How is this different from the regular Leg-Assisted Chin-Up?

Only the grip changes. In the Leg-Assisted Chin-Up the hands sit about shoulder width apart, while here they almost touch, so the elbows travel down in front of the body instead of out to the sides. The setup, the leg assistance and the range of motion stay the same.

Does the close grip work the biceps harder?

Many people feel their arms working more with the hands close, but the narrower spacing mainly changes how the elbows travel, and the lats still do most of the work. Choose the close grip because it suits your wrists and shoulders or to prepare for the Chin-Up (Close Grip), not as a way to target the arms.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Bend your knees and bring your feet closer to your hips to make it easier. Pausing for a second with the chin at the bar and taking 3 to 4 seconds to lower also make each rep harder without changing the setup.

When should I move on to the full close-grip chin-up?

Move on once you can complete sets of 8 to 12 reps with full range and without pushing off your heels. Practice the Negative Chin-Up or the Band-Assisted Chin-Up in between, then try the Chin-Up (Close Grip).

My wrists or inner elbows hurt with the hands this close. What should I do?

Widen the grip until your wrists can stay straight, or switch to the shoulder-width Leg-Assisted Chin-Up or a neutral grip, which most people find easier on the elbows. If the pain lingers after training, cut back on pulling volume and get it checked.

Leg-Assisted Chin-Up (Close Grip)

What Is the Leg-Assisted Chin-Up (Close Grip)?

Leg-Assisted Chin-Up (Close Grip) is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back, especially the latissimus dorsi, and also engages the biceps, brachialis and the muscles between the shoulder blades. It is a beginner-level movement performed from a seated position under a low bar, with the heels staying on the floor so the legs carry part of the body weight while the arms and back pull the chest up to a close underhand grip.

The exercise is a regression of the chin-up for people who cannot yet lift their full body weight. Because the heels stay planted and carry part of your weight, it is easy to finish a set with good form instead of grinding or swinging. It usually sits early in a chin-up progression, after hangs and scapular work and before negatives, band-assisted reps and the full Chin-Up (Close Grip).

What sets this version apart from the shoulder-width Leg-Assisted Chin-Up is the hand position. With the hands almost touching, the elbows travel down in front of the torso instead of out to the sides, so the pull becomes mostly a matter of driving the upper arms down toward the ribs. Bringing the hands together changes the elbow path more than it changes which muscles do the work, so the lats still lead and the biceps and brachialis assist as they do in any chin-up. The close, fully turned-up grip is also the least forgiving position for the wrists and inner elbows, so the shoulder-width version or a neutral grip suits anyone who feels strain there.

This variation suits beginners, people returning to pulling after time off, and anyone working toward a close-grip chin-up who wants to rehearse that exact hand position with lighter loading. If it is still too hard, build up with the Barbell Inverted Row (Underhand Grip) and the Dead Hang first. Thinking about pulling the elbows down toward the hips, rather than pulling the chin up with the arms, helps keep the work in the back.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Latissimus Dorsi: Primary
Biceps Brachii: High
Brachialis: High
Brachioradialis: Medium
Infraspinatus: Medium
Lower Trapezius: Medium
Rhomboid Major: Medium
Teres Major: Medium
Gluteus Maximus: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low

Instructions

Set a sturdy bar low, such as a bar fixed in a power rack, at a height you can reach with straight arms while sitting on the floor beneath it.
Sit under the bar with your legs straight out in front of you, feet together and heels on the floor.
Grab the bar with an underhand grip, palms facing you, and your hands close together, leaving only a small gap if your wrists need it.
Start with your arms straight, your chest under the bar and your shoulder blades drawn slightly down.
Brace your core, then pull your elbows down in front of your body toward your ribs.
As you pull, lift your hips off the floor so your body pivots on your heels and forms a straight line from heels to shoulders.
Keep pulling until your chin reaches the bar, with your chest up and your head neutral.
Let your heels support you without pushing off them.
Lower slowly until your arms are fully straight and you are back in the seated start position, then repeat.

Common Mistakes

Letting the legs do the work
Driving hard through the heels turns the rep into a leg push, so let the heels support you without pushing off them.
Leaving the hips behind
Keeping the hips bent at the top lets you reach the bar by folding at the waist instead of pulling, so lift them until the body forms a straight line from heels to shoulders.
Cutting the range short
Stopping before the arms are straight at the bottom or before the chin reaches the bar trains only part of the movement.
Craning the chin forward
Poking the chin toward the bar fakes the top position and strains the neck, so keep the head neutral and bring the chest up instead.
Shrugging at the start
Pulling with the shoulders up by the ears shifts stress onto the front of the shoulder, so draw the shoulder blades down before the elbows bend.
Bending the wrists to fit the grip
Forcing the hands together until the wrists bend sideways loads the wrists and inner elbows, so leave a small gap between the hands if you need it.

Injuries

Leg-Assisted Chin-Up (Close Grip) is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The feet stay on the floor, only part of the body weight is lifted, and every rep starts from a seated position, so there is little to fall from and the load is easy to control.

The main strain points are the inner elbows, forearms and wrists. Holding a straight bar with the palms fully turned toward you and the hands close together loads the forearm flexors that attach at the inner elbow, and it can force the wrists to bend sideways. If you feel this, widen the grip until the wrists stay straight, or switch to the shoulder-width Leg-Assisted Chin-Up or a neutral grip. The shoulders are most exposed at the bottom, so keep them pulled slightly down rather than dropping into a loose hang, and keep the hips lifted in a straight line at the top so the lower back does not sag.

To make it easier, bend your knees and bring your feet closer to your hips. To progress, add a pause at the top and slow the lowering, then move on to the Negative Chin-Up, the Band-Assisted Chin-Up and finally the Chin-Up (Close Grip).

Stop if you feel sharp pain in the elbow, wrist or shoulder, inner-elbow soreness that lingers into the next day, a pinching sensation at the front of the shoulder, or numbness or tingling in the hands.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back
Equipment: Pull-up bar and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is this different from the regular Leg-Assisted Chin-Up?: Only the grip changes. In the Leg-Assisted Chin-Up the hands sit about shoulder width apart, while here they almost touch, so the elbows travel down in front of the body instead of out to the sides. The setup, the leg assistance and the range of motion stay the same.
Q: Does the close grip work the biceps harder?: Many people feel their arms working more with the hands close, but the narrower spacing mainly changes how the elbows travel, and the lats still do most of the work. Choose the close grip because it suits your wrists and shoulders or to prepare for the Chin-Up (Close Grip), not as a way to target the arms.
Q: How do I make it easier or harder?: Bend your knees and bring your feet closer to your hips to make it easier. Pausing for a second with the chin at the bar and taking 3 to 4 seconds to lower also make each rep harder without changing the setup.
Q: When should I move on to the full close-grip chin-up?: Move on once you can complete sets of 8 to 12 reps with full range and without pushing off your heels. Practice the Negative Chin-Up or the Band-Assisted Chin-Up in between, then try the Chin-Up (Close Grip).
Q: My wrists or inner elbows hurt with the hands this close. What should I do?: Widen the grip until your wrists can stay straight, or switch to the shoulder-width Leg-Assisted Chin-Up or a neutral grip, which most people find easier on the elbows. If the pain lingers after training, cut back on pulling volume and get it checked.