How To Get Your First Ring Muscle Up

Ok, so just like with everything else in the fitness industry, we’re all beautiful, unique, individuals - snowflakes, if you will - and as such, it’s very difficult to provide all the answers to every possible scenario / individual circumstance / idiosyncrasy / etc in what is hopefully going to be quite a short blog... What I can do is provide the key points, flesh out some details and provide a map that will get 95 out of 100 people a strict ring muscle up… Let’s do this… Here is what you need: - A correct and strong false grip - Good pulling strength, both vertical and horizontal - Decent shoulder extension (strength and range of motion) - Full range of motion dips Here are the details… A Correct & Strong False Grip The false grip is a grip that allows you to transition from below an object to above the object without the hand needing to adjust… If the grip isn’t set properly, either the wrist will stop you from transitioning OR you will need extra time and strength to adjust the hand while you’re up there… - The ring should sit from the webbing of the thumb down to the wrist crease - When you “make a swan”, the ring will be hooked over the base of the palm, touching the wrist - The ring DOES NOT sit casually in the palm; you need to flex the wrist - Hand sits on top of the very bottom of the ring A few things that will help you out…  - Roll out your wrist extensors - this will give you a little more range - Train your false grip (wrist flexors) with false grip hangs (30 seconds) first in a ring row, then in a pull up - this will not only build strength, it will help condition the skin and connective tissue too A few common errors… - Slipping out… Use chalk and make sure the grip is deep enough - As you extend the arms, the demand for the false grip increases… Start with partials and build your ROM over time - Setting the hand higher up the ring will be a more forgiving grip, but there will now be friction during the transition… This can slow / stop you completely… - Elbow / forearm pain… Usually comes from doing too much, too soon… You can’t rush adaptation - “Doesn’t feel right”... Neither did hook grip, but you got over that one, didn’t you? Good Pulling Strength, Both Vertical & Horizontal Obviously you need pull ups for this one, but a big mistake is treating the muscle up like a pull up… 1/ you need to keep the rings close to you - aim for the center of the chest and 2/ you have to lean back on the pull to allow you to then travel through the rings, making it more of a horizontal pulling movement… A few things that will help you out… - The lat opener can improve your range of motion - Having a few good quality strict chest to bar pull ups / chin ups is ideal - Being able to do good quality strict pull ups / chin ups with additional weight (+25% bw) is ideal - Being able to do good quality feet elevated ring rows with a false grip is ideal A few common errors… - You get better at what you practice, so what are you practicing? If you never use a false grip, you’ll never develop it… 

- Pulling with the hands out wide (like a pull up) instead of in close (to the center of your chest) - Kipping… Build your strict first; it ensures you have built the necessary strength and control required to actually perform the movement safely… - Not doing ring rows… Elevate your feet, slow them down, use a false grip, pause at the top, build your shoulder extension strength… They can be as challenging as you want to make them… Decent Shoulder Extension Range Of Motion (& Strength) The magic part - when you are moving from the top of your pull through to the bottom of a dip, that is shoulder extension… If you are missing shoulder extension, the transition is going to be f***ing hard work… A few things that will help you out… - The bicep opener will build shoulder extension strength and ROM, and will contribute to deeper, stronger, pain-free dips - Pair it with Xiaopeng backwards, bat wings, ring row holds for more complete development - Holds in the bottom of a dip can help, but only if you are under tension… If you’re being all flaccid and passive, you won’t build strength in that position. A few common errors… - Not training shoulder extension - At all - Not keeping tension in the pec & obliques when doing the bicep opener - Not keeping tension in the pecs when doing dip holds Full Range Of Motion Dips Again, it’s fairly obvious, but you need full ROM dips for a muscle up… A few things that will help you out… - Having a few good quality strict deep ring dips is ideal - Being able to do good quality strict ring dips with additional weight (+25% bw) is ideal - Being able to hold the top position easily - elbows locked, rings turned out, shoulders away from the ears - for 30+ seconds is ideal - Being able to hold the bottom position easily - below parallel, full engagement of the pec - for 30+ seconds is ideal A few common errors… - You get better at what you practice… How often are you training dips? If you are a crossfitter, it may be only once a month or so, with reps so high you have to scale down… - Not owning the top and bottom positions… The correct top position will correctly train the muscles across the elbow for more advanced ring training later; the correct bottom position will keep your shoulders and elbows healthy… Incorrect positions will not… - Kipping… Build your strict first; it ensures you have built the necessary strength and control required to actually perform the movement… - Having the ring straps too wide… The further the hands come from you, the harder it’s going to be… Set them shoulder width apart. Putting It All Together… There are a tonne of muscle up drills out there to choose from… You could do them all, but with insufficient strength and mobility, you’ll still never get a muscle up. Focus on consistently building what you need: - A correct and strong false grip - Good pulling strength, both vertical and horizontal - Decent shoulder extension range of motion (and strength) - Full range of motion dips Here’s some general, simple, sample programming - pick the one most suited to your ability level… III: Once a week, try this: - Bicep & lat openers, Xiaopeng backwards, wrist extensor roll out… - Muscle up drill of choice - Weighted chin ups and dips, 3 sets of 5 - Feet elevated ring rows with a false grip and tricep push downs, 2-3 sets 8-12 …………………….. II: Twice a week, try this: - Bicep & lat openers, Xiaopeng backwards, wrist extensor roll out… - Chin ups and dips, 3 sets of 5-10 - Ring rows with a false grip and tricep push downs, 2-3 sets 8-12 - False grip hold at the top, and bottom of the dip hold, 1-3 sets of 10 to 30 seconds …………………….. I: Two, maybe three times a week, try this: - Bicep & lat openers, Xiaopeng backwards, wrist extensor roll out… - Assisted chin ups and dips, 3 sets of up to 10 reps - Ring rows with a false grip and tricep push downs, 2-3 sets 8-12

- False grip hang, and top of the dip hold, 1-3 sets of 10 to 30 seconds …………………….. Figure out which one seems most appropriate for you, and work away at it for a while then move on when it feels right… If you’re starting on II, for example, move on to III when you feel ready to add weight to your chin ups. There’s a lot of information in this one, and there’s a lot I haven’t touched on… Still, it should be enough to get most of you where you want to go! Cheers, ~ Collins