Simple Muscle Up Program
[vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/1″][text_output]This is meant as a little journey for you on your way to getting a muscle up, know that there are quite a few ways to develop a muscle up, I’ve even done an another post on it a while back right here for a completely different progression. There are soooooo many ways to develop them. But here is one way.
In the diagram, what I mean by a clean pull up, is a pull up that is strict and smooth, that will get your clavicle at or above the bar and you have complete control over your body.
In the diagram above, what I mean by a clean deep ring dip, can you control the rings on descent with a neutral ring position (not internally rotated) touch your shoulders to the rings, then ascend without overextension and internally rotating the shoulders? I also want the body hanging off the ground with straight legs.
This is why we prefer strict movements in strength prior to the kip – there is a place for each within a specific context, but strict work will lay a better and safer foundation than kipping work will for a volume of gymnastics.
Sure, you can get a muscle up with numbers that aren’t exactly within the range of prerequisites above by kipping like hell, but here is what you are looking at…
[/text_output][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/3″][promo image=”13747″ alt=”” id=”” class=”” style=””]If you have below the prerequisites for strength, you have to have stellar technique, or at least a lot more than what you would need if you had the right amount of strength. Your chance for injury goes up – this also goes up or down depending on a lot of other factors – flexibility and stability in the musculature itself, the amount of volume you are performing, relative to the amount of volume you are adapted to, etc.[/promo][/vc_column][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/3″][promo image=”13748″ alt=”” id=”” class=”” style=””]If you have exactly at the prerequisites of strength, the amount of technique you’ll need will go down, as will the chance for injury…again this also goes up or down depending on a lot of other factors – flexibility and stability in the musculature itself, the amount of volume you are performing, relative to the amount of volume you are adapted to, etc.
when you get your very first muscle up in practice, is not the time to immediately do 30 muscle ups for time.[/promo][/vc_column][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/3″][promo image=”13749″ alt=”” id=”” class=”” style=””]If you have well over the prerequisites of strength, the amount of technique you’ll need will go down greatly – not that you don’t want to practice technique, as having high markers in both will result in your ability to hit big sets with beauty.
the chance for injury will go down a great deal as well – assuming you have flexibility in that very stable area. The volume you are performing still does have a factor, its all relative to what ability level you are at, no one is safe from injury with stupid programming and neglect for flexibility and stability.[/promo][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/1″][accordion id=”” class=”” style=””][accordion_item parent_id=”” title=”Keep It Simple Gymnastics Strength Work” id=”” class=”” style=””]
Simple Frequency Method
1.Take what you are trying to improve, push ups, pull ups, ring dips, etc. and hit one max unbroken set. Divide that total number by about 50-60%, that is your starting rep set.
For example:
Lets say Sally can hit 5 pull ups in one sitting, we are starting with sets of 2 (round down preferably when dividing, starting easier is better than starting too hard)
SIDE NOTE: If you cannot perform a repetition at what you are trying to perform, there are a ton of scaling options to start this at, for instance…
Push Ups: Incline Push Ups, Bench Press, Knee Push Ups, Negatives
Pull Ups: Isometric Holds, Negatives, Banded Pull Ups, Ring Rows
Ring Rips: Isometric Holds, Negatives, Static Dips, Seated Dips
WARNING: Negatives make new trainee’s very sore, so be careful in progressing them, no more than 10% volume a week. maybe even adding in an extra rest day.
There are many more things you can do for accessory work – I like therabands or crossover symmetry for some shoulder prehab – but this post is for those of you who are doing this stuff from home or office and don’t have access to a ton of equipment.
2. Start with an amount of volume of sets that feels easy, almost too easy
For example, lets begin with 6 SETS of 2 REPETITIONS.
3. The time of day to perform
These are to be spread as evenly throughout the day as possible, one in the morning, one at night, one at lunch, and the others sprinkled throughout – if you cannot make this work there are other methods of putting it all into one block of repetitions, but thats a story for another blog post. Performing 12 repetitions split evenly throughout the day has less chance to develop volume injury issues than doing 12 all at once. If you need things split into 2-3 sets a day, or all at once because you only have access to the equipment once through the day, thats a cause to sit down and chat with us about how to make that work.
4. Number of days per week
You’ll perform, this every day of the week, with the exception of Sunday.
Monday 6×2
Tuesday 6×2
Wednesday 6×2
Thursday 6×2
Friday 6×2
Saturday 6×2
Sunday REST
5. Fatigue, Injury, Managing Volume.
RULES:
*Every set should feel easy, it should never come close to failure
*You should never have to break technique to squeeze in a rep
*If you have mobility issues, address them before starting the program, you are adding volume to something, so things will tighten up a bit. If you add volume to a bad movement pattern and already tightened musculature and ignore correct movement patterns, you’ll get injured.
*you can squeeze in a couple sets pretty close together, but that also increases your fatigue rate, so remember that.
*be careful of any other programs you may be doing on account that we don’t program to suit YOUR volume of extra stuff you are doing, you may have to be intelligent enough to modify some movements that may push you over the edge.
6. Progressing.
Add a set, or a rep per week as recovery will allow, ONLY, and ONLY if the last week’s sets were easy.
For example:
WEEK 1: 72 total weekly reps
Monday 6×2
Tuesday 6×2
Wednesday 6×2
Thursday 6×2
Friday 6×2
Saturday 6×2
Sunday REST
WEEK 2: 84 total weekly reps (14% jump in total volume)
Monday 7×2
Tuesday 7×2
Wednesday 7×2
Thursday 7×2
Friday 7×2
Saturday 7×2
Sunday REST
WEEK 3 : 108 total weekly reps (28% jump in total volume)
Monday 6×3
Tuesday 6×3
Wednesday 6×3
Thursday 6×3
Friday 6×3
Saturday 6×3
Sunday REST
WEEK 4 : 126 total weekly reps (16% jump in total volume)
Monday 7×3
Tuesday 7×3
Wednesday 7×3
Thursday 7×3
Friday 7×3
Saturday 7×3
Sunday REST
etc. Only climbing sets or reps as the last week should feel EASY – I don’t like to jump more than 30% of total volume per week otherwise I noticed most people doing this (general population whose main job isn’t recovering from an aggressive program) start to get little twinges and tweaks in the area worked on and usually results in a two week backpedal. But this volume of increase is depending on the athlete i’m working with as well – if you have all your ducks in a row, bigger jumps may be in order.
7. Continuing
Continue this until you hit your goal, or pass your goal, and remember – progress is NEVER a straight line. It has a few slants and zig zags in there, you may have a setback, and you may have to move in a few different directions to get to where you need to be. As you leave the area of the Novice and into intermediate, the more advanced methods and tools will become useful for you. Developing 1 pull up, is different from developing 20, which is different from developing a 150b weighted pull up. Remember that.
[/accordion_item][accordion_item parent_id=”” title=”Keep it simple Technique Work” id=”” class=”” style=””]Simple Technique Work
Im going to throw some videos in here, but just remember, throwing in the attempts for muscle ups prior to having the strength to perform them, is asking for it. Technique and Skill work is meant to be non exhaustive, once you start to break technique on account of fatigue, STOP. just…stop. Keep in mind, there is much more out there than what is below, its just some good stuff that works, to some degree there can be a lot of personalization that goes into this with specific false grip work and transition work that fits your own needs.
10 minutes of practice works well
Dip to upper arm support – Helps with both false grip and non false grip
Toenail transition – better for false grip transitions
Non false grip transition – This is video number one, he carries it through somewhere around 6 videos.
False grip transitions – This is video number one of a few as well, continue through the videos
a few good books – overcoming gravity by steven low, and freestyle by carl paoli.
[/accordion_item][accordion_item parent_id=”” title=”Want us to program something specifically for you?” id=”” class=”” style=””]Want us to program something specifically for you?
Click here to email us to let us know what you are interested in learning!
Once you’ve emailed us, we’ll look it over and give you the best idea of what its going to take to get you there.[/accordion_item][/accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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