The Weighted Chin-Up is an advanced upper body exercise that targets the back, biceps, and shoulders.

  1. Attach a weight belt or hold a dumbbell between your feet.
  2. Grip the chin-up bar with your palms facing you, hands shoulder-width apart.
  3. Hang with your arms fully extended and engage your core.
  4. Pull your chin above the bar while keeping your elbows close to your body.
  5. Lower yourself back to the starting position with control.

How to perform the Weighted Chin-Up

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Weighted Chin-Up using your free weights.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your latissimus dorsi.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your latissimus dorsi rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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Variations of Weighted Chin-Up

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