Wide through the shoulders and narrow at the hip perhaps best describes one of the most common goals of a weight training or exercise program for either gender. The "V" shape is usually a sign of fitness and is evidence you've been working out. To achieve the goal, you can use a variety of exercises to build muscle and lose weight. One of the staples of that program is the pull-up, a common and fundamental exercise. Variations on that exercise change the basic motion to focus on creating gains in particular muscles.
Pull-up for Chest Muscles
There is no single exercise that will produce more results in gaining the "V" shape than the pull-up. It uses the muscles of the chest, back and arms that make up the look. However, you will need to do some variations on the exercise to get a well-rounded program.
Any pull-up that starts with your palms facing forward on the bar, known as a forward grip, and ends with your chin going up over the bar, will bring focus to the pectoralis muscles of the chest. The pectoralis are the main muscles to give the "V" shape to your chest. Hand width on the bar should be slightly wider than your shoulders.
Pull-up for the Back Muscles
The back muscle that contributes the most to the shape you are looking forward to is the latissimus muscle, the broad muscle that extends from the back of the shoulder down to your lower back. To bring more focus to the latissimus, you will need to use a wider grip for your pull-up. There are two options you should consider. The first is a wide grip with the palms of your hands facing forward at least one full hand's width wider than your shoulders. The other option is to look for a pull-up bar that has the ends angled down. Using this grip will demand the most from the latissimus and will really help get that shape.
Getting Started
For many, the pull-up is a more difficult exercise than they can start out with. If you are having trouble completing more than five or six repetitions of the exercise without stopping, consider modifying the pull-up for a while. There are a lot of options here to help you get started. You can place a chair in front of the chin-up bar and rest one foot on the chair while you do the exercise. This will take some of your body weight out of the exercise and make it easier. You can also do a variation called a "jump up" by hopping up to the chin-up position and focusing on lowering your body slowly. Also, in some gyms you may find a machine that allows you to rest your body weight on a pad that counters your body weight and allows you to pull up more easily.
Other Considerations
Although the pull-up is a great exercise to help you achieve your goals, don't neglect other exercises that can complement your efforts. The same movement you do with a pull-up is reproduced when you do a pull-down exercise. You will need a weight training machine with a weight stack and you will need to select a proper weight to start. Also, remember there are other muscles that contribute to the "V" shape. Developing your shoulder muscles, the front and rear deltoids, also will give greater width through the shoulders.
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