Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up

Muscle Targeted: Laterals
Secondary Muscles Targeted: Biceps, Middle Back, Shoulders (Deltoids)

Starting position:

Use an overhand grip and grab the bar at the widest points. Your elbows are at about a 90-degree angle when in the upper position. Slightly bend your knees to be in a suspended position on the bar.

Exercise:

From the starting position lift your body up towards the bar while contracting your back muscles and biceps so that your head goes in front of the bar and your neck reaches the bar. Go up to a 90 degree angle at your elbow joints and exhale. Inhale while you are returning back to extension in your elbows. Do the required number of repetitions.

Note:

Make sure you use the correct grip on the bar. Make sure your torso is firm and your pelvis is in a neutral position while making the motion. Return to the starting position using a slow, controlled motion and avoid sudden relaxation of your muscle tension.

Recommendation:

It is better to begin doing this exercise with assistance from a trainer (partner). The number of repetitions depends on your type of training.

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Wide-grip rear pull-up or the pulldown alternative (wide-grip pulldown behind the neck) is an exercise targeting lats.

The main difference between shoulder-width grip pull-ups and wide grip pull-ups is that in wide grip pull-up the elbows move alongside the torso, not in front of it. This is the movement best suited for lats development – other muscles get involved to a lesser degree than by shoulder-width grip.

It is hard to find a good reason why to pull the bar behind the neck: this movement is shorter than the “normal” version of pull-ups, less effective and significantly more damages the rotator cuff, a group of tendons and small muscles in the shoulder area.

Another problem with wide-grip rear pull-up is that you need to bend your head down. This is not a favorable position for your upper back when undergoing serious mechanical pressure. Widening of vertebral spaces makes the trainee prone to various upper-back disorders and injuries including slipping a disk.

One possible explanation for the rear pull-up popularity is that it is harder to do and thus more challenging. Many trainees probably follow the “no pain no gain” slogan rather literally not realizing that harder doesn’t always mean more effective.