The narrow grip pull-up is a bodyweight vertical pull performed on a bar with the hands overhand and inside shoulder width, training the lats through a longer range of motion. The close hands are the only variable: the elbows travel closer to the ribs than in a wide grip pull-up, so the chest reaches the bar and the lat shortens further at the top, and the biceps and brachialis contribute more. Because the shoulders start less abducted, the grip is tested sooner. Lifters use it as the first back exercise of a pull session.
What Muscles Does the Narrow Grip Pull-Up Work?
- Primary: Latissimus dorsi (lats), teres major
- Secondary: Biceps brachii, brachialis, lower trapezius, rhomboids
- Tertiary: Rectus abdominis, forearm flexors, posterior deltoid
How Do You Set Up for the Narrow Grip Pull-Up?
Stand under a bar set high enough that your feet clear the floor when you hang. Reach up and take an overhand grip with both palms facing away and the hands about a fist apart, well inside shoulder width. Hang with the arms straight, squeeze the bar hard and pull your shoulder blades down away from your ears. Cross your ankles behind you and squeeze your glutes so the body hangs in one line.
How Do You Perform the Narrow Grip Pull-Up?
- Set the shoulders by pulling the blades down and back out of the dead hang.
- Drive the elbows down toward your ribs, leading with the chest rather than the chin.
- Pull until your upper chest meets the bar or comes within an inch of it; that contact is the top.
- Hold the top for a beat with the shoulder blades pinched and the elbows tucked in at your sides.
- Lower under control for two to three seconds until the elbows are straight again.
- Finish in the hang with the shoulder blades still set, ready to start the next rep.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Elbows to the ribs, not out to the sides: the close grip lets the upper arms travel down your body, which is what buys the extra range.
- Chest leads the pull: aim the sternum at the bar so the lats finish the rep instead of the chin reaching for it.
- Keep the ankles crossed and the glutes tight so the legs do not swing.
- Hold the ribs down; the lower back should not arch to swing you upward.
- Grip the bar tightly from the first rep, since the narrow hands load the forearms sooner.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Kipping the hips to finish reps: the swing replaces the lats and the top of the range disappears, so stop the set when a strict rep ends.
- Setting the hands too close together: hands touching jam the wrists and elbows, so keep about a fist of space between them.
- Pulling with the chin instead of the chest: the neck cranes forward and the shoulders round, so keep the head neutral and lead with the sternum.
- Stopping halfway down: cutting the eccentric skips the stretched position where the lats do most of the work, so lower to straight arms.
- Shrugging at the bottom: hanging with the shoulders at the ears loads the joint passively before the pull, so set the blades down first.
What Are the Best Narrow Grip Pull-Up Variations?
- Band-assisted narrow grip pull-up: a band under the feet takes off weight, a regression for building the first reps.
- Weighted narrow grip pull-up: a dumbbell between the ankles or a belt adds load once reps come easily.
- Close grip chin-up: the same hand spacing with palms facing you, shifting more work to the biceps.
- Close neutral grip pull-up: parallel handles keep the palms facing each other and ease the wrists.
- Single-arm assisted pull-up: one hand on the bar and the other on your wrist, a hard unilateral progression.
How Do You Progress the Narrow Grip Pull-Up?
- Add 5 to 10 pounds of external load once you complete all sets at the top of the rep range.
- Build from 5 strict reps per set to 10 before adding weight.
- Add a set at a time up to five, or a second pull day per week.
- Slow the lowering to a four-second count, or pause two seconds at the chest, before the next load increase.
How Should You Program the Narrow Grip Pull-Up?
Put the narrow grip pull-up first in a back or pull session, before rows and any curling, two to three times a week with a day between. Work 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 10 strict reps with 90 to 120 seconds of rest, ending each set when the chest no longer reaches the bar. Pair it with a horizontal row so the mid-back gets work the vertical pull leaves out.