25/03/2021
How to perform a wide-grip pullup
Start by standing underneath a pullup bar, with your back and spine straight.
Reach up and grab the bar with each hand. Your thumbs should be pointing toward each other, and your grip should be wider than your body.
When positioned correctly, your arms and torso should form a ‘Y.’ To be more specific, each arm should be 30 to 45 degrees from your body, but no more than a 45-degree angle.
Look straight ahead and pull your body upwards towards the bar.
Pause, then lower yourself back down to the original position.
“If performing a wide-grip pullup is too difficult, you can start practicing with a weight-assisted pullup machine,” recommends Allen Conrad, DC, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). “These machines have a platform you kneel on while performing a pullup, and the counterbalance of reduced weight can help you develop arm strength to perform a standard wide-grip pullup,” he explains.
The key to using a weight-assisted pullup machine is to start with a weight you’re comfortable with and change the counterbalanced weight as the exercise becomes easier for you to perform. Once you can lift your body weight, Conrad says you can progress to a standard wide-grip pullup on the hanging bar.
If you want to make the wide-grip pullup more challenging, Conrad suggests adding weight. There are three ways you can do this:
Wear a belt that you can attach a weight to.
Wear a weighted vest.
Hold a dumbbell by cradling it between your feet.
Each of these modifications will challenge the strength of the latissimus dorsi muscle during wide-grip pullups.