How Switching Your Grip Can Make an Old Move Feel New Again

Variety is the spice of life, as the old saying goes, and it’s also key to building a safe and effective fitness routine. But you don’t necessarily have to overhaul your entire gym plan, learn brand-new exercises, or try an entirely different workout class. In fact, one of the easiest ways to spice things up when it comes to exercise involves little more than repositioning your hands. Meet the reverse grip. 

What Is a Reverse Grip?

A reverse grip is a different way of holding weights during a workout than you’re used to. “A reverse grip is a grip variation in which the palms during a grip exercise face upward or toward your body,” explains Peloton Instructor Cliff Dwenger. It’s called “reverse” because it’s often the opposite of how you’re used to performing a certain exercise.

For example, in a standard bicep curl, your palms face up as you curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders. In a reverse grip bicep curl, your palms face down as you lift the weights. “It can be used in various strength exercises,” Cliff adds.

Why Change Up Your Grip When Lifting Weights?

So why go through the trouble of switching your grip at all? The way in which you grab your weights subtly shifts how you’re asking your muscles to work for you. “It can recruit different muscle groups,” Cliff says. “For example, in a pull-up, changing from a normal grip to a reverse grip will recruit the bicep muscles more.” It will also recruit more of your rotator cuff muscles in your shoulders, according to one small study in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports.

Switching your grip also adds some welcome change to your workout routine. ”Adding variety and even doing the same exercises with small changes like changing your grip is beneficial for muscle growth and increases strength because it creates a new stimulus to the body,” Cliff says. Your body adapts to new stimuli over time, growing stronger in the process. Plus, switching your grip can keep your joints in optimal alignment and help you avoid overly taxing any particular muscle or joint, according to the National Council on Strength and Fitness.

Last but not least, you can even enhance your grip strength by using a reverse grip because you’re challenging your hands and wrists to work differently than they’re used to. While you might not focus much on the muscles in your wrists and hands, they too adapt to the challenge and get stronger, he says. That, in turn, can allow you to bang out a few additional reps in certain tricky exercises.

For example, you can do a deadlift with one hand using a standard grip and one hand using a reverse grip. “When the weight is heavy, you can lose your grip strength,” Cliff says. “Changing one hand to a reverse grip gives new stability, and you can probably add a few reps.” And squeezing out a few more reps here and there can add up to major muscle and strength gains over time.

Top 7 Reverse Grip Exercises

There are a number of reverse grip exercises that will look familiar to you: All you’re doing is changing the way you grip the weights, but otherwise the steps to complete these moves stay the same, Cliff says. Here are a few of his favorites to try.

1. Reverse Grip Pull-Up

“I do reverse grip pull-ups if I want to target the bicep muscles more,” Cliff says. “It also has better wrist-elbow-shoulder alignment, and it minimizes stress on the shoulder, which is beneficial if you have a sore chest or shoulders.” 

2. Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown

This is also a bit more gentle on the shoulders than a standard lat pulldown, Cliff says.

3. Single-Hand Reverse Grip Deadlift

As mentioned above, you may be able to maintain your grip for a few more reps when you’re deadlifting heavy using this setup.

4. Supinated Barbell Row

Rowing with a reverse grip challenges your biceps more, and it also keeps your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in alignment, Cliff says.

5. Reverse Grip Bicep Curl

Bicep curls are usually done with a supinated grip, meaning you start with your palms facing away from you, Cliff says. In this case, a reverse grip means your palms are facing toward you when you start to curl, which is called a pronated grip, he says.

6. Reverse Grip Bench Press

Switching the grip in this advanced variation of a classic barbell exercise can recruit more of your biceps and pecs, according to one small study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

7. Reverse Grip Tricep Pulldown

You’ll need access to a cable machine for this exercise, which primarily works the triceps on the backs of your upper arms.

Tips for Changing Your Grip

While change is a good thing, it can take some time to adjust to something new—and a reverse grip is no exception. “Doing it for the first few times can feel uncomfortable or even be painful,” Cliff says. Make sure to warm up before your workout, focusing especially on your wrists. “The aim should be to increase mobility in the wrists to apply the reverse grip efficiently,” he says. You can find short-and-sweet wrist mobility sessions to help guide you on the Peloton App.

At first, you might notice your grip strength feels weaker before it feels stronger, Cliff says. As you get more comfortable with a reverse grip, you’ll start to feel stronger and more confident in this position. But in the meantime, strengthening your wrists as part of your upper-body workouts can help.

It also might take a few sessions until you really start to feel a reverse grip exercise in the different muscles you’ll be recruiting, Cliff adds. 

He recommends beginning with lighter weights than you usually use when you’re first switching your grip. “I see how my body reacts, and I only increase when I feel comfortable,” he says. Listen to your body if you notice any discomfort or pain: It’s normal to have a little wrist pain that eases over time or goes away when you make adjustments in your grip. But sharp or lingering pain isn’t normal and is a good sign you should stop and consult a professional for a little extra guidance about adjusting your grip.

The Takeaway

A reverse grip is a variation in the way you hold dumbbells or barbells that’s typically the opposite of the way you’re used to performing a certain exercise. Reverse grip exercises recruit different muscles, add variety to your workouts, and improve your grip strength over time. If you’re curious about switching your grip, start with lighter weights than you’re used to and build up over time as you grow more comfortable with the movement. Make sure you’re prioritizing wrist mobility when you warm up before doing reverse grip exercises, and stop if you notice any sharp or sudden pain when you try a new one.