Weighted Muscle-Up

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Secure a weight plate using a dip belt or by holding it firmly between your thighs.
2. Adjust the suspension trainer handles to a height where your feet clear the floor when hanging.
3. Grip the handles with a 'false grip'—positioning the base of your palms on top of the handles—to facilitate the transition.
4. Hang with arms fully extended, core braced, and legs slightly in front of the body in a hollow-body position.

How to do it

1. Exhale and pull yourself upward explosively, aiming to bring the handles toward your lower chest while keeping them close to your body.
2. At the peak of the pull, lean your torso forward aggressively to transition your weight over the handles.
3. Press downward through the handles to extend your arms fully into the top of a dip, exhaling as you reach full lockout.
4. Inhale and lower yourself with control back through the transition and into the initial hanging position, maintaining tension throughout.

Form checklist

• Maintain the false grip throughout the pull to ensure a smooth transition over the handles.
• Keep the handles close to your midline to maximize leverage and shoulder stability.
• Avoid excessive leg swinging or kipping; the movement should be driven by upper body power.
• Ensure full elbow extension at both the bottom hang and the top of the dip.
• Keep your core rigid to prevent the weight plate from swinging and disrupting your balance.

Pro tips

• Focus on driving your elbows back and down rather than just pulling up to create the necessary space for the transition.
• Squeeze the weight plate tightly with your legs to create full-body irradiation, which improves force transfer during the explosive pull.

Make it harder

• Implement a 'dead-stop' at the bottom of each rep to eliminate all elastic energy and momentum.
• Slow down the eccentric (lowering) phase to five seconds to increase time under tension for the lats and triceps.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the weighted muscle-up work?

The weighted muscle-up primarily targets the lats, pectorals, and trapezius, and also works the forearms, grip muscles, and serratus anterior as secondary muscles.

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

The weighted muscle-up uses suspension trainer.

Is the weighted muscle-up good for beginners?

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

Related exercises

• Bodyweight Kneeling Push-Up RowBeginner · lats, pectorals, and trapezius
• Dumbbell Deep Push-Up And Renegade RowAdvanced · lats, pectorals, and trapezius
• Parsva Balasana Yoga PoseBeginner · abs, erector spinae, lats, obliques, pectorals, and trapezius
• Plank Push-Up RowAdvanced · abs, lats, obliques, pectorals, and trapezius