Weighted Chin-Up

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Secure a weight plate to a dip belt around your waist or firmly grip a dumbbell between your ankles.
2. Stand under the bar and use an underhand (supinated) grip with hands shoulder-width apart.
3. Step off the wall or platform to hang with arms fully extended, ensuring the weight is stable and not swinging.
4. Engage your core and depress your shoulder blades by pulling them down away from your ears.

How to do it

1. Exhale as you pull your body upward by driving your elbows down toward your hips and keeping your chest lifted.
2. Continue the ascent until your chin is completely over the bar, focusing on a peak contraction in the biceps and lats.
3. Inhale as you lower yourself back to the starting position with a controlled 2-3 second eccentric phase.
4. Stop just short of a 'dead hang' to maintain tension in the lats and protect the shoulder joints before starting the next rep.

Form checklist

• Keep your elbows tucked close to your sides rather than flaring them out.
• Avoid 'kipping' or using leg momentum to swing yourself over the bar.
• Ensure a full range of motion by clearing the bar with your chin and fully extending the arms at the bottom.
• Maintain a 'proud chest' throughout the movement to maximize lat recruitment and prevent rounded shoulders.
• Keep your core braced to prevent excessive arching in the lower back.

Pro tips

• Imagine pulling the bar down to your chest rather than pulling your body to the bar to improve mind-muscle connection with the lats.
• At the top of the rep, squeeze your shoulder blades together to increase activation of the trapezius and rhomboids.

Make it harder

• Incorporate a 3-second pause at the top of each rep to eliminate all momentum and maximize time under tension.
• Perform '1.5 reps' by pulling to the top, lowering halfway, pulling back to the top, and then lowering fully.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the weighted chin-up work?

The weighted chin-up primarily targets the biceps, lats, and trapezius, and also works the forearms, rotator cuff, and serratus anterior as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the weighted chin-up?

The weighted chin-up uses pull up bar.

Is the weighted chin-up good for beginners?

The weighted chin-up is rated advanced. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• Band Assisted Chin Up From KneeIntermediate · biceps, lats, and trapezius
• Band Bent Over One Arm KickbackBeginner · biceps, lats, rhomboids, and trapezius
• Chin-UpIntermediate · biceps, lats, and trapezius
• Chin-Up Isometric And NegativeIntermediate · biceps, lats, and trapezius