Weighted Pull-up

Intermediate

Lats

Weighted

Weighted Pull-up trades complexity for control through the whole range, and it pairs well with a heavy row.

How to do Weighted Pull-up

Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar, keeping your elbows close to your body.
Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar.
Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Add to an AI Workout Plan All Back Exercises

Weighted Pull-up Sets and Reps by Goal

Strength

4 sets of 4-6 reps with 3 minutes of rest. Drop the weight and finish clean if position slips.

Hypertrophy

4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Add the smallest increment that still feels different.

Endurance

3 sets of 15-20 reps with 45 seconds of rest. Secure the load before the set so form does not shift.

Common Weighted Pull-up Mistakes

Jumping up in load faster than the range can absorb

Add small increments and keep the range you had unweighted.

Letting a nearby joint take over as the set gets hard

Stop the set as soon as the working joint stops leading the movement.

Repeating the same load and rep scheme for months

Pick one variable, load, reps, or tempo, and push it every week.

Easier and Harder Than Weighted Pull-up

Easier progression

Wide Grip Pull-up

Harder progression

Assisted Standing Chin-up

Swap Weighted Pull-up For

Lever Front Pulldown

Side-to-side Chin

Band Assisted Pull-up

Weighted Pull-up — Frequently Asked Questions

How do you do the Weighted Pull-up?

Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body straight. Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar, keeping your elbows close to your body. Use added weight and keep the movement controlled through the full range. The animated GIF above shows the complete rep at normal speed.

What muscles does the Weighted Pull-up work?

The Weighted Pull-up primarily targets the lats. It is classified as a back exercise and is performed with added weight.

How many sets and reps of the Weighted Pull-up should I do?

For muscle growth: 4 sets of 8-12 reps with 75-90 seconds of rest. Add the smallest increment that still feels different. Adjust the load rather than the rep target if form breaks down before the final rep.

Is the Weighted Pull-up good for beginners?

It is an intermediate movement. You will get more out of it once you can already perform the basic back patterns with controlled form. Beginners can still use it with light load and close attention to technique.

What can I do instead of the Weighted Pull-up?

Try the Lever Front Pulldown, Side-to-side Chin or the Band Assisted Pull-up. Each trains the lats with a similar movement pattern, so you can swap based on the equipment you have available.