I’m much stronger at heavy weighted pull-ups than I am at high-rep bodyweight pull-ups. Even though I train with a lot of added weight, my current max for normal pull-ups is only around 20 reps.

And that shows an important point: maximum strength and strength endurance are not the same thing. If your goal is to hit 30, 40 or even more pull-ups in one set, simply getting stronger at weighted pull-ups will not automatically solve the problem.

You need to train your ability to keep producing reps while fatigue builds up.

Start With Around 50% of Your Max

A simple way to do that is with an EMOM-style setup. Let’s say your max is 20 clean pull-ups. Start with around 50% of that, so roughly 10 reps.

Do your 10 pull-ups, then rest for around 40 to 50 seconds. After that, do another 10 reps, rest again, and keep repeating.

At first, the sets will feel easy. But after several rounds, fatigue starts to accumulate. That is exactly what you want. You are teaching your body to keep performing pull-ups without fully recovering between sets.

Build More Rounds Instead of Maxing Out Every Set

You do not need to take every set to absolute failure. For strength endurance, it often makes more sense to collect a lot of submaximal work and keep the reps consistent across multiple rounds.

If you completely crash after two rounds, your starting number is probably too high. Lower the reps slightly and choose a number you can maintain with decent technique.

Over time, you can either add more rounds or slowly increase the reps per round.

Weighted Pull-Ups Alone Are Not Enough

Heavy weighted pull-ups are great for building strength, but they train a different quality than doing 30 or 40 pull-ups in one set.

If high-rep pull-ups are your goal, you need to train high-rep capacity and submaximal volume directly. The principle is simple: train specifically for the quality you want to improve.

Conclusion

If you are stuck at 15 or 20 pull-ups and want to reach 30+, I would not just keep adding more weight.

Start with around half of your current max reps, keep the rest periods short, and build multiple consistent rounds. That is how you train the strength endurance you actually need for higher pull-up numbers.