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Shoulder Grip Pull Up animation

How to do the Shoulder Grip Pull Up

BackBack & LatsBodyweightIntermediate

The shoulder-grip pull-up places your hands just outside shoulder width, creating an ideal mechanical advantage to build serious lat thickness and upper back density. Master this variation and you build the foundation for almost every advanced pulling movement that follows.

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Muscles worked

Primary
LatsMid-back
Secondary
BicepsRear deltsForearms

Step-by-step

  1. Grip the bar just outside shoulder width with palms facing away, arms fully extended and shoulders packed down away from your ears.
  2. Initiate the pull by driving your elbows down and back toward your hips, not by yanking with your arms.
  3. Pull until your chin clears the bar and your chest approaches it, holding a brief peak contraction at the top.
  4. Lower yourself with control over two to three seconds until your arms reach full extension before starting the next rep.

Common mistakes

  • Shrugging the shoulders up at the start, which shifts stress to the traps instead of the lats. Fix this by actively depressing and setting your shoulder blades before you pull.
  • Using momentum and kipping to get the chin over the bar, which removes the training stimulus from the back. Fix this by pausing for one second at the dead hang between every rep.
  • Letting the elbows flare wide rather than tracking back, which turns the movement into a bicep exercise. Fix this by consciously thinking of pulling your elbows toward your back pockets throughout the rep.

Pro tip — At the top of each rep, actively try to pull your elbows together behind your back rather than just getting your chin over the bar. This small internal cue dramatically increases lower lat recruitment and turns a basic pull-up into a precision back-building tool.

Sets & reps by goal

Build muscle3–4 sets × 6–10 reps
Get stronger4–5 sets × 3–6 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 10–12 reps

Rest: 2–3 min between sets (60–90s on lighter days).

More Back exercises

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