excuse-free.
While neutral grip pull-ups are a challenging exercise, they are also one of the best exercises you can do for your upper body muscles, not to mention a broader back.
Whatever your fitness goals are, all styles of pull-ups, and chin-ups for that matter, will help you reach them sooner.
What’s Next
Chin-ups and regular pull-ups are both popular upper-body compound exercises.
But, while they are similar, they are also different enough that it’s essential to know which is which and which one you should do when.
Explore the similarities and differences between chin-ups vs. pull-ups so you can choose the right one for your goals.
By the end, you will be able to pick a winner in the battle of Chin-Ups vs. Pull-Ups; Which Is Better To Build Muscle?
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- 10 Amazing Benefits of Pull-Ups + How-To and Muscles Worked
- The Best Beginner Bodyweight Workout Plan in Only 30 Minutes
- 10 Best Pull Up Bar Exercises for Abs + Core Muscles Workout
- 37 Remarkable Benefits of Deadlifts to Unleash Your Fitness Fast
- 27 Sensational Ways How Deadlifts Change Your Body
- The Powerful Benefits of Push-Ups to Change your Body
Rich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer),