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Strength Training · Calisthenics · Gymnastics

Weighted Muscle-Up

The weighted muscle-up combines a pull above a bar with a press to straight arms, using weight suspended from a dip belt. It trains upper-body pulling and pressing strength through a demanding transition.

Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.

  • Advanced
  • Compound
  • Higher injury risk
  • Rest 3 min

How to do it

  1. Secure the weight plate to your dip belt with the chain fastened.
  2. Grasp the bar from a stable platform with an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder width.
  3. Lower yourself into a straight-arm hang with your shoulders engaged.
  4. Pull explosively until the bar approaches your lower chest.
  5. Bring your chest forward over the bar as your wrists rotate into a support position.
  6. Press down on the bar until your elbows straighten.
  7. Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the bar.
  8. Rotate back beneath the bar into a controlled straight-arm hang.

Form cues

  • Wrap your thumbs around the bar.
  • Keep your ribs over your pelvis.
  • Keep your legs together.

Common mistakes

  • Swinging the suspended weightLet the plate settle before each rep instead of kicking to create momentum.
  • Pulling too far from the barKeep the bar close to your torso so you can move over it without reaching forward.
  • Turning one elbow over firstReduce the load until you can bring both elbows above the bar together.

Safety

A missed transition or lost grip can cause a fall while weight hangs from your waist. Added load and fatigue increase stress on your shoulders, elbows, and wrists during the turnover and descent.

  • Add weight only after you can repeat clean, unweighted bar muscle-ups without struggling through the transition.
  • Check that the bar, belt, chain, and fasteners are rated for the total load and are undamaged.
  • Use small load increases, ending the set before your pull height or grip deteriorates.
  • Keep the plate's path clear; use a stable platform to dismount rather than dropping from the bar with weight attached.

If you have shoulder, elbow, or wrist pain, avoid the weighted version and seek advice from a physiotherapist before retrying it.

Muscles worked

Front
Back

Primary muscles

  • Lats
  • Triceps

Secondary muscles

  • Biceps
  • Chest
  • Forearms

Equipment

  • Dip Belt
  • Pull-Up Bar
  • Weight Plate

Sets and reps

Sets
3–4
Target
1–3 reps
Rest
3 min

Log only the added weight, not your body weight.

Variations

Easier