Neutral-Grip Pull-ups
The neutral-grip pull-up is a pull-up done on parallel handles with your palms facing each other. This grip is often the most comfortable on your wrists, elbows and shoulders. It trains your back, with your biceps and lats assisting, and usually lands between pull-ups and chin-ups in difficulty. Pick it when other grips irritate your joints.
Muscles worked
The neutral-grip pull-ups trains the back, with biceps, lats helping.
Weekly sets for back
Hard sets per week that Swole.fit plans for back, counting every exercise that trains it. Start a cycle near the growth line and climb toward the recovery limit before a deload.
How to do the neutral-grip pull-ups
- 01Grip the parallel handles with your palms facing each other and hang with your arms fully straight.
- 02Brace your abs, keep your legs still and pull your shoulders down away from your ears.
- 03Drive your elbows straight down beside your body to pull your chest up between the handles.
- 04Pull until your chin passes the handles and your elbows are tucked by your sides.
- 05Lower slowly to a full hang, keeping tension in your back until your arms straighten.
Coaching cues
- Elbows straight down, close to your sides
- Chest up between the handles
- Smooth down, no dropping
Common mistakes
- Using handles that sit too close together cramps your shoulders; pick handles about shoulder width apart when you have the choice.
- Letting your body swing between reps adds momentum; pause briefly at the bottom and brace before pulling again.
- Shrugging your shoulders up at the top shortens the work for your back; keep your shoulders down through the whole rep.
How Swole.fit programs it
Log it once and the app plans the next session for you.
- Most sets land between 8 and 15 reps, the range the plan steers compound lifts toward for size.
- Week one starts around 2 to 3 reps in reserve. Each week you train a little closer to failure, ending around 0 to 1 in reserve before a deload week.
- Once the top of the range is easy, Swole.fit suggests a harder variation or added load.
- Sets for this exercise count toward your weekly volume for every muscle it trains: a full set for the primary muscles, half a set for the helpers.
The full method, with the maths, is in how mesocycles work.
Neutral-Grip Pull-ups alternatives
Same muscles, different tool. Swap in one of these when the equipment is taken or your joints want a change.
Log it. Let the app plan the next one.
Track your neutral-grip pull-ups free. Swole.fit picks the next weight, counts your weekly sets and tells you when to deload.