Are False Grip Pullups Good?

by M.L. Rose

Standard pullups are hard, but false-grip pullups pose a different type of challenge because you bend your wrist instead of keeping it neutral. For many exercisers, learning to do false-grip pullups is not the end goal. Rather, it’s a step toward doing the muscle-up exercise on gymnastics rings, because the false grip position is necessary if you hope to lift your torso above the rings. If the muscle-up is your target, become proficient at false-grip pullups first.

False-Grip Pullups on a Bar

Performing false-grip pullups or dead hangs on a high horizontal bar is typically a good way to develop the strength necessary to do false-grip pullups on rings. If you’re new to false-grip pullups, position your wrists on top of the bar with your fingers spread, and hang for as long as you can. When you can hang comfortably for several seconds, repeat the exercise, but close your fists while they're above the bar. Don't grasp the bar. Instead, keep your wrists on top. The final step in the sequence is performing a false-grip pullup. Place the tops of your wrists on the bar, grasp the bar and pull yourself up.

Preparing for Muscle-Ups

If you want to do CrossFit workouts, or even compete in the CrossFit Games, you'll need to perform the muscle-up exercise. To perform a muscle-up your hands must rotate to the opposite position they'd assume during a standard ring pullup -- instead of gripping the ring from below, with your wrist beneath the ring, you must reach a position in which your wrist is above the ring. That's where false-grip pullups enter the picture. The false grip places your wrist level with the ring, which makes it roughly a halfway point between a standard pullup grip and the grip with which you complete a muscle-up. You begin muscle-ups with a false grip because it's almost impossible to begin with a standard pullup grip and then rotate your hands completely while you're hanging from the rings.

False-Grip Pullup Form on Rings

To perform a false-grip pullup on rings, grasp the rings with your palms facing each other, then bend your wrists so your palms point toward the floor and your wrists are level with the bottom of the rings. Maintain the wrist bend for the remainder of the exercise. From the false-grip position perform an otherwise standard pullup. Keep your legs straight and angle them toward the floor in front of you as you pull yourself up until your chin is a bit higher than your hands. Lower yourself under control to the starting position.

The Good and the Bad

The false-grip pullup is basically a means to an end, rather than an end in itself. If you wish to do muscle-ups with proper form, you've got to flip your wrists, and the false-grip pullup puts you in position to perform that move. If your goal is to build strength in your back, shoulders and arms in the most efficient manner, then false-grip pullups are not good, at least when compared to standard pullups. The wrists, however, are another story. False-grip pullups put more emphasis on the wrists, so the exercise is good for anyone trying to build wrist strength.

Workout Considerations

Perform a five- to 10-minute aerobic warm-up before you attempt false-grip pullups. To do the exercise as part of a workout, perform five sets of as many repetitions as possible. You can do false-grip pullups two or three times per week, but leave at least 48 hours between sessions so your muscles can recover.

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