The mixed grip pull up is a bodyweight vertical pull performed on a bar with one palm facing forward and one facing back, loading thelatsand biceps from an asymmetric hold. The reversed hand supinates the forearm and lets that elbow flex more freely, so the biceps on that side take more work while the pronated side stays a straight lat pull. The uneven hands let the torso rotate and drift toward the underhand arm, which is the demand the drill adds. Lifters use it to grind out extra reps or to train both grips in one set.
What Muscles Does the Mixed Grip Pull Up Work?
- Primary: latissimus dorsi (lats), teres major
- Secondary: biceps brachii, brachialis, lower trapezius, rhomboids
- Tertiary: rectus abdominis, obliques, forearm flexors
How Do You Set Up for the Mixed Grip Pull Up?
Stand under a bar set high enough that your feet clear the floor when you hang. Reach up and take one hand over the bar with the palm forward, the other under it with the palm back, hands just outside shoulder width. Hang with your arms straight, squeeze your grip, pull your shoulder blades down, and cross your ankles behind you.
How Do You Perform the Mixed Grip Pull Up?
- Set the hang, arms straight, shoulder blades pulled down, ankles crossed and still.
- Pull both elbows down toward your ribs, driving the overhand side as hard as the underhand side.
- Keep your chest square to the bar, resisting the twist that pulls your ribs toward the underhand hand.
- Finish with your chin over the bar, collarbone close to it and both elbows tucked under your hands.
- Lower over two to three counts, letting the elbows straighten evenly on both sides.
- Return to the dead hang with the shoulder blades set again, then start the next rep.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Pull the bar apart: think of dragging both hands toward each other along the bar, which stops the shoulders from shifting sideways.
- Chase the underhand side less: the supinated arm will finish first, so hold it back and let the pronated elbow set the pace.
- Keep your ribs down so the pull does not turn into a lean under the underhand hand.
- Point the eyes at the bar, not the ceiling, so the neck stays neutral through the top.
- Feel the lat on the overhand side stretch as you lower; that side runs out of range first.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Kicking the legs to get the chin up: the momentum hides which side is pulling, so keep the ankles crossed and stop the set when the legs start to swing.
- Letting the torso rotate toward the underhand hand: the strong side takes over and the weak side never gets loaded, so square your chest to the bar every rep.
- Keeping the same hands every set: the asymmetry becomes a habit and the sides diverge, so swap which palm faces forward between sets.
- Hanging with the shoulders up at the bottom: the lats start slack and the biceps take the first inches, so pull the blades down before each rep.
- Cranking the underhand elbow hard from a dead hang: the supinated arm loads the biceps tendon at full stretch, so start the pull with both elbows together.
What Are the Best Mixed Grip Pull Up Variations?
- Jumping pull up: a jump off the floor carries you past the hardest inches while you learn the pull.
- Weighted mixed grip pull up: a dip belt or a dumbbell between the feet adds load once reps run high.
- Chin-up: both palms back, which removes the twist and loads both biceps.
- One-arm-assisted mixed grip pull up: hold a towel with the underhand side to shift load to the pronated arm.
- Mixed grip lat pulldown: the same hand positions on a cable, so you can pick a load below bodyweight.
How Do You Progress the Mixed Grip Pull Up?
- Add weight only when you get 8 clean reps with each palm forward: start with 5 to 10 pounds on a belt.
- Work up from 5 reps per set to 8 before adding load.
- Add a set, to 4 or 5, keeping total reps per session climbing by two or three.
- Lower for a 4 second count, or pause with the chin over the bar for two, when no extra load is handy.
How Should You Program the Mixed Grip Pull Up?
Program the mixed grip pull up early in a back or upper body session, after a light hang or band pulldown and before rows. Twice a week suits most lifters: 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 reps with 2 minutes of rest, alternating which palm faces forward set to set. Pair it with a horizontal row and some direct external rotation work so the shoulder is not only trained overhead.