Exercise Library
Mixed Grip Chin Up
A compound upper-body pulling exercise performed on a pull-up bar using a close underhand grip. The body is pulled upward from a dead hang until the chin clears the bar, with elbows driving down and close to the torso. The movement emphasizes controlled lifting and lowering while maintaining core stability throughout the range of motion.
Primary muscle
Latissimus Dorsi (Lats)
Equipment
Bodyweight
Category
Back
How to Do the Mixed Grip Chin Up
- Grab the bar at about shoulder width with one palm facing you (supinated) and the other facing away (pronated).
- Hang at full arm extension and set your shoulder blades down and back.
- Brace your trunk hard, since the mixed grip will try to twist you as you pull.
- Breathe out and pull your chest toward the bar, keeping both elbows tracking down rather than flaring.
- Finish with your chin over the bar and your torso square, not rotated toward either hand.
- Lower under control to a full hang before the next rep.
- Swap which hand is supinated every set so both sides develop evenly.
Common Mistakes
- Never switching the grip: always keeping the same hand supinated builds lopsided arm and lat strength; alternate the grip set by set.
- Letting the body rotate: allowing the torso to corkscrew toward the underhand side wastes the anti-rotation benefit; fight to stay square to the bar.
- Skipping the dead hang: starting reps from bent elbows hides weakness in the hardest range; extend fully at the bottom.
- Using momentum: swinging the legs to get over the bar removes the strict strength stimulus this variation is meant to provide.
Track This Exercise in the App
Log your mixed grip chin up sets in 1RM.fit and watch your estimated 1RM update automatically as you get stronger.