Neutral Grip: What It Is, Benefits and Best Exercises
In weight training, a neutral grip means holding a bar or handles with your palms facing each other, the way your hands hang naturally at your sides. It's also called a hammer grip or parallel grip. Many lifters find it the most comfortable grip for pressing and pulling, because it keeps the wrists straight and lets the elbows stay closer to the body.
Below, you'll see how it compares with overhand and underhand grips, what it does for your shoulders, elbows and wrists, and the best neutral grip exercises to add to your training.
Neutral grip vs. overhand and underhand grips
There are three basic grips in weight training. The difference is which way your palms face, and that changes your wrist angle and where your elbows travel.
| Grip | Also called | Palms face | Common exercises | What it tends to do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | Hammer, parallel | Each other | Hammer curls, neutral-grip pulldowns, rows and presses | Keeps wrists straight and elbows closer to your sides; often the most joint-friendly |
| Pronated | Overhand | Away from you, or down | Pull-ups, bench press, wide-grip pulldowns | Lets elbows flare out; brings in more upper back and rear delts on pulls |
| Supinated | Underhand | Toward you, or up | Chin-ups, barbell curls, reverse-grip pulldowns | Puts the biceps in a strong position to help |
None of the three is best overall. Each puts your joints in a different position, so switching grips is a simple way to change how an exercise feels and which muscles help most.
Benefits of a neutral grip
The main benefit is comfort. A neutral grip matches how your arms move naturally, so your joints don't have to twist to fit a straight bar.
Shoulders
With your palms facing each other, your elbows tend to stay in front of your body instead of flaring out to the sides. Many lifters with sensitive shoulders find pressing and pulling feel smoother that way, especially overhead. We go deeper on this in Why Shoulder Impingement Is So Common in Weight Lifters.
Elbows
A straight bar locks your forearms into one rotation for the whole rep. A neutral grip lets the forearm stay in its middle position, which many people find easier on the elbows during heavy curls, presses and pulldowns.
Wrists
Your wrists stay in line with your forearms instead of bending back. That makes it easier to hold heavier loads without wrist strain.
Strength and control
Because the position feels natural, many lifters can use a full range of motion and keep good form for longer. On pulling exercises, a neutral grip also puts the biceps and the forearm muscle along the thumb side, the brachioradialis, in a strong position to help.
Best neutral grip exercises
Almost any press, pull or curl has a neutral grip version. These are the ones most worth adding:
- Neutral grip lat pulldown. Pull a neutral-grip bar down toward your upper chest to build your lats with less shoulder strain than a wide overhand grip. Full how-to in our neutral grip lat pulldown guide.
- Neutral grip pull-up. Hang from parallel handles and pull your chest up. Many lifters find it easier on the shoulders than wide-grip pull-ups and stronger than chin-ups.
- Neutral grip row. Use a V-bar or a multi-grip bar on a cable, or dumbbells. See our seated cable row guide for form and grip options.
- Neutral grip shoulder press. Press dumbbells or a neutral-grip bar overhead with your palms facing each other. Our shoulder press guide covers cable and dumbbell versions.
- Neutral grip bench press. Use dumbbells or a Swiss bar with palms facing. Your elbows stay tucked, which many lifters find kinder to the shoulders.
- Hammer curl. Curl dumbbells or a rope with your palms facing each other to train the biceps along with the forearm muscles.
To compare the bars and handles that give you a neutral grip on a cable machine, see our lat pulldown attachments guide.
Neutral grip training on a cable machine
Cables are one of the easiest ways to train with a neutral grip. You can swap attachments in seconds, and the cable keeps tension on the muscle through the whole rep. The main options:
- V-bar: a close neutral grip, mostly for rows and pulldowns.
- Multi-grip bar: several neutral grip widths on one bar.
- Single handles: one in each hand, so each arm follows its own path.
- The Andreoni Bar: several neutral grip positions on an open, curved bar that moves around your body instead of stopping against it.
That open shape is what makes exercises like a neutral grip cable shoulder press practical on a functional trainer. A straight bar would hit your head or chest partway through the rep.
Can a neutral grip prevent injuries?
No grip can guarantee that. Load, technique, recovery, past injuries and your own anatomy all matter more than hand position alone.
What a neutral grip can do is remove one source of unnecessary joint stress. If an exercise bothers your shoulders, elbows or wrists with an overhand or underhand grip, switching to neutral is one of the simplest changes to try first. If pain keeps coming back whatever grip you use, have it checked by a physiotherapist or doctor.
You also don't need to use a neutral grip for everything. Mixing grips over a training week gives your joints variety and trains your muscles from slightly different angles.
Neutral grip FAQ
What is a neutral grip? A grip where your palms face each other, like holding a hammer. It's also called a hammer grip or parallel grip.
What are the three types of grip? Neutral (palms facing each other), pronated or overhand (palms facing away or down) and supinated or underhand (palms facing you or up).
Why is a neutral grip easier? It matches your arm's natural position, so your wrists stay straight and your elbows stay closer to your body. Many lifters also feel stronger with it on pulling exercises, because the biceps and forearm muscles are in a good position to help.
Is a neutral grip better for your shoulders? For many lifters, yes. Keeping the elbows in front of the body instead of flaring out often makes pressing and pulling more comfortable, but it isn't a guarantee against shoulder pain.
Is a neutral grip better for building muscle? Not on its own. It trains the same muscles as other grips, with small differences in which helpers work hardest. Its advantage is that a comfortable grip makes it easier to train hard through a full range of motion.
What's the difference between a neutral grip and a hammer grip? None. They're two names for the same palms-facing grip.