Wide-grip pull-ups behind the head are a huge fitness trend of 2012-2014. The main popularizer is Jason Statham, who in his numerous roles on screen, always pulled up in this way. Then an amateur video appeared on the Internet, filmed in a gym, in which Jason pulled up in the same way as his movie characters. Viewers and fitness beginners compared the facts quite logically: Statham has a wide back, and he pulls up behind his head, therefore, this version of pull-ups contributes to a noticeable widening of the back.
What are wide grip pull-ups?
This option has many differences. Let's note each one and describe the necessity of this or that action:
Grip width
Wide pull-ups are a conditional term, because the width is individual for everyone. To determine the most correct distance between your palms, use regular geometry. The angle between your hands should be at least 90°. Imagine that your head is gone, this is the angle between your hands that should be obtuse. And we are not talking about stupidity, but about the terms of geometry.
In this way, everyone can find their own individual wide grip. With this arrangement of hands, your shoulder joints will not suffer. At the same time, the back muscles will be able to receive 100% load. That is, the correct wide grip is a guarantee of the absence of all kinds of injuries like in yoga by mats. Most often, athletes injure their shoulders in wide pull-ups.
Type of horizontal bar/crossbar
There is a classic version - a straight bar without bends at the end. It is believed that this classic version is universal, but in the context of our pull-ups, you will be more satisfied with a horizontal bar with special bends at the ends. In this case, you will not injure your wrists, and the exercise will be more comfortable.
In addition, the oblique handles of the bar make the movement more natural. It will be easier for you to tense your back muscles and bring your shoulder blades together, which will dramatically increase the effectiveness of pull-ups. That is why good fitness centers always have a bar of this fitness format.
Head position
Thanks to Jason Statham, many beginners have started trying to do pull-ups behind their heads. They believe that this option will provide them with a wide, muscular back. However, from a physiological point of view, movement in the plane behind the head is unnatural and uncomfortable for the body, as a result of which the muscular system cannot work at 100%. The brain intentionally reduces neuromuscular activity so that you do not injure yourself.
Pull-ups behind the head are beautiful on screen, but counterproductive in real life. The position of the elbows and the structure of the shoulder blades make this movement ridiculous and useless. You will only get half the effectiveness of such pull-ups, because after overcoming the middle of the amplitude, the main muscle masses will simply be switched off by the protective system of the brain and nervous system. In the entire history of evolution, humans have never performed actions with similar biomechanics. We have never climbed onto a ledge from behind our heads, or pulled ourselves up onto a branch behind our heads. Unnatural means ineffective and dangerous.
Are wide grip pull-ups necessary?
Wide pull-ups, unlike the classic version, work the latissimus dorsi muscles and adjacent areas to a greater extent, which contributes to a pronounced expansion of the back and the overall silhouette of the athlete. For many beginners and even experienced athletes, this is one of the primary goals - to improve their appearance from the back and front by adding width.
In addition, wide pull-ups are useful for those who do not have significant biceps strength. If you cannot pull yourself up from about the middle of the amplitude of the classic version, then most likely the reason is weak arm muscles. In this case, wide-grip pull-ups will become your savior. Here, the load on the arms is reduced, and at the same time increased relative to the back muscles.
Nuances of implementation
In these pull-ups, you cannot leave your body vertical and perpendicular to the floor. You need to reach for the bar not with your chin, but with the upper part of your chest muscles and collarbone. In order for the movement to be correct, you also need to bend your legs at the knees and cross them in the calf area. As you rise to the bar, move your legs forward to maintain balance.
Simply put, wide-grip pull-ups are not like classic pull-ups in terms of the working plane. Instead of vertical traction, we have a kind of symbiosis with horizontal. The movement begins strictly vertically, and then, thanks to the arch of the chest and the rise of the legs, you partially move the movement to the horizontal plane. Thus, wide-grip pull-ups develop the width of the back without excessive strain on the arms and shoulder girdle.
With proper technique, this is the safest pull-up for your shoulders. The main thing is not to pull yourself up behind your head, like they do in the movies.
Another important nuance is the movement of the elbows. They should be directed strictly downwards, and not to the sides or back. Note that without lifting your legs, you will not be able to comply with this rule. That is, all the nuances of the correct technique are connected with each other, and missing even one will lead to a violation of the biomechanics of the entire exercise.
Final Words
An excellent exercise for widening the back. In the gym, the only analogue of this movement can be called a horizontal pull of a block trainer with a wide grip, but the effectiveness of such an exercise will be significantly lower. Therefore, we recommend that you slowly but surely learn pull-ups with a wide grip. At first, you can start with a vertical pull of the block, observing all the above nuances. Gradually move on to 1-2 repetitions on the horizontal bar, and increase the number of repetitions every 8-10 days.
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