Muscle-up
- Muscle group
- Back
- Primary muscles
- Chest, Lats, Triceps
- Secondary muscles
- Biceps, Forearms, Front delts, Upper back
- Hang from the bar with an overhand grip (or false grip), pulling your shoulder blades down and bracing your core tightly.
- Pull explosively, driving your elbows back to bring the bar down toward your lower chest or upper abdomen.
- Rapidly lean your shoulders and chest forward over the bar to transition from the pull into the bottom position of a dip.
- Press down firmly into the bar until your elbows are fully locked out at the top.
Tips
- Pull the bar down toward your lower chest or upper abdomen rather than pulling your chin straight up, so your body is already angled forward when you reach the transition point.
- Commit fully to the forward lean during the transition: drive your shoulders and chest over the bar in one continuous motion rather than pausing at the top of the pull.
- At the top of the dip, press until both elbows are fully locked out and your shoulders are clear of the bar.
Common mistakes
- Pulling with the arms alone and neglecting the explosive hip drive or body swing means the bar rarely reaches the lower chest, leaving the transition point too high to clear.
- Hesitating at the top of the pull instead of immediately shifting the torso forward causes the momentum to stall, making the transition from pull to dip significantly harder to complete.
- Beginning the press before the shoulders have moved forward over the bar results in pushing at an angle that does not complete the transition, leaving the body stuck below the bar.
Make Every Set Count.
Plan your workouts, track every session, and see your progress over time.
