Pull-ups target your back muscles primarily, specifically your lats, but also your chest and shoulder muscles. Compared to a chin-up, pull-ups better engage the lower trapezius muscles in your back, between your shoulder blades.

Do pull-ups build big lats?

Widening or narrowing your grip can develop your lats more. For wide-grips, place hands more than shoulder distance apart; your upper body forms a Y. ... Narrow grip pullups engage your arms too, but they target lower lats.

Do pull-ups work latissimus dorsi?

The wide-grip pullup is an upper-body strength movement that targets your back, chest, shoulders, and arms. ... “The wide-grip pullup is an effective exercise to strengthen the back and shoulders, since the motion contracts the latissimus dorsi, the largest muscle of the upper body.”