Wide Grip or Inside Grip pull ups for a wider back?

[Sinthy]

Hi guys

was wondering if anyone can shed some light into this . I have always considered that doing wide grip pull ups uses more back /less bicep and in the end leads to you have a wider back as it does more of your lats . But after a discussion with my gym partner today ( who was doing inside grip - fist facing inside) that it was infact better than wide grip for a wider back and that it will still work out the lats like the wide-grip.

I mentioned that for the inside grip pull up there is a lot of bicep being used in the exercise and you wont be training your back as much as doing a wide grip pull up. So now Im confused

I have only started to train in the last few months so gathering information about various exercises as i train.

Any input is greatly appreciated

Thanks

[usfrogman1]

There's more biceps in inside grip while your concentrating more lats in your wide grip. Its not one exercise that's going to give you a wide back but rather you need to work out you back from different angles to really grow it.

[k9pit]

either or really as long as you are consistent with it.
the closer grip ones do have more bicep involvement but I find that mentally focusing on my lats during the movement helps me to involve them better during the lift.

do both.
or closer grip pullups and wide grip pulldowns.
or wide grip pullups and closer grip (v-bar) pulldowns.
..and concentrate on mmc

many ppl hate on pulldowns but if you have good form and have established good mmc, they can be very effective.

[TigerStealth]

i think a combination of both wide and narrow grip will best develop back width as you will hit your upper and lower lats differently depending on the grip.

[Frankiestein]

Wide grip will pull out your scapulas and give you wider lats over time, while inner grip will focus more on tieing the lats down into the waste line. Both are very valuable.

[joea9]

The wider your arms go, the more the lats will be targeted. This is because the biceps are used less in this position.

It's the reason why most people find it easier to start with a narrower grip and work their way towards a wider one.

[fazzenterprises]

Hi guys

was wondering if anyone can shed some light into this . I have always considered that doing wide grip pull ups uses more back /less bicep and in the end leads to you have a wider back as it does more of your lats . But after a discussion with my gym partner today ( who was doing inside grip - fist facing inside) that it was infact better than wide grip for a wider back and that it will still work out the lats like the wide-grip.

I mentioned that for the inside grip pull up there is a lot of bicep being used in the exercise and you wont be training your back as much as doing a wide grip pull up. So now Im confused

I have only started to train in the last few months so gathering information about various exercises as i train.

Any input is greatly appreciated

Thanks

1) Wide grip Pullups --- Wider back and lats

2) Palms facing toward you with close spacing and body at a slight to 45 degree angle. Pull bar toward chest area not face! --- Inner back muscles and core


--- the use of angling your body at a 45 or less angle during pullups and chinups will help work muscles that your not getting at with just pulling strait up. Any time you have a narrow grip and your pulling strait up and toward your face there is more bicep involved. Once your in the slight angle you can now pull toward your chest or lower with narrow grip and it will be mostly all back

[tweedbrah]

The wider your arms go, the more the lats will be targeted. This is because the biceps are used less in this position.

It's the reason why most people find it easier to start with a narrower grip and work their way towards a wider one.

Nah, if anything it's the opposite.

Lats are strongest when elbows are pulling close to the body. Do some narrow grip barbell rows with pronated grip and see how sore your biceps get.. your biceps will hardly feel a thing.

[Christaras9]

Wide grip away from you : Upper Back Muscles,Lats,Biceps (mostly)
Close grip hammer or supinated : Lats and Biceps (mostly)
Try both but I believe that hammer grip pull ups are the best for the lats.

[chazzy1864]

i think a combination of both wide and narrow grip will best develop back width as you will hit your upper and lower lats differently depending on the grip.

^ This. Ideally a combination is best.


If I had to choose one, I'd say a moderate grip width to hit the bulk of the lats the best. Wide grip relies heavily on the teres muscles and those get hit extra hard and tend to burn out. Narrow grip is generally either awkward with a pronated grip or with a supinated grip has the biceps be a weak link as you get better at them.

[Tyciol]

I don't have an opinion on wide grip since the mechanics confuse me, but with narrow grip pull ups, it can be back dominant or bicep dominant. It's not inherently one or the other. Which is is depends on the angle of your body and how dramatically you're bending the elbow.

I think an easy way to understand the difference is actually with rows because you can use lighter weights and make dramatic angles with the lightest ones to illustrate it.

If you do elbows-in rowing (underhand is usually easier since it forces the elbows in) with a narrow grip, try rowing to your shoulders. You'll feel a LOT of biceps, because it's a lot like a curl. You'll notice that the elbow joint is fully flexed. You'll also notice that your grip doesn't have to work very hard, but your wrist flexors do. That's because the weight's resting in the palm. The forearm isn't in line with the pull of gravity it's resisting, rather it's almost perpendicular to it.

If you change up and try rowing by keeping the forearms vertical, you'll notice that when your elbow(s) reach the side, the elbow is a lot less bent, ~90 degrees. It should also feel a lot easier on the biceps. Most people can row heavier weights this way, or somewhere slightly in the direction to the shoulder, by not being limited by the heavy biceps demand that has.

The same principles apply to vertical pulls, just through twice the amount of shoulder extension so it's harder to picture. It's harder to avoid relying on elbow flexion in vertical pulls since it's so much subtler.

[keys_10]

I don't believe in the wide grip for wider lats, I have no studies or anything to back this up I just think it's rubbish.

I'd choose a natural and comfy position focus on your lats contracting and not give it too much more thought than that.

Hope this helps