How To Progress On Muscle-Ups

Caitlyn Davey • April 2, 2025

Muscle-ups are one of the most challenging yet highly sought-after movements in the gym. This advanced calisthenics exercise uses your body weight to activate multiple muscle groups simultaneously.


If you're aiming to master muscle-ups, here are six progressive drills to help you build the necessary strength, coordination, and technique.


1. Start with Ring Holds

Begin by performing basic ring holds to build stability and body awareness.

Key points:

  • Hands shoulder-width apart (or slightly wider)
  • Engage your core
  • Tuck your pelvis under into a slight hollow position


Building stability here will form the foundation for more dynamic movements later.


2. Move on to Ring Dips

Once you're comfortable balancing in ring holds, progress to practising ring dips.


How to perform:

  • Adjust the rings so your feet don't touch the ground.
  • Mount the rings with your arms straight, supporting your body weight.
  • Lower yourself by bending your elbows, then push back up to straighten your arms.


Ring dips build shoulder, chest, and tricep strength—crucial muscles for muscle-ups.


3. Work on Your Strict Pull-Ups

Strong, controlled pull-ups are essential for mastering the pull portion of a muscle-up.


Steps:

  • Grab the bar with a shoulder-width grip, palms facing you.
  • Pull yourself up until your chin is level with the bar.
  • Lower yourself slowly and fully extend your arms at the bottom.


Focus on maintaining strict form—no swinging or kipping at this stage.


4. Master the False Grip

A false grip is a specialized grip that shortens the transition distance over the rings.


How to set the false grip:

  • Place your hands through the rings, against the upper corners of your palms, palms facing up.
  • Wrap your fingers around the rings, starting with your pinky and wrapping tightly.
  • Rotate inward and pull down, placing pressure on the heel of your hands while flexing your wrists inward.


This grip is essential for a smooth transition from pull-up to dip in a muscle-up.


5. Practice the Movement From the Ground

Once you've mastered the holds and the false grip, begin combining the movements with your feet still on the ground.


Practice tips:

  • Hold the rings using a false grip.
  • Pull yourself up and over the rings, focusing on the transition phase.
  • Use your legs minimally—just enough for support if needed.


This allows you to piece together the movement mechanics without the full body weight challenge yet.


6. Perform Your Kip

Kipping helps you generate momentum for the muscle-up.


How to practice:

  • Use the rings to practice your kip (a dynamic swinging motion).
  • As you pull the rings to your hips, look toward the ceiling.
  • Transition smoothly into the muscle-up by punching your arms up and pressing out.


The kip adds the dynamic power needed to complete the muscle-up once you have built foundational strength.


Final Thoughts

Mastering the muscle-up is a long-term journey requiring patience, technique, and consistent practice.


By breaking the movement down into progressive steps like these, you’ll build strength, confidence, and skill—one drill at a time.

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A lot of people have completed a marathon but how many people have collapsed at 40km?

Sometimes you do everything right, and shit still doesn’t go to plan.
 Last weekend I ran in the Gold Coast Marathon, my first ever marathon. I trained properly, my body felt relatively good (all things considered when preparing to run 42.2km), I carb-loaded, and my race day nutrition was dialled in.
 I was ready.
 We set off. Jess and the kids met me at different points on the course with signs, the atmosphere was great. I loved seeing the kids with their signs. Pacing felt on point. The first 21km? Easy. I felt great. Maybe I should’ve drunk more water, but I didn’t think too much of it at the time.
 At 25km, I felt slower, but pace wise I was still holding well. I’d kept telling myself throughout the day "The race starts at 30km." And let me tell you, it does.
 By 30km, the sun was out, and I was starting to struggle. My watch started glitching so I had no real idea of my splits. I thought I was slowing down a lot (turns out I wasn’t), but the effort to keep the same pace suddenly felt 10x harder.
 I hadn’t taken on enough water. Usually, I can get away with lower fluids. Not this time. Dehydration crept in. hard.
 At 35km I was in survival mode, one foot in front of the other, flicking between moments of pain and little short lived waves of “let’s go.” But by 39km I was delirious. I could see the finish line, I hit the 40km mark (where I thought enjoyment might return to finish), and I collapsed.
 I was gone. Scary stuff.
 The last few hundred metres were a complete blur. All I remember is the crowd, the medics, and about five paramedics suddenly around me. I was vomiting, shaking, confused, in and out of it. I had this overwhelming, indescribable feeling, and honestly, for a moment, I thought I could die.
 My memory went. I couldn’t recall the day, the year, where I lived, or how to spell. I only knew who Jess and the kids were, and that I didn’t want them to see me with wires in me. 
 My temperature had hit 40°C. Blood pressure crashed. Thankfully, the medics and paramedics were incredible, I had a drip running into me within 10 to 15 minutes.
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I am always reminded here of the quote ‘The man in the arena’ look it up if you need. 
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Would I do things differently, now I’ve run 40km under race conditions? You bet, lessons learnt. Always lessons. Never be scared to not succeed. Be scared to never try in the first place. 
 We go again.
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