Different Types of Pull-Ups

Cathy posted a comment on the last post, wondering about the different types of pull-up grips. She asked how they vary with regards to muscles targeted and level of difficulty.

Any pull-up variation will involve contraction of the back mucles (mainly the latissimus dorsi, or lats - these are the muscles that offer a V-taper to one's back when well-developed) and biceps. When you take a wide-grip on a pullbar, you are relying on your back muscles to do almost all of the work, placing your biceps in a position where they aren't able to assist the movement efficiently. Without the help of your arms, the wide-grip pull-up is the most challenging variation, and intensely targets the back.

As you narrow your grip, bringing the hands in to shoulder width, to a neutral grip (hands facing each other), or to a chin-up grip (hands facing you, supinated), you are increasing the help/activation of the biceps in the order listed. By recruiting the help of the arms, you are increasing your ability to perform more repetitions. As you move your hands in, the pull-up will feel less challenging overall, though you may feel more of a burn in your biceps.