Master the move: The muscle-up

The muscle-up is a combined exercise that is essentially a pull-up followed by a dip done on a bar or set of rings.

It’s most common in CrossFit boxes and competitions, and is widely considered to be the greatest show of strength and technique, requiring coordination and timing to perfect, with the transition between the pull-up and dip movement the hardest element of this exercise.

When performed correctly, it is a powerful movement that builds immense upper body strength in the shoulders, chest and arms, and also incorporates your core and hips.

How to do it

Stand under rings or a bar. Jump up or stand on a platform to grab the rings or bar with a false grip (position your hands so your wrists are directly on top of or slightly over the bar, allowing your knuckles to be positioned further over the bar than a standard pull-up grip).

The movement: Contract your core as you pull your chest up to the rings or bar by driving your elbows downwards to perform an explosive pull-up. Pull up and back slightly, then lean your chest forward. Roll your chest over the bottom of the rings or the bar as you transition from a pull-up to a dip. As you pass the bar or rings, press your hands down and push your body upwards to perform a dip.

Targeted muscles

The muscle-up is a complex, full-body exercise that targets a wide array of muscles, making it highly effective for building overall strength and functional fitness.

The primary muscles engaged are found in the back, which includes large muscles like the latissimus dorsi and trapezius, as well as smaller stabilizers such as the rhomboids, teres major, and subscapularis.

As a compound movement, it also heavily recruits the shoulders (specifically the deltoids), the chest (pectoralis major and minor), and the arms—featuring major flexors like the biceps brachii and extensors like the triceps brachii. Furthermore, maintaining the rigid body position necessary for a proper muscle-up requires significant activation from the core muscles, including the iliopsoas, and several hip flexors such as the rectus femoris and tensor fasciae latae. 

Form tips

• Stick your nose as far over the rings as possible before transitioning.
• Pull yourself up as high and fast as possible, aiming to get your chest close to the bar.
• As your chest clears the bar, lean your upper body and head forward aggressively. This helps shift your weight over the bar so you don’t fall back down.
• Keep the bar or rings as close to your body as possible during the movement.