Muscles worked
What the muscle-up trains
Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.
Before the first rep
How to set up
- 01
Check you are ready. As a rule of thumb, be able to do about 8 to 10 strict pull-ups, a few with your chest touching the bar, and about 10 strict dips before you try full reps.
- 02
Pick the height. Use a bar or rings you can hang from with straight arms and your feet just off the floor. A lower bar or rings let you step down safely when you miss.
- 03
Grip. On a bar, hold with palms facing away, hands about shoulder width or a little wider, thumbs wrapped, and your hands slightly over the top of the bar. Keep it narrower than a wide pull-up grip, which makes the turnover harder. On rings, set a false grip: the ring sits across the heel of your palm with your wrist bent over it.
- 04
Dead hang. Start from straight arms with your shoulders set down slightly, legs together and abs braced so your body forms a long, slightly hollow line.
Step by step
How to do the muscle-up
- 01
Start the pull. Pull your shoulder blades down, then pull hard and fast with your elbows driving down toward your hips. Keep your body tight, not loose and swinging.
- 02
Pull high and close. Pull the bar or rings down toward your lower chest or upper stomach, higher than a normal pull-up, and keep them close to your body. Think pull down and back, not just up.
- 03
Turn over. As you reach the top of the pull, bring your chest forward over the bar or rings and quickly move your elbows from under the bar to above it, rolling your wrists over the top. This is the transition.
- 04
Catch the dip. You land in the bottom of a dip with your chest over the bar or between the rings and your elbows bent. Keep your shoulders down and stay tight.
- 05
Press out. Press up to straight arms, the same way you finish a dip, with your shoulders down away from your ears.
- 06
Lower. Come back down under control: lower into the dip, lean back through the transition and return to a straight-arm hang before the next rep.
Cues to say in your head
- Elbows to your hips
- Bar to your stomach
- Stay close to the bar
- Chest over, elbows fast
- Press out like a dip
- Control the way down
Fix these first
Common mistakes
Pulling only to the chin
Pull higher, aiming the bar at your lower chest or stomach. If you cannot pull that high yet, train chest-to-bar pull-ups first.
Drifting away from the bar
Pull down and back so the bar stays close to your body. The further away it gets, the harder the transition becomes.
Slow, sticky transition
Turn your elbows over quickly at the top of the pull and lean your chest forward. Practice the transition on a low bar or low rings with your feet on the floor.
One arm getting over first
Keep both elbows moving together. The chicken wing, one elbow over and one stuck under, loads one shoulder and elbow unevenly.
Losing the false grip on rings
Reset the false grip before every rep and keep your wrists bent over the rings during the pull. Hang in the false grip on its own to get used to it.
Big swings to force reps
Keep the movement tight and controlled while you learn. Swinging hard before your pull and dip strength are ready puts a lot of strain on the shoulders and elbows.
Stay safe
Muscle-ups put a lot of load on the shoulders, elbows and wrists, especially during the transition, so build pull-up and dip strength first and keep the number of attempts low. Learn on a low bar or low rings so you can put your feet down. If you miss the transition, let it go and lower back to a straight-arm hang under control or step down with bent knees; never throw yourself forward over the bar to save the rep, and if you get over but cannot press out, lower back through the transition the same way. Stop if you feel sharp pain or pinching in the front of the shoulder, elbow or wrist, and get it checked by a qualified professional if it keeps happening.
Programming
Sets, reps and how much weight
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technique | 4 to 6 | 1 to 3 | 50–70% 1RM | 1.5 to 2 min |
| Strength | 3 to 5 | 1 to 3 | 80–90% 1RM | 2 to 3 min |
| Endurance | 2 to 3 | 5 to 10 | 60–75% 1RM | 2 to 3 min |
Plan your next session
Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.
Estimated 1RM 216 lb
Strength sets
173–194lb
3 to 5 sets of 1 to 3 reps, 2 to 3 min rest. Full unassisted reps once you have them. Short, fresh sets with plenty of rest; end the session when the transition gets slow.
Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.
Questions
Muscle-Up questions
How do you do a muscle-up?
Hang from a bar or rings, pull hard toward your hips until your chest gets over the bar, quickly turn your elbows over, and press up to straight arms like a dip. Then lower back to a hang under control.
What is a good muscle-up progression?
A common route is strict pull-ups, then chest-to-bar pull-ups and dips, then band-assisted or feet-assisted muscle-ups on a low bar or low rings, then slow lowering reps after jumping to the top. Practice a few quality reps two or three times a week rather than many tired attempts.
How many pull-ups do you need for a muscle-up?
As a rule of thumb, about 8 to 10 strict pull-ups, with some reaching chest to bar, plus about 10 strict dips. Some people get one sooner with good technique, but this base makes it easier and kinder to the joints.
Is a bar or ring muscle-up harder?
It depends on the person. Rings move with you, so you can keep them close and turn your wrists more naturally, but they need a false grip, a deeper transition and a steadier dip at the top. A bar stays still, so you have to get your body around it, which usually takes more pulling height.
What muscles do muscle-ups work?
Mainly the lats for the pull and the triceps for the press-out, with the biceps, upper back, chest and front shoulders helping. Your forearms hold the grip and your abs keep your body tight.
Should I learn a strict or a kipping muscle-up?
Build the strict base first: strict chest-to-bar pull-ups and dips, then controlled muscle-up practice. A strict muscle-up is the harder version; a kip uses a hip drive to help you over the bar, and it is safer to add once that base is solid, not as a way around missing strength.
Train in Protocol
Log your muscle-up by voice. Protocol tracks the rest.
Your last session shows up before every set, warm-ups and plates are worked out for you, and your coach sees every lift next to your sleep and recovery.