It's no easy feat—but it is possible to learn this challenging total-body move. Here's a guide to building the strength and mobility you'll need for perfect muscle-ups.
The muscle-up is one of the most badass moves in CrossFit. One second you’re swinging below the rings or the bar—and the next, you’re on top of them, cranking out dips or catching a medicine ball behind your back.
But the muscle-up is also revered, and for good reason: If you can’t even do a single pullup, the muscle-up can seem impossible. That’s why we’ve assembled six of the best minds in CrossFit to help you.
Here, we’ve compiled five CrossFit workouts—WODs, in CrossFit-speak—that are specifically designed to help you improve your overall shoulder strength and flexibility on your road to mastering this formidable exercise.
5 CrossFit Workouts to Master the Muscle-up
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mihailomilovanovic
Pull, Transition, Dip
In 20 minutes, do as many reps as possible of the following:2 Chest-to-Bar Pullups2 Banded Muscle-up Transitions2 Dips (start on static dip bars, move to rings once bars are easy)”You can break down the muscle-up into three parts: the chest-to-bar pull-up, the transition, and the dip,” according to Sam Orme, a former CrossFit Games competitor and the owner of CrossFit Virtuosity in Brooklyn. “You’ll need to build strength in all three of these. Try hitting this three times a week, attempting to add a round every couple of weeks.”
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Seven and Seven
Five rounds, for quality: 7 Strict Ring Pullups7 Ring Swings7 Kips to Assisted Ring Muscle-ups (hold in dip position)This workout comes from Elijah Muhammad, a two-time CrossFit Games competitor. He says that having enough upper-body strength and understanding the kipping motion are critical. From there, you can start transitioning to an assisted muscle-up, and eventually to the full kipping muscle-up.
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Todor Tsvetkov
All the Way Down
For 20 minutes, do as many reps as possible of 10-second eccentric muscle-ups.Ariel Fernandez, a coach at CrossFit Virtuosity, suggests this technique-focused workout. To really concentrate on the descent, use a box to jump into position above the rings or bar. Then, lower yourself down as slowly as possible, making sure to keep the rings/bar tight against your body.
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The Victory Lap
Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes, do 3 muscle-ups.Garret Fisher, a three-time Games athlete, is confident you’ll master the muscle-up. And once you do, you can attack this workout. “When you get tired, this is going to get slower, but force yourself to maintain your speed,” he says. “If this workout gets easy, bump the reps up to four on the minute. If that gets easy, go five on the minute. Enjoy!”
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The Progression
Take as long as you need to do the following:30 Muscle-up Transitions (if you don’t have a muscle-up) 30 Muscle-ups (if you can do 5–7 consecutive muscle-ups) 30 Strict Muscle-ups (if you can perform 30 kipping muscle-ups in less than 5:00)This choose-your-own-adventure comes from Austin Malleolo and Denise Thomas, both trainers at Reebok CrossFit One and members of the CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff. Since this workout is for quality, not time, focus on your technique (and be honest about your current skill level).
In 20 minutes, do as many reps as possible of the following:
2 Chest-to-Bar Pullups
2 Banded Muscle-up Transitions
2 Dips (start on static dip bars, move to rings once bars are easy)
“You can break down the muscle-up into three parts: the chest-to-bar pull-up, the transition, and the dip,” according to Sam Orme, a former CrossFit Games competitor and the owner of CrossFit Virtuosity in Brooklyn. “You’ll need to build strength in all three of these. Try hitting this three times a week, attempting to add a round every couple of weeks.”
Seven and Seven
Five rounds, for quality:
7 Strict Ring Pullups
7 Ring Swings
7 Kips to Assisted Ring Muscle-ups (hold in dip position)
This workout comes from Elijah Muhammad, a two-time CrossFit Games competitor. He says that having enough upper-body strength and understanding the kipping motion are critical. From there, you can start transitioning to an assisted muscle-up, and eventually to the full kipping muscle-up.
All the Way Down
For 20 minutes, do as many reps as possible of 10-second eccentric muscle-ups.
Ariel Fernandez, a coach at CrossFit Virtuosity, suggests this technique-focused workout. To really concentrate on the descent, use a box to jump into position above the rings or bar. Then, lower yourself down as slowly as possible, making sure to keep the rings/bar tight against your body.
The Victory Lap
Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes, do 3 muscle-ups.
Garret Fisher, a three-time Games athlete, is confident you’ll master the muscle-up. And once you do, you can attack this workout. “When you get tired, this is going to get slower, but force yourself to maintain your speed,” he says. “If this workout gets easy, bump the reps up to four on the minute. If that gets easy, go five on the minute. Enjoy!”
The Progression
Take as long as you need to do the following:
30 Muscle-up Transitions (if you don’t have a muscle-up) 30 Muscle-ups (if you can do 5–7 consecutive muscle-ups) 30 Strict Muscle-ups (if you can perform 30 kipping muscle-ups in less than 5:00)
This choose-your-own-adventure comes from Austin Malleolo and Denise Thomas, both trainers at Reebok CrossFit One and members of the CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff. Since this workout is for quality, not time, focus on your technique (and be honest about your current skill level).
