Close Grip Pull-Up
The close-grip pull-up is an overhand pull-up with the hands about shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower. It trains the lats as the main movers, with more help from the biceps and brachialis than a wide grip, and lets the chest travel closer to the bar.
Also called: Narrow Grip Pull-Up, Narrow Pullups, Close-Grip Pronated Pull-Up · Equipment: bodyweight · Pattern: pull
Step by step
- Grip the bar overhand, palms facing away, with your hands about shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower and thumbs wrapped round the bar.
- Hang with straight arms, legs together, ribs down and glutes lightly squeezed so your body stays still.
- Start each rep by pulling your shoulder blades down, away from your ears, before your elbows bend.
- Drive your elbows down and slightly back towards your hips, keeping them in front of your body rather than flared wide.
- Pull until your chin clears the bar and your upper chest comes close to it, with your shoulders still held down.
- Return under control to a full straight-arm hang, taking about two seconds, without swinging.
- After the last rep, step down onto a box or drop from the straight-arm hang onto soft knees.
- Shoulders down before the elbows bend
- Elbows down and in towards your hips
- Chest up to the bar
- Straight arms at the bottom of every rep
- Ribs down, legs still
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Latissimus dorsi | Prime mover | B |
| Biceps brachii | Secondary | C |
| Brachialis | Secondary | C |
| Teres major | Secondary | C |
| Trapezius: lower | Secondary | C |
| Brachioradialis | Secondary | C |
| Pectoralis major: sternocostal (mid) | Secondary | C |
| Rhomboids | Secondary | C |
| Forearm flexors | Stabiliser | C |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Half reps at the bottom
Fix: Return to straight elbows at the bottom of every rep before pulling again.
Shrugging into the pull
Fix: Pull the shoulder blades down first, then bend the elbows.
Elbows flaring out wide
Fix: Keep your elbows in front of your body and drive them down towards your hips.
Swinging or kicking
Fix: Squeeze your glutes, keep ribs down and legs still, and pause at the bottom.
Craning the chin to reach the bar
Fix: Keep your head neutral and pull until your chin clears the bar.
What the research says
Strength · first choiceMuscle growth · first choiceGeneral fitness · first choiceSport performance · first choiceEndurance
- Load by goal — Research comparing loads finds maximal strength favours heavier loads (about 8 reps or fewer per set), while muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets finish close to failure. Lifters commonly add load with a dip belt, or use band or machine assistance to reach a target rep range.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the size benefit, and strength gains appear largely insensitive to how close to failure you train. True failure adds only a small extra return for growth.
- Volume and frequency — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Around 10 or more hard sets a week has been associated with more growth than fewer than 5, and training a muscle about twice a week is a common way to spread that volume.
- Rest — In trained lifters, rests of about 3 minutes between sets have produced greater strength and size gains than 1-minute rests, largely because each set can carry more work.
- Range of motion — Meta-analysis finds full range of motion gives greater strength gains than partial reps, which is why a straight-arm bottom and chin-over-bar top is the usual rep standard.
- Grip width — There is no direct research comparing close and wide overhand grips for long-term growth or strength.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the close grip pull-up in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.