10 Best Shoulder Grip Pull-up Alternatives for Building Lats

The Shoulder Grip Pull-up is done hanging. Ranked closest by our scoring: Bench Pull-ups, the Pull-up and Pullups.

Shoulder Grip Pull-upWatch the Shoulder Grip Pull-up

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

How to Do the Shoulder Grip Pull-up

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

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

  1. Grab the pull-up bar with a shoulder-width grip, palms facing away from you.
  2. Hang freely with your arms fully extended.
  3. Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar until your chin is above the bar.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Shoulder Grip Pull-up Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Shoulder Grip 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.

  1. Bench Pull-upsPlay demonstration

    1. Bench Pull-ups

    99% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want an easier version that 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 Shoulder Grip Pull-up
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Shoulder Grip Pull-up
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Shoulder Grip Pull-up
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Shoulder Grip Pull-up
  2. Pull-upPlay demonstration

    2. Pull-up

    99% match

    Lats · Advanced · Compound

    It uses the same equipment and 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 Shoulder Grip Pull-up
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Shoulder Grip Pull-up
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, the same as the Shoulder Grip Pull-up
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Shoulder Grip Pull-up

  3. 3. Pullups

    99% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

  7. Weighted Pull Ups

    7. Weighted Pull Ups

    99% match

    Lats · Advanced · Compound

    A straight swap when you want to keep working the lats.

    • Other
    How to perform it
    1. Attach a weight to a dip belt and secure it around your waist. Grab the pull-up bar with the palms of your hands facing forward. For a medium grip, your hands should be spaced at shoulder width. Both arms should be extended in front of you holding the bar at the chosen grip.
    2. You'll want to bring your torso back about 30 degrees while creating a curvature in your lower back and sticking your chest out. This will be your starting position.
    3. Now, exhale and pull your torso up until your head is above your hands. Concentrate on squeezing yourshoulder blades back and down as you reach the top contracted position.
    4. After a brief moment at the top contracted position, inhale and slowly lower your torso back to the starting position with your arms extended and your lats fully stretched.

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

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

Shoulder Grip Pull-up FAQ

What muscles does Shoulder Grip Pull-up work?

Shoulder-grip pull-ups primarily load the latissimus dorsi and teres major while also engaging the biceps brachii, brachialis, rhomboids, and posterior deltoids. The movement depends on scapular depression and retraction plus shoulder extension and elbow flexion to produce force.

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