Muscle Up
How to do the Muscle Up
- 1
Grip the rings using a false grip, with the base of your palms on top of the rings. Initiate a pull up by pulling the elbows down to your side, flexing the elbows.
- 2
As you reach the top position of the pull-up, pull the rings to your armpits as you roll your shoulders forward, allowing your elbows to move straight back behind you. This puts you into the proper position to continue into the dip portion of the movement.
- 3
Maintaining control and stability, extend through the elbow to complete the motion.
- 4
Use care when lowering yourself to the ground.
How to program the Muscle Up
Sets and reps
As a compound movement, the Muscle Up responds well to heavier loading. For strength, work in the 3–5 sets of 4–8 reps range with 2–3 minutes of rest between sets. For muscle growth, 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps with 90 seconds of rest is the classic hypertrophy zone. Place it early in your session, when you're freshest, and leave 1–3 reps in reserve on most sets.
Progression
The Muscle Up is rated intermediate. Earn the right to progress: only add load when every rep of every set moves with consistent technique. Video your sets or use a mirror to check positions, and use double progression (add reps to the top of your range, then add load and reset) rather than jumping weight.
Secondary muscles worked
Put the Muscle Up into a plan
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Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the Muscle Up work?
The Muscle Up primarily targets the Lats. It also recruits the Abdominals, Biceps, Forearms, Middle Back, Shoulders, Traps, Triceps as supporting muscles.
What equipment do I need for the Muscle Up?
You need Other. Difficulty level: Intermediate.
How many sets and reps of the Muscle Up should I do?
For strength, do 3–5 sets of 4–8 reps with 2–3 minutes rest. For muscle growth, do 3–4 sets of 8–12 reps with about 90 seconds rest.
