The mixed grip pull-up is a bodyweight pull with one palm facing forward and the other back, which changes the pull line and how each arm contributes. The underhand side gets more help from the biceps, so the load splits unevenly and the body tends to drift toward that arm. Alternate which hand is underhand from set to set, and treat this as a variation of the chin-up rather than a replacement for it.
Muscles Targeted
- Primary: latissimus dorsi, biceps brachii
- Secondary: mid-trapezius, rhomboids, teres major
- Tertiary: forearm flexors, abs, posterior deltoids
Starting Position
Set up under a pull-up bar with a dry or chalked grip. Take one hand overhand and the other underhand, both about shoulder-width apart. Hang with your arms straight, shoulder blades pulled down, and your ribs braced toward your hips. Cross your ankles behind you so the whole body hangs as one unit.
Execution Steps
- Pull your shoulder blades down before the elbows bend, taking the slack out of the dead hang.
- Drive your elbows down toward your ribs and pull your chest up toward the bar.
- Keep your body square to the bar, resisting the drift toward the underhand side.
- Finish with your chin over the bar and your chest close to it.
- Lower under control to straight arms, keeping the shoulders packed at the bottom of the hang.
- Reset the dead hang and repeat, switching your hand positions between sets.
Form Cues
- Stay square to the bar: the body wants to twist toward the underhand hand, and holding square is the skill.
- Pull with the back, not the arms: think elbows to ribs rather than hands to chin.
- Squeeze the bar hard with both hands so the grip stays even.
- Keep the ribs down and the glutes tight so the legs do not swing.
- Lower at the same speed you pull.
Common Mistakes
- Letting the body rotate: turning toward the underhand hand loads one lat harder and builds a difference over time.
- Always using the same hand arrangement: an unalternated grip bakes in the imbalance this variation creates.
- Kipping the legs: a swing turns a strict pull into a momentum drill and hides where you would actually fail.
- Cutting the bottom short: stopping before the arms straighten skips the stretched position where the lats do most of their growing.
- Chasing chin height with the neck: craning up over the bar adds nothing except strain on the cervical spine.
Variations
- Chin-up: both palms facing you, which loads the biceps most heavily.
- Pull-up: both palms facing away, which biases the lats and upper back.
- Neutral grip pull-up: palms facing each other, usually the most shoulder-friendly option.
- Assisted mixed grip pull-up: a band or machine reduces the load while you learn the pattern.
- Weighted mixed grip pull-up: a belt and plate for progression once reps come easily.
Tips for Progression
- Build to 8 to 10 strict reps per grip arrangement before you add weight.
- Alternate which hand is underhand every set, not every session.
- Add a two-second hold at the top before you add load.
- Add weight in 5 pound steps once the reps are easy and even.
Training Notes
Program mixed grip pull-ups first in a pulling session, for 4 sets of 5 to 10 reps with 90 seconds of rest, alternating the grip each set. Twice a week is enough vertical pulling for most lifters. They pair well with a horizontal row, which trains the mid-back that a vertical pull tends to under-load.