Narrow Grip Pull Up: Form Guide, Tips & How-To Video

Video: narrow grip pull up

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Narrow Grip Pull Up Overview

The narrow grip pull up is a hard pulling move. You hang from a bar and pull your body up. It works your biceps most of all. The biceps are the muscles on the front of your arms. It also works your lats. The lats are the big wing muscles on the sides of your back. Your forearms and mid back help too. You only need a pull-up bar. The narrow grip pull up builds strong arms and a wide back. The close hands put more work on your biceps. This move is best once you can do a few normal pull ups. Add it to a back day or an arm day. It also builds a strong grip over time.

What Is The Point of the Narrow Grip Pull Up?

The narrow grip pull up exercise targets your biceps harder than regular pull-ups. It builds serious arm strength and adds size to your biceps while hitting your back.

How To Do The Narrow Grip Pull Up

  1. Grab the pull-up bar with your palms facing you. Set your hands 6 to 8 inches apart.
  2. Hang with your arms straight. Pull your shoulders down and tight.
  3. Start from a dead hang. Your body should be still, not swinging.
  4. Take a breath in. Breathe out as you pull up.
  5. Drive your elbows down and back. Feel your biceps and back squeeze.
  6. Pull until your chin clears the bar. Do not kick your legs.
  7. Pause for one second at the top. Hold your body tight.
  8. Lower yourself down slowly. Take about 2 to 3 seconds.
  9. Return to a full dead hang. Reset before the next rep.
  10. Do 5 to 10 slow reps in the narrow grip pull up.

Narrow Grip Pull Up Form Tips

  1. Keep your shoulders pulled down the whole time. This keeps them safe.
  2. Move slowly and with control. Do not swing or kick.
  3. Drive your elbows down and back to lead the pull.
  4. Squeeze your biceps hard as you rise.
  5. Pull your chin all the way over the bar.
  6. Lower down slow. Do not just drop.
  7. Keep your core a little tight. This stops your body from swinging.
  8. Breathe out on the way up. Breathe in on the way down.
  9. Keep your wrists straight and firm on the bar.
  10. Use a full range each rep. Start from a dead hang every time.

Common Mistakes to Avoid for the Narrow Grip Pull Up

  1. Using a kip or swing. This turns the move into a bounce. Pull with your muscles, not momentum.
  2. Not going all the way down. Short reps skip the hardest part. Return to a full dead hang each time.
  3. Stopping short of the bar. Your chin must clear it. Pull higher or use a band for help.
  4. Dropping down fast. You waste the lowering part. Take 2 to 3 seconds down.
  5. Flaring your shoulders up. This strains the joint. Keep your shoulders pulled down and back.
  6. Holding your breath. This tires you fast. Breathe out as you pull.
  7. Setting hands too wide. Then your back takes over. Keep hands 6 to 8 inches apart.
  8. Craning your neck to reach the bar. This hurts your neck. Let your chest lead, not your chin.
  9. Using bad form for more reps. Sloppy reps do not count. Stop the set when your form breaks.
  10. Ignoring your grip. A weak grip ends the set early. Train your grip over time.
  11. Rushing the reps. Speed hides weak spots. Slow down and feel each pull.

Narrow Grip Pull Up Workout Tips

  1. Feel your biceps work on every rep. This mind-muscle link builds more size.
  2. Chase a good pump in your arms and back. A full, tight feeling means the muscle is working.
  3. Learn slow, clean reps before adding weight.
  4. Lower yourself slower to make each rep harder.
  5. Add a one second pause at the top for more strength.
  6. Do 5 to 10 reps for 3 or 4 sets.
  7. If full reps are too hard, use a band under your feet.
  8. You can also step off a box and lower down slow.
  9. To make it harder, hang a small weight from a belt.
  10. Do not ego lift. Add weight in small steps over time.
  11. Rest your grip between sets. Shake out your hands.
  12. Put this move early in your back or arm workout.
  13. Change your grip width now and then. New angles keep the muscle growing.
  14. Film a set from the side. A quick video shows if you swing.
  15. Push a little past the burn on your last set. That is where growth hides.
  16. Be patient. Pull ups take weeks to build. Keep at it.

Train Biceps With Your AI Trainer

  1. Go to the iOS App Store and search "GetFit AI: AI Fitness Trainer" or tap the button below to do the narrow grip pull up exercise on the app
  2. Download the app 📲
  3. Complete the quiz to build a custom AI workout plan 🤖
  4. Choose a trainer or build a custom plan targeting your biceps 💪
  5. Stay consistent, chat with your AI trainer anytime, and compete with friends to stay motivated 🏆

Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator for the Narrow Grip Pull Up Exercise

Average Narrow Grip Pull Up standards by male, female, weight, age and height

Use this calculator to estimate a smart starting weight and one rep max for the Narrow Grip Pull Up. Treat it as your starting line. Your GetFit AI trainer fine-tunes the exact weights as you train.

Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight
How is this calculated?

Estimates start from a percentage of your body weight for this movement pattern and equipment, adjusted for gender, age, and height. One rep max is projected from the 8-rep weight using the Epley formula. Every lifter is different, so use these as a conservative starting point, not a target.

Beginner8 reps 45 lbs
1 Rep Max55 lbs
Intermediate8 reps 55 lbs
1 Rep Max70 lbs
Advanced8 reps 70 lbs
1 Rep Max90 lbs

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