by James - This article may contain affiliate links.
Pull-ups are one of the most challenging exercises in a fitness routine.
You need incredible strength in your back, arms, and shoulder muscles to do a pull-up.
Assisted pull-up machines help you perform the pull-up movements more easily.
So, what are the assisted pull-up machine’s benefits, and what muscles does it work?
The assisted pull-up machine uses weights to counterbalance your body weight, reducing the weight you need to pull up. It helps you master proper form and gain strength until you reach the pull-up bar without help. It targets many upper body muscles, including traps, lats, erector spinae, and biceps.
This article will explore the benefits of weighted pull-up machines and the muscles they work.
We’ll also suggest a good assisted pull-up machine and answer some frequently asked questions.
If you are in a hurry to see our top three recommended assisted pull-up machines, then check the products below.
Contents
- 1 Assisted Pull-up Machine’s Benefits ?♀️
- 2 Muscles Engaged by Assisted Pull-up Machines ?
- 3 Assisted Pull-up Machine Best Buy ?️♂️
- 4 Getting Started With Assisted Pull-up Machines?♂️
- 5 How to do Assisted Pull-ups ?
- 6 What Is an Assisted Chin-Up? ?
- 7 Frequently Asked Questions On Assisted Pull-up Machines ?
- 8 Final Thoughts ?
Assisted Pull-up Machine’s Benefits ?♀️
Assisted pull-up machines are one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in the gym, helping you reap the benefits of classic pull-ups.
Plus, the machine helps you avoid swinging and stabilizes your motion.
You can have better body positioning and form and target the exact muscles you should.
So, if you’re a beginner and can’t get the regular pull-ups right, you can rely on assisted pull-up machines to perfect the movement by learning the range of motions.
After getting comfortable with the movements, you can move on to the more challenging classic pull-ups.
It doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from the pull-up exercises if you use assisted machines. On the contrary, you can have the same benefits, including:
- Increased grip strength
- You can train without the help of a trainer
- Build core strength
Assisted pull-ups are perfect for those who aren’t strong enough for bodyweight pull-ups, have mobility issues, or have joint and shoulder injuries.
Assisted pull-up machines use weights to counterbalance your weight and assist you in pulling your body up.
The machine lifts some of your body weight, whether you perform chin-ups, pull-ups, or dips.
So, if you weigh 130 pounds and use 60 pounds of weights, you only move 70 pounds of your body weight to lift.
The critical point here is to reduce the machine’s resistance to counterbalance your body weight. If you don’t, you can’t build strength.
You can also use pull-up assistant bands to add to the challenge.
For example, the product below, which we selected as the best assistant pull-up band, is excellent for building muscle strength.
Muscles Engaged by Assisted Pull-up Machines ?
Assisted pull-ups are one of the best exercises to target upper body muscles.
A proper assisted pull-up workout builds strength in your upper body to do other weights like barbell rows, dumbbell rows, lat pulldowns, and deadlifts.
Here are the most significant muscles that an assisted pull-up workout targets:
1. Lats
The latissimus dorsi is the largest muscle in your upper back, running from your mid-back to shoulder blades and under your armpit. These V-shaped muscles stabilize and protect your spine and provide shoulder and back strength and posture.
2. Trapezius
It’s a flat muscle that runs from the neck, along the spine, to mid-back. This triangle-shaped muscle crosses your shoulder blade and neck and helps raise your arms and protect your shoulders.
3. Erector spinae
Also called the paraspinal muscles, erector spinae are three muscle groups that help you move or bend your back.
They support your back, give you a proper posture, and help you rotate around your spinal column.
4. Biceps
These large muscles run from your shoulder to the upper arm. Biceps are located on the upper arm’s front part. The biceps help you pull up your forearm and rotate it outward.
And, of course, strong, bulging biceps are one of the primary goals of any exerciser!
Other muscles targeted by assisted pull-ups are:
- Rhomboid
- Brachialis
- Abs
- External Obliques
- Pecs
Assisted Pull-up Machine Best Buy ?️♂️
You can have many different options if you want to equip your home gym and look for a great pull-up machine.
For example, this multifunctional workout station shown below is available on Amazon.
A multifunctional workout station allows you to perform various movements. For example, you can do pull-ups, chin-ups, dips, and even reverse grip chin-ups.
Made of heavy-duty metal, this machine is Amazon’s choice and comes at a reasonable cost.
You can target a wide range of muscles, including shoulders, arms, legs, and lower body muscles.
You can also adjust the bars to fit your height and perform dips and other exercises.
It’s sturdy but lightweight, so you can even move it around your home if you want to.
The hand paddings of this machine are thin, which may be painful to grab the bars.
Overall, it’s great value for money, allowing you to perform different movements with only one machine. See more in our post on Best Power Towers with Pull-Up Dip Station.
Getting Started With Assisted Pull-up Machines?♂️
For example, you shouldn’t arch your back, scrunch your shoulders around your ears, lean forward, or dip too low.
And you should keep your body upward.
The ideal weight should allow you to do ten reps without being too easy or difficult.
How to do Assisted Pull-ups ?
Here’s how to do assisted pull-ups:
- Kneel on the padded knee rest and make sure you’re comfortable and balanced.
- Reach your hands up to grab the handles, straightening your arms.
- Pull your body up just like you would with the regular pull-up bar, and the weights will assist you to go up.
- Lift your body until your chin is above the handles, keeping your shoulders down without straining your neck.
- Lower your body slowly while keeping your movements controlled and without dropping your body with force until you go back to the starting position.
And here’s how to set up assisted pull-ups:
Some machines let you perform chin-ups and dips in addition to pushups.
Doing the assisted dip is quite straightforward:
You stand or kneel on the cushioned seat attached to the weight plate via pulleys.
Grasp the machine’s handles with a neutral grip while maintaining straight elbows.
Then, try to push down the seat by exerting pressure on the handles, and the weights help you through the process.
What Is an Assisted Chin-Up? ?
The assisted chin-up is a modification of regular chin-ups to help beginners learn the movements and gain strength. It’s just like assisted pull-ups in that the weights you add to the machine help you lift your body by counterbalancing your body weight.
Assisted chin-ups involve lifting your body above the pull-up bar with a supinated grip and your palms facing toward you.
This way, chin-ups target the muscle groups on the front of your upper body, like the biceps and chest.
Frequently Asked Questions On Assisted Pull-up Machines ?
How Much Weight Should I Use on an Assisted Pull-up Machine?
It depends on your fitness level and core strength.
If you’re a beginner, you can start with 10 or 20 pounds less than your body weight and use less weight as you get stronger.
So, if you weigh 130 pounds, use 120lbs weights, and you’ll be moving only 10 pounds of your body weight.
Are Assisted Pull-up Machines Good?
Assisted pull-up machines are beneficial, especially for beginners that can’t do the regular pushup movement.
They help you reduce the weight you need to pull off the ground by counterbalancing the weight using their weight stacks.
Plus, assisted pull-up machines help you target many upper body muscle groups, including arms, shoulders, and back.
Do Assisted Pull-ups Work Traps?
Traps are one of the primary muscle groups that assisted pull-ups target.
Both phases of the assisted pull-ups work the lower part of the traps because they provide the power required in the lift phase.
And when you lower your body, it helps your lats control your body’s weight.
How Do You Do a Dip Assist Machine?
Before adding weights, adjust the levered platform (depending on the machine’s design) and stand or kneel on it.
Then, grasp the handles with a neutral grip and straight elbows, and dip as deeply as possible.
If you can’t dip much, you can add weights to help you.
You can easily lower yourself with moderate effort and return to the starting position with the right weights.
Are Weighted Pull-ups Effective?
It gives you similar benefits as the regular pull-ups by strengthening your upper body and targeting the biceps, traps, lats, and other muscle groups in your arms and shoulders.
How Do You Use an Assisted Pull-up Machine for Beginners?
The assisted pull-up machine is especially useful for beginners who don’t have enough upper body strength to do regular pull-ups in their exercise program.
That’s why the weighted machine helps them move up their bodies by taking off some of the body’s weight.
Final Thoughts ?
You’re not alone if you’re a beginner and have difficulty pulling your body up until your chin goes over the pull-up bar.
This movement has challenged many athletes of all fitness levels.
The assisted pull-up machine is the perfect equipment to share the weight you need to pull up.
It targets similar muscle groups as regular pull-ups and helps you develop strength until you can perform pull-ups without assistance.
Start using an assisted pull-up machine from today to help you get the body you desire.
If you enjoyed these tips, don’t forget to share.
Last update on 2023-09-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
