Pull-ups with a parallel grip are a pull-up variation with the narrowest grip, which is intended for specialized tasks. Unfortunately, most athletes are not familiar with this specialization of this pull-up variation, as a result of which they perform it for show and ineffectively, hoping for a miracle. We will introduce you to the correct technique of pull-ups with a parallel grip, so that you stop waiting for a miracle and start progressing.

Why do parallel grip pull-ups?
Initially, athletes were looking for a version of pull-ups with a narrow grip that would allow them to fully work the middle of the back, namely the trapezius and rhomboid muscles. This is how pull-ups with a narrow grip appeared:

Incorrect (hands almost together on the horizontal bar) – dangerous and useless, since your hands will prevent you from finishing the movement;

Reverse (hands approximately shoulder width apart) – uncomfortable, difficult to teach to beginners due to the complexity of the yoga technique on mat.

Quite by accident, athletes decided to try a parallel grip. They hung the handle of a block trainer on a horizontal bar and began to perform something between a pullover and pull-ups. Thus, another new exercise appeared in the world of fitness and bodybuilding – parallel grip pull-ups.

A few years later, manufacturers of horizontal bars and pull-up bars began to produce special models with convenient parallel handles at shoulder width. This type of horizontal bar is ideal for these pull-ups. If you do not have one, then use the "old-fashioned" method - take a narrow parallel handle of a block trainer and fix it on the bar.

Benefits of Pull-ups with Parallel Grip
Unlike the reverse or direct grip, here the athlete does not twist the biceps, forearms and wrists in an uncomfortable position. The parallel grip is the most natural for a person. The less discomfort, the greater the strength potential. The nervous system regulates how strong your muscles will be in a particular movement. If it senses danger or the risk of injury, it will intentionally reduce the strength potential by suppressing nerve impulses. Always keep towel to clean the sweat. Discomfort when performing a strength exercise is regarded as a potential danger and injury.

Therefore, if a person is uncomfortable doing an exercise, he cannot reveal the maximum strength potential. Pull-ups with a parallel grip allow you to overcome this drawback of exercises. This option does not create discomfort, as a result of which you can work on pull-ups to failure.

How to perform pull-ups with a parallel grip?
There are a number of distinctive nuances that must be observed for the correct technique of execution. Here is a list of them:

Starting static voltage
Grab the handles of the bar. Clench your fists tightly. Bend your elbows slightly and tighten your shoulder girdle to avoid excessive shoulder protrusion from the shoulder bag. Elbows point forward. Also, do not forget to tighten your abs after a deep exhalation.

Main movement
Pull-ups with a parallel grip must be performed under control. The main nuance is to move the elbows along the body. Mentally imagine that you are doing a pullover with a dumbbell. The elbows from the top position should go straight down almost flush with the torso.

You need to reach the bar with the middle part, arching your spine and chest. Do not spread your elbows to the sides under any circumstances, as this will remove the load from the rhomboid muscles. Relax your legs, but move your pelvis forward by the middle of the pull-up phase.

Peak point
Make sure to touch the bar with the middle of your chest. Hold for a second, statically contracting your back muscles and bringing your shoulder blades together. Your legs hang down and your torso is at an angle, that is, not perpendicular or parallel to the floor.

Reverse movement
Slowly return your body to a vertical position. At the same time, begin to straighten your arms at the elbows, not forgetting all the above rules. You cannot relax at the bottom, as this can lead to shoulder injuries.

Who needs parallel grip pull-ups?
First of all, for those who do not know how to do a pullover with a dumbbell. If you do not feel the work of your back muscles in a pullover, then such pull-ups will be the best teacher for you. In addition, a parallel grip in pull-ups will help pump up the middle of the back and its thickness. Consider the exercise as a safe and effective alternative to the Yates row or the classic bent-over barbell row.

However, we recommend doing such pull-ups to absolutely everyone, regardless of training experience or the ultimate goal of training. This version of the exercise is multifunctional, and it also activates muscles that are difficult to "touch" with classic strength movements with dumbbells, with a barbell or even in exercise machines.

Final Words

Pull-ups with a parallel grip are an unusual variation of the exercise, which resemble pull-ups with a narrow grip or reverse. Judging from this point of view, this is a kind of symbiosis of such versions of the exercise. There is no uncomfortable grip, and the strength potential is several tens of percent greater.

Before learning to do reverse grip pull-ups, try this method, and only after mastering it, slowly move on to others. Of course, this is not the basis of the basics like the same classic pull-ups, but in the arsenal of a beginner, a parallel grip will become one of the best ways to stimulate the middle area of ​​the back muscles.

Note that wide pull-ups can also be performed with a parallel grip. There is a type of horizontal bar with a large distance between the handles. However, they cannot be considered standard parallel pull-ups. The classic is the distance of the palms no more than the shoulder girdle.

Resources:
https://smith.ahlamontada.com/t33-pull-up-from-scratch-after-yoga
https://www.wattpad.com/1481103865-benefits-of-pilates
https://www.bloglovin.com/@letsmewatchthis/best-types-meat-for-a-yoga-athlete
https://uberant.com/article/459260-the-best-gps-watches-for-hiking-and-outdoor-physical-activity/