Vertical pull exercise
Weighted Chin-Up
Build pulling strength relative to your bodyweight.
- Equipment
- Pull-up bar, dip belt, plates
- Sides
- Both sides together
- Positions
- All positions
- Tempo
- 30X1
Setup
Pull-up bar, dip belt with plates or a dumbbell between the feet.
How to do it
- Start from a full dead hang with your shoulders set rather than slack.
- Drive your elbows down towards your ribs and pull until your chin is clearly over the bar, then lower under control to full extension.
- Do 3 to 5 sets of 3 to 6 reps.
- Do not kip - if you cannot complete strict reps, drop the load or use the lat pulldown progression.
Coaching cues
- Dead hang with the shoulders set
- Drive the elbows down to the ribs
- Chin clearly over, full extension down
Common mistakes
- Kipping or swinging to complete reps
- Partial range at the bottom, which is where most of the strength is
Sets and reps by goal
| Goal | Load | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | Bodyweight plus 10 to 30% of body mass | 3 to 5 | 3 to 6 | 3 min |
| Size | Bodyweight or light added load | 3 to 4 | 6 to 12 | 2 min |
Tempo 30X1: Take 3 seconds to lower it, no pause, lift it as fast as you can, hold for 1 second at the end of the lift.
Related exercises
- Lat PulldownBuild vertical pulling strength on the road to a first pull-up.
- Bench PressBuild maximal upper-body pressing strength.
- Incline Bench PressBuild pressing strength and shoulder-girdle mass at an upward angle.
- Dumbbell Bench PressBuild pressing strength with more range and less shoulder stress than a barbell.
- Strict Overhead PressBuild overhead strength and shoulder stability for lineout lifting.
- Push PressExpress overhead power using the legs, in the pattern closest to a lineout lift.