In CrossFit, we practice two muscle-up variations: the bar muscle-up and the ring muscle-up. In most workouts, we perform kipping variations of these movements, and this article will focus on those variations.
As defined by CrossFit.com:
The muscle-up is a movement that begins from the hang, passes through portions of a pull-up and a dip, then finishes in a supported position with arms extended.
Before we discuss the specifics of both bar and ring muscle-ups, it is essential to understand the foundations needed to not only achieve this skill but also make it more efficient and less taxing in a workout.
Improving pulling and pushing strength for muscle-ups
I am guilty of this just as many others: you get into CrossFit, get excited about all the new movements to try, and bypass some very important steps in your journey.
No matter how good of an athlete you are, everyone can benefit from improving their strict pulling, pushing, and core strength. If you can not do a strict pull-up, you should not be moving to a muscle-up, even if it is kipping. Just because we can utilize a kip in CrossFit does not mean we can skip the most foundational parts of a skill.
If you want to get your first muscle-up, or if you want to improve how many you can do, the number one thing I’d recommend is getting in strict pull-ups, dips, and push-ups. Do them often and do them well. Three times a week, get in three to four sets of five to ten pull-ups. Do the same with dips and push-ups, increasing the reps if needed.
Add in core work. Do your hollow and Superman holds (as this article dives into). Admittedly, these things are not nearly as exciting as trying to get your muscle-up. But if you wish to be successful, you need to take a step back, create a foundation, and then move forward. No matter how good you think you are, if you neglect the basics, there will come a time when you can no longer make progress without backtracking.
muscle-up Drills and Skills
Yes, we use the kip in CrossFit. And the kip itself is a skill. We often don’t think of it as such, as it seems to be merely an advantage to get ourselves over the bar.
But when you realize that the kip swing is something to practice and master, you will create better body awareness that will eventually transfer to your muscle-up. Again, no matter what level you are, there is always a benefit in going back to the basics.
A few times a week, get in a few sets of kip swings. Make them as perfect as you can, keeping your legs straight and together, and start the movement with your core. Again, this may seem like boring work, but if you are intentional with it, you will notice huge progress.
Once you do get your muscle-up or are looking to improve it, you need to practice. Something I like to do is a five to fifteen-minute EMOM. For this, choose a doable number of muscle-ups to complete every minute, and do so for the duration of the EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute). If you have a bad rep, that’s fine. Learn from it and move on.
If you are serious about improving your muscle-ups, you will have to commit a little extra time to them. It doesn’t have to be a lot. Just five minutes after class to throw in some pull-ups or kip swings will help.
There are so many things to work on in CrossFit, so don’t think you need to work on every single one every single day (or even week). If getting a muscle-up is important to you, make it a priority and set aside time to get that extra work.
Intentionality
If you have no time to spare, make the most out of any practice time in class when we go over gymnastics movements. In the warm-up, don’t rush through the kip swings. Do the reps, and really think about how your body is moving.
Scale workouts appropriately. Challenge yourself, but realize your limitations. Just because you can do one muscle-up doesn’t mean you should do them in a workout. Whatever you choose, do it with intention. There is a difference between going through the motions of class and truly being intentional with what you are doing. It takes work; its harder and not as fun, but it will make you better.
Ring Muscle-ups
There are significant differences between the bar and the rings. For most people, a bar muscle-up will be easier, as you do not have to control the swing of the rings.
When we move to the rings, we have an entirely different variable to control. If you are looking to improve your ring muscle-up, you should do your kip swings, pull-ups, and dips on the rings.
You should also add in ring support holds, both in a lock-out and in the bottom of a dip. Once again, this can be done a couple of times a week, and it doesn’t have to take up all that much time.
There is no secret
I spent a long time looking for ‘the perfect drill’ to help me get my muscle-ups. And there are plenty of those out there; just check out this article here.
But at the end of the day, no drill will allow you to skip the basics. Do the work to improve your pull and pushing strength. Practice pulling higher and higher with your pull-ups. Master the kip swing and do your core work. Once you have that foundational strength, look into all the extra drills to get your muscle-ups.
It requires patience and intentionality, but if you commit to the process, you will see improvement.
