Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up — start position
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Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up — end position
End

Back / Intermediate / Compound (multi-joint)

Wide-Grip Rear Pull-Up

A bar exercise for the lats, with the biceps, upper back and rear delts assisting.

At a glance

Primary
Lats
Secondary
Biceps, Upper back (rhomboids, mid/lower traps), Rear delts, Forearms & grip
Equipment
Pull-up bar
Movement pattern
Vertical pull, Elbow flexion (curl)
Level
Intermediate
Type
Back, Compound (multi-joint)

How to do it

  1. Grab the pull-up bar with the palms facing forward using a wide grip.
  2. As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar, bring your torso forward and head so that there is an imaginary line from the pull-up bar to the back of your neck. This is your starting position.
  3. Pull your torso up until the bar is near the back of your neck. To do this, draw the shoulders and upper arms down and back while slightly leaning your head forward. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. The upper torso should remain stationary as it moves through space and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
  4. After a second on the contracted position, start to inhale and slowly lower your torso back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched.
  5. Repeat this motion for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

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Muscles worked

Neck (Front)Upper traps (Front)Front delts (Front)Side delts (Front)Chest (Front)Serratus anterior (Front)Biceps — secondary (Front)Forearms & grip — secondary (Front)Abs (Front)Obliques (Front)Hip flexors (Front)Quads (Front)Adductors (Front)Shins (tibialis) (Front)Calves (Front)Outer shins (peroneals) (Front)Feet (arch & toes) (Front)Neck (Back)Upper traps (Back)Upper back (rhomboids, mid/lower traps) — secondary (Back)Rear delts — secondary (Back)Side delts (Back)Rotator cuff (Back)Lats — primary (Back)Lower back (erectors) (Back)Triceps (Back)Forearms & grip — secondary (Back)Hip abductors (glute med) (Back)Glutes (Back)Hamstrings (Back)Adductors (Back)Calves (Back)
FrontBack
  • Primary: Lats
  • Secondary: Biceps, Upper back (rhomboids, mid/lower traps), Rear delts, Forearms & grip

Best for

How specific this exercise is to each movement.

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Photos and instructions: free-exercise-db (github.com/yuhonas/free-exercise-db), public domain.