10 Best Weighted Pull-up Alternatives for Lat Strength

The Weighted Pull-up is done hanging. Ranked closest by our scoring: Bench Pull-ups, the Pull-up and Pullups.

The Weighted Pull-up hangs you from a bar to drag your chin over it, so a swap must keep that hang and pull. Bench Pull-ups are the closest to it: same overhand grip and the same hang with arms fully extended, but the bar sits at chest height so you set up underneath it and pull your chest to the bar until your chin clears it. If a full bodyweight rep is what stops you, the Band Assisted Pull-up keeps the same hang and grip and lets a band under your feet carry some of your weight on the way up.

Weighted Pull-upWatch the Weighted Pull-up

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Weighted Pull-up

The steps for the Weighted Pull-up itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Lats, with biceps, forearms · Weighted · Advanced · Compound

  1. Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
  3. Engage your back muscles and pull your body up towards the bar, keeping your elbows close to your body.
  4. Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

The 10 Best Weighted Pull-up Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Weighted Pull-up on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Bench Pull-upsPlay demonstration

    1. Bench Pull-ups

    90% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

    Pick this when you want an easier version that still works the lats.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Position yourself under a bar or a sturdy horizontal surface that is at chest height.
    2. Grab the bar or surface with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    3. Hang with your arms fully extended and your body straight.
    4. Pull your chest towards the bar or surface by squeezing your shoulder blades together and bending your elbows.
    5. Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar or surface.
    6. Lower yourself back down to the starting position with control.
    7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: pull-up, the same as the Weighted Pull-up
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Weighted Pull-up
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not free weights
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Weighted Pull-up
  2. Pull-upPlay demonstration

    2. Pull-up

    90% match

    Lats · Advanced · Compound

    A straight swap when you want to keep working the lats.

    • Bodyweight
    How to perform it
    1. Hang from a pull-up bar with your palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended.
    2. Engage your core and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
    3. Pull your body up towards the bar by bending your elbows and bringing your chest towards the bar.
    4. Pause at the top of the movement, then slowly lower your body back down to the starting position.
    5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: pull-up, the same as the Weighted Pull-up
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Weighted Pull-up
    • Equipment: bodyweight only, not free weights
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Weighted Pull-up

  3. 3. Pullups

    90% match

    Lats · Intermediate · Compound

  6. Weighted One Hand Pull UpPlay demonstration

    6. Weighted One Hand Pull Up

    90% match

    Lats · Advanced · Compound

    Pick this when you want to work the lats one side at a time.

    • Weighted
    How to perform it
    1. Grab the pull-up bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
    2. Hang from the bar with your arm fully extended and your body straight.
    3. Engage your core and pull your body up towards the bar by bending your elbow and squeezing your back muscles.
    4. Continue pulling until your chin is above the bar.
    5. Lower your body back down to the starting position with control.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps on each side.

    Why this matches
    • Movement: pull-up, the same as the Weighted Pull-up
    • Primary muscle: lats, the same as the Weighted Pull-up
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Weighted Pull-up
    • Body position: hanging, the same as the Weighted Pull-up
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Weighted Pull-up

Why You Might Need a Weighted Pull-up Alternative

A dip belt and plates are not always around, and even without weight a full hang and pull can still be too much on a given day. The Weighted Pull-up needs a bar, a belt and disks, so dropping the load is often the simplest fix. Bench Pull-ups and the Pull-up both keep the same overhand grip and let you rebuild the movement at plain bodyweight, and Pullups does the same. The Band Assisted Pull-up loops a band over the bar to take some of your weight off through the hardest part of the climb, so a rep that stalls halfway can still finish.

How to Choose the Right Weighted Pull-up Substitute

Reach for Bench Pull-ups first if reaching a high bar is what stops you: the bar sits at chest height so you set up underneath it, then hang with arms straight and pull your chest to the bar with the same overhand grip. The Pull-up keeps the same grip and range at bodyweight, suiting anyone who has dropped the added plates and wants the true test back. A rep that dies partway up calls for the Band Assisted Pull-up instead: you stand on a band hung from the bar, so it carries some of your weight through the rep while your hands stay where they are. Once reps feel light again, the Weighted One Hand Pull Up brings the added weight back but shifts it onto one arm, so that side carries the whole load.

Weighted Pull-up FAQ

Which swap works best for a beginner?

The Band Assisted Pull-up. A band looped over the bar takes weight off through the hardest part of the climb, so a lifter who cannot yet hang and pull their full bodyweight can still complete the same rep from a dead hang to chin over the bar.

How do I make a bodyweight pull harder again?

Move to the Weighted One Hand Pull Up. It keeps the same hang and pull to chin over the bar but asks one arm to do the work at a time, so the working side carries the whole load instead of splitting it.

Can I do the Weighted Pull-up alternatives at home?

Yes, if you have a bar to hang from. Bench Pull-ups, the Pull-up and Pullups need nothing but the bar, and the Band Assisted Pull-up adds only a resistance band hung from it. None of them need a gym floor or extra hardware.

What does the Band Assisted Pull-up change about the Weighted Pull-up?

It adds a band looped over the bar instead of a belt and plates. The band pushes up on your feet through the bottom of the rep, so the hardest part of the climb gets easier while the grip and the hang to chin over the bar stay the same.

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