Wide Grip Rear Pull-up
Wide Grip Rear Pull-up turns pure bodyweight leverage into strength you can feel outside the gym — ready for real load and honest reps.
How to do Wide Grip Rear Pull-up
- Grab the pull-up bar with a wide overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
- Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar, leading with your chest.
- Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar.
- Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Wide Grip Rear Pull-up Sets and Reps by Goal
Strength
4 sets of 6-8 reps at your hardest clean leverage, resting 2-3 minutes. Change leverage or elevation before you add load.
Hypertrophy
4 sets of 12-18 reps with 60 seconds of rest. Hold the end position for a beat once reps come easily.
Endurance
3 sets of 25-30 reps with 30-45 seconds of rest. Add reps first, then slow the lowering phase.
Common Wide Grip Rear Pull-up Mistakes
Shortening the range as soon as the set gets hard
End the set on the last full-range rep instead of grinding out halves.
Feeling the movement everywhere except the muscle it trains
Lighten the load and rebuild the position until the target muscle burns.
Easier and Harder Than Wide Grip Rear Pull-up
Swap Wide Grip Rear Pull-up For
Wide Grip Rear Pull-up — Frequently Asked Questions
How do you do the Wide Grip Rear Pull-up?
Grab the pull-up bar with a wide overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body straight. Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar, leading with your chest. Use your bodyweight only and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.
What muscles does the Wide Grip Rear Pull-up work?
The Wide Grip Rear Pull-up primarily targets the lats. It is classified as a back exercise and is performed with your bodyweight only.
How many sets and reps of the Wide Grip Rear Pull-up should I do?
For muscle growth: 4 sets of 12-18 reps with 60 seconds of rest. Hold the end position for a beat once reps come easily. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.
Is the Wide Grip Rear Pull-up good for beginners?
It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic back patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.
What can I do instead of the Wide Grip Rear Pull-up?
Try the Cable Underhand Pulldown, Barbell Decline Bent Arm Pullover or the Ez Bar Lying Bent Arms Pullover. Each trains the lats with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.
