Muscle Up
How to do the Muscle Up with correct form, the muscles it works, and where it fits a training plan you actually stick to.
Lats
Abs, Biceps, Forearms, Mid Back, Shoulders, Traps, Triceps
Other
How to do the Muscle Up
- 1
Grip the rings using a false grip, with the base of your palms on top of the rings. Initiate a pull up by pulling the elbows down to your side, flexing the elbows.
- 2
As you reach the top position of the pull-up, pull the rings to your armpits as you roll your shoulders forward, allowing your elbows to move straight back behind you. This puts you into the proper position to continue into the dip portion of the movement.
- 3
Maintaining control and stability, extend through the elbow to complete the motion.
- 4
Use care when lowering yourself to the ground.
Log it, see it on your body.
Every Muscle Up set you log feeds Ascend's anatomy heatmap, so your lats volume is visible at a glance, and counts toward your bodyweight-strength tier.
More lats exercises
Muscle Up: common questions
What muscles does the Muscle Up work?
The Muscle Up primarily works the Lats. It also recruits the Abs, Biceps, Forearms, Mid Back, Shoulders, Traps and Triceps as supporting muscles.
Is the Muscle Up suitable for beginners?
The Muscle Up is an intermediate-level exercise. It's best once you've built a base of general strength and movement control, beginners can work up to it.
Is the Muscle Up a compound or isolation exercise?
The Muscle Up is a compound exercise, it moves multiple joints and works several muscle groups at once, which makes it efficient for building overall strength.
How do I do the Muscle Up with correct form?
Grip the rings using a false grip, with the base of your palms on top of the rings. Initiate a pull up by pulling the elbows down to your side, flexing the elbows. Follow the full step-by-step above for the complete movement.
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