How to make a success of the muscle up?

Having heard the praises of the muscle-up, you want to practice it? Find out in the following paragraphs what you need to do to succeed.

All about muscle up

Where does this bodybuilding exercise come from?

This is an exercise in callisthenics which consists of combining two movements: pulling and pushing. the dips. It is also used in other fields, such as crossfit and fitness.

Its purpose is to strengthen the upper body. It involves the use of a wide range of equipment. Demanding and only for top-level athletes, it requires coordination and strength. Not for beginners.

Which muscles are worked when doing muscle-ups?

Muscle-ups are multifunctional and allow you to work the muscles of your upper body, especially your back. When you perform your pull-upsyou put a lot of pressure on the back muscles.

However, when combined with the dipsYour arms also move, which muscles your triceps. The same goes for your abdominal muscles. They contract as you push down on the bar to facilitate your movements.

The anterior deltoids are other areas of the body that are very much in demand during your workouts.

In fact, you should take the time to warm up your shoulders properly before each session. This will help you avoid accidents. You also work your biceps by pulling on your arms.

What equipment do we need to perform the muscle up?

To train, you need a special elastic band for the strength training. It teaches the technique to be applied progressively. It facilitates body elevation and, above all, transition.

You'll also need the right handles and, of course, an appropriate high bar. For the latter, the ceiling height must be over 80 cm in the gym.

The different stages of a muscle-up

This muscle-building exercise has several stages:

• The starting position is to hold the bar with both hands, making sure to leave a space wider than that between the shoulders. Next, lift your feet off the ground and rotate your wrists so that they point upwards.
• Push the body upwards as quickly as possible using the arm strength. The aim is to bring the chest to the same level as the bar.
• Move forward to position yourself higher than the bar.
• Stretch your arms by pushing on the support before coming down.

How to make a success of the muscle up?

A physical preparation to achieve this.

How long it takes depends on your ability to adopt the right technique. Some achieve it after just a few practices, while others take longer.

To help you understand the progression of bodybuilding exercises, here's a look at the different stages you need to go through before you can perform your first muscle-up.

• The starting position consists of stretching the body 6 times while going up on the bar until the pectoral muscles reach the level of the bar. At this point, explosiveness is the order of the day.
• Alternate 4 half-muscle-up movements on the sides.
• Link exercises (4 in all), using momentum in the lower body and hips. Pass both elbows simultaneously over the bar.
• Lean on the rubber band to perform another set of 4 exercises. Raise both elbows simultaneously until they are above the bar.
• Make sure the pivot is correct.

In order to ensure the quality of the workout, you must breathe in, then block breathing on the way up and exhale on the way down.

Learn to do it gradually by breaking down the exercise.

Need to build up your muscles?

Tips to consider

Athletes can injure themselves when training, especially when they lean on their shoulder and supraspinatus muscles. They may not be able to bear the weight of the body, and may feel very sore after performing muscle-ups. The same applies when they use their elbows and shoulders to get down.

Thus, they must be careful to perform their warm-ups before building up muscles. The parts to work on beforehand are: each joint and the muscles used to perform the movements. Wrists, shoulders and elbows are particularly important.

The use of a rubber band may be essential at the beginning, especially for a long series of ascents and descents. As far as the latter is concerned, impact must be controlled to protect the joints.

The body must be kept in an upright position both during the ascent and descent. For that, it is necessary to use the force of the arms. Each movement must be well calculated to ensure the sheathing. This allows you to contract your abs.

Doing this type of callisthenic movement also requires a certain level of skill. To perform it, you need to be able to do 3 sets of a dozen pull-ups, with full amplitude. You also need to perform 3 sets of a dozen dips. This is a prerequisite for preserving every muscle group of the body.

Why is perfect movement technique absolutely essential?

When the athlete performs his movements, his brain stores a certain amount of information. With each repetition, the brain records the techniques used to move the body, which is why it is important to focus on their quality. Once the recording is complete, there is no risk of forgetting them. In general, weight room trainers make sure that their students acquire the perfect technique.

Variations of the muscle up

It has a few variants depending on the equipment used to carry it out.

There are, for example, two types of grip: classic and false grip. The former is simple at first, but then requires you to swing your body over the rings. To succeed, it's best not to use the thumb to lock the crossbar. The second is the transition from pull-ups to dips, which is often difficult for even the most athletic athlete. Its level of difficulty increases particularly if performed on a gymnastics ring or traditional bar.

Another variation is to swing the legs and turn the hips in an arc. This allows you to position yourself in dips. As the athlete progresses, he can adjust his movements to move vertically upwards.

The type of exercise also varies depending on the technique used to perform it. The X muscles up are a form of bodybuilding exercise which are carried out with the arms in the shape of X. The movements remain the same: pull-ups and dips. Alternate muscle ups are done with one forearm pronated: turned so that the palm is up and down or front to back. The other forearm must be in supination: position of the arm opposite to the first. Finally, the last variation is carried out with the two hands placed one beside the other. It is the close muscles up. Here is a video that shows the Muscle-up.

Conclusion

The muscle up is an exercise that you can easily integrate into your bodybuilding program if you're not a beginner. Complete and functional, it will help you achieve your sporting goals and build muscle.

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