Weighted Close Grip Pull Up
A pull-up with extra weight and a narrow overhand grip: hands inside shoulder width, you pull your chin over the bar with your elbows close to your body, mainly working your lats.
- Primary muscles
- Lats
- Secondary
- Upper back, Biceps, Forearm flexors
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Added weight × reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
This is for lifters who already handle bodyweight close grip pull-ups well and want a heavier way to train them. Compared with a standard pull-up, the narrow grip works the lats through a longer pull with your elbows tucked; compared with a chin-up, the overhand grip leaves more of the work to your back than your biceps. Find a hand width where your wrists sit comfortably before adding much load, since a cramped grip only gets worse as the weight goes up.
How to do it
Load a dip belt or put on a weighted vest and check the weight sits securely.
Grip the bar overhand with your hands closer than shoulder-width and hang with your arms straight.
Pull yourself up with your elbows close to your body until your chin clears the bar.
Lower under control to a full hang. Add weight in small steps and drop back to bodyweight once your reps get sloppy.
Common mistakes
Hands crammed together
Hands touching on the bar bend your wrists and make the top hard to reach. Leave a gap, closer than shoulder width but not touching.
Elbows drifting out to the sides
Flared elbows lose the tucked path that sets this grip apart. Drive them down close to your ribs on every rep.
Kicking once the load gets heavy
A swing or knee drive gets your chin over, but your lats miss the hard part. Drop back to bodyweight once the reps get sloppy.
Stopping above a full hang
Turning around before your arms straighten trims the stretch from every rep. Lower until your arms are straight before you pull again.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
