10 Best Rear Pull-up Alternatives for Building Lats

The Rear Pull-up is done hanging. Ranked closest by our scoring: Bench Pull-ups, Pullups and Rocky Pull-ups/pulldowns. Five harder versions, among them the Pull-up and the Rocky Pull-up Pulldown, are listed below as progressions rather than swaps.

Rear Pull-upWatch the Rear Pull-up

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Rear Pull-up

The steps for the Rear Pull-up itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Lats, with biceps, forearms · Bodyweight · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
  3. Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  4. Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Rear Pull-up Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Rear Pull-up on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

  1. Bench Pull-upsPlay demonstration

    1. Bench Pull-ups

    99% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and still works the lats.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Position yourself under a bar or a sturdy horizontal surface that is at chest height.
    2. Grab the bar or surface with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    3. Hang with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
    4. Pull your chest towards the bar or surface by squeezing your shoulder blades together and bending your elbows.
    5. Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar or surface.
    6. Lower yourself back down to the starting position with control.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: pull-up, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Rear Pull-up
  2. Pull-upPlay demonstration

    Progression

    2. Pull-up

    99% match

    Lats · Advanced · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the lats.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended.
    2. Engage your core and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
    3. Pull your body up towards the bar by bending your elbows and bringing your chest towards the bar.
    4. Pause at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: pull-up, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Rear Pull-up

  3. 3. Pullups

    99% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

  6. Rocky Pull-ups/pulldowns

    6. Rocky Pull-ups/pulldowns

    98% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want to work the lats with more balance to manage.

    • Other
    How to perform it
    1. Grab the pull-up bar with the palms facing forward using a wide grip.
    2. As you have both arms extended in front of you holding the bar at the chosen grip width, bring your torso back around 30 degrees or so while creating a curvature on your lower back and sticking your chest out. This is your starting position.
    3. Pull your torso up until the bar touches your upper chest by drawing the shoulders and the upper arms down and back. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: Concentrate on squeezing the back muscles once you reach the full contracted position. The upper torso should remain stationary as it moves through space and only the arms should move. The forearms should do no other work other than hold the bar.
    4. After a second on the contracted position, start to inhale and slowly lower your torso back to the starting position when your arms are fully extended and the lats are fully stretched.
    5. Now repeat the same movements as described above except this time your torso will remain straight as you go up and the bar will touch the back of the neck instead of the upper chest. Tip: Use the head to lean forward slightly as it will help you properly execute this portion of the exercise.
    6. Once you have lowered yourself back down to the starting position, repeat the exercise for the prescribed amount of repetitions in your program.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: pull-up, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Rear Pull-up
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Rear Pull-up

Why You Might Need a Rear Pull-up Alternative

You may substitute a Rear Pull-up because you lack a bar, need to manage shoulder pain, or must scale intensity for progression. Bands and lat-pulldowns lower compressive demand while preserving lat lengthening; cue a slow 3-second eccentric and scapular depression to limit upper-trap takeover. Single-arm rows force unilateral lat activation and expose strength imbalances through full shoulder extension. Horizontal pulls like inverted or ring rows reduce glenohumeral elevation and shift load to the rhomboids and posterior deltoids, useful when overhead or vertical pulls irritate the shoulder. Use negatives to overload the eccentric phase and strengthen the lat-tendon unit.

Rear Pull-up FAQ

What muscles does Rear Pull-up work?

The Rear Pull-up primarily targets the latissimus dorsi while recruiting the teres major, posterior deltoid, rhomboids, and biceps. Cue scapular depression and elbow drive to maximize lat engagement; the movement uses shoulder extension and adduction to load the lats concentrically and eccentrically.

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