Neutral-Grip Pull-Up

At a glance

Main muscle

Back

Also works

Biceps and rear delts

Equipment

Bodyweight

Rep range in Mitta

5 to 10 reps

Skill level

Intermediate

How tiring

Medium

Weight step in Mitta

2.5 kg

How to do it

1. Palms facing each other.
2. Start from a dead hang with straight arms.
3. Pull your chest to the bar, elbows along your body.

Pick a weight you can lift for 5 to 10 reps with good form, and stop each set with a few reps left in the tank.

Watch a demo by Catalyst Athletics on YouTube

Why rating A

Same stimulus as the pull-up; the neutral grip is kinder to many people’s wrists and elbows. Add weight with a belt.

Mitta rates every exercise from S to C, based on research where it exists and on how the exercise loads the muscle. When Mitta builds your plan it picks from S, A and B exercises and prefers ones that load the muscle at long length. C exercises are never picked automatically, but you can still choose them yourself.

Alternatives

These train the same muscle. Use one if you lack the equipment, if this exercise does not feel right, or for some variety.

• Pull-Up · Bodyweight · rating A
• Chin-Up · Bodyweight · rating A
• Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown · Cable · rating S

Keep learning

• What is progressive overload, and how do you do it?
• How many sets per muscle per week?
• What is RIR, and how do you estimate it?
• One-rep max calculator: your max from any hard set of the neutral-grip pull-up.