Wide grip chins/close grip

[Hairsthetics]

So lately I have heard alot about how under hand, closer grip right up to your chest will work alot of Lateral more then the wide grip..

Even though you do wider grip thinking just by the look it would activate your lats more.

What is the real big difference?

[milkneggs786]

Ive tried both separately for a period of time, and to put it simply, I got better and quicker lat development from wide grip pullups (more specifically weighted pull ups). Also throwing in behind-the-neck wide grip pull downs helped alot as well. Be careful with the behind-the-neck wide grip pull downs, they can be tough on the shoulder joint, so start light and work your way up from there.

Hope this helps and good training to you sir.

[RainingBlood]

Why is it that close grip rows hit the lats and close grip pull ups hit the arms more?

[TigerStealth]

underhand chins will engage your biceps A LOT more, almost to the point where your biceps get more out of the lift then your back. Wide grip chins hit the upper outer lats. Close grip chins hit the lower lats

[Tyciol]

So lately I have heard alot about how under hand, closer grip right up to your chest will work alot of Lateral more then the wide grip.. Even though you do wider grip thinking just by the look it would activate your lats more. What is the real big difference?

The difference is the narrow supine grip brings elbows to front and our shoulder lifts us with extension. Wide (usually prone) grip brings elbows to the sides, and shoulder lifts us with adduction.

The lats do both actions, I can't remember if anyone's done any analysis of how it might be hit differently by these though. Does anyone know if there were EMG studies?

Why is it that close grip rows hit the lats and close grip pull ups hit the arms more?

underhand chins will engage your biceps A LOT more, almost to the point where your biceps get more out of the lift then your back. Wide grip chins hit the upper outer lats. Close grip chins hit the lower lats

I'm not sure this is an absolute rule, I think it's possible to have your lats do most of the work even with the supine narrow grip, but we're just more PRONE (haha) to letting the biceps take over since it probably makes us think of doing a barbell curl or something. The biceps are in a stronger position so they're more CAPABLE of taking over, so maybe that's why people do it, but there must be a way to avoid it with that grip.

If the biceps are taking over, could leaning back during the pull up help?

[darins]

underhand chins will engage your biceps A LOT more, almost to the point where your biceps get more out of the lift then your back. Wide grip chins hit the upper outer lats. Close grip chins hit the lower lats

Agreed. I've read a lot of publications that say it doesn't matter what kind of grip you use, an exercise will target the muscle the same regardless of hand positioning. These things were obviously written by tools with no lat development at all, because hand positioning makes ALL the difference in the world.

I stick mostly with wide grip pullups, but will do chins prior to isolating bicep exercises on some days if the mood strikes.

[chazzy1864]

Using a wider grip activates the teres muscles a lot more.


From what I've felt and heard other says as well, using a narrower overhand grip will work your lats far better. Just take a shoulder width or something. You can generally do far more reps (not putting as much stress on the smaller and weaker teres muscles) as much. Generally as you go wider, you put your arms in a weaker position, thus forcing more load on your lats, but you do not need the very wide grip unless you want extra work on the teres muscles.


Comparing close grip chins to wide grip pull ups isn't really all that parallel. As tiger said, chin ups will use a lot more biceps than a pull ups.


My personal two favorites is to use a fairly wide grip pull up (I like to hit the teres a lot) and then also use a narrow hammer grip pull up to help emphasize the lower lats far more.

[Tyciol]

Using a wider grip activates the teres muscles a lot more. Generally as you go wider, you put your arms in a weaker position, thus forcing more load on your lats, but you do not need the very wide grip unless you want extra work on the teres muscles.

I want theories on why this happens Are teres better adductors than extensors?

From what I've felt and heard other says as well, using a narrower overhand grip will work your lats far better.

I was wondering, besides the biceps being weaker with prone grip so people would rely less on elbow flexor strength, do you think the grip might have something to do with it? Or in combo with how the wrist bends? It's easier to picture this visibly with pulldowns (since form can't go as dramatically all over the place when weight is heavier)...

or easier to picture with barbell curl maybe. At the bottom with a supine barbell curl, if you flex the wrist, this lets the bar sit in palm and take pressure off finger flexors and thumb. But with a reverse curl, when you extend the wrist, the fingers and thumb still need to work because it is resting below the palm, not on top of it, and they might even have to work harder...

Or sort of like how you can usually handle more weight with an overhand triceps pushdown since you don't worry about grip like you would doing an underhand triceps pushdown. I don't know how to term it, but since the forearms aren't always totally immobile/vertical during pull ups, do you see what I mean?

Comparing close grip chins to wide grip pull ups isn't really all that parallel. As tiger said, chin ups will use a lot more biceps than a pull ups.

I am picturing something and trying to figure out. If someone was freakishly strong and did a straight-arm pullover type motion and extended the shoulder fully to their side without bending their elbow (this means you would be upside down) I'm guessing this wouldn't use bicep... now at that point, if you kept the shoulder extended and allowed the elbow to bend so your torso becomes upright until your neck hit the bar or whatever... would that use biceps? Or is it more like turning the triceps off at that point?

[yg7s7]

Don't make your grip too wide though, it might decrease the ROM.

[XADO]

underhand chins will engage your biceps A LOT more, almost to the point where your biceps get more out of the lift then your back. Wide grip chins hit the upper outer lats. Close grip chins hit the lower lats

Agreed....in my case i use chin ups for finishing bicep workouts...and i feel them mostly to only in my biceps. That being underhanded close grip chins.

[untranslated]

Hand Position matters sure, but if u double underhand and u flex hard its easier for beginners to work their lats [ which im assuming the articles are for ]. For a total beginer to start with widegrips is a big ask. Im have pretty good power to weight and i can manage only 10 Perfect ones if im fresh. Pushing your shoulders down and back at the top of the lift with double underhand is a good starting point in my opinion.

[Tyciol]

Agreed....in my case i use chin ups for finishing bicep workouts...and i feel them mostly to only in my biceps. That being underhanded close grip chins.

Considering you are doing them at the end and pre-exhausted the biceps using other movements, that makes sense. People who do them first (or after lat movements) could feel differently when doing sup-ups.

[trev71]

Agreed....in my case i use chin ups for finishing bicep workouts...and i feel them mostly to only in my biceps. That being underhanded close grip chins.

Same. Started this past week with the close grip chins to finish biceps off.

Actually, I was a bit taken back that I did as many as I did too I figured I was good for a handful... and I hit 10, 6, 6 at body weight... was a happy gym rat