Hitting your first muscle up is a coveted experience for most fitness athletes. Everybody remembers when they executed their very first muscle up, where they hit it and how excited they were! MU's are very much like pulling yourself up and over a wall in an OCR Spartan race, or climbing over a fence, which is what makes them one of the most functional movements in the gym. They are the ultimate test of upper body strength and power.
What You MUST Know
The first step is to figure out which category you fall into – the majority of people reading this will be in Group B.
Group A
You have the requisite strength (5 Strict Pull-Ups, 5 Strict Dips, but can’t get a muscle up)
Group B
Most people will fall into the group that just flat out need to get stronger. These people will need to practice strict dips and pull-ups. A great way to get stronger in these simple gymnastic movements is to build volume. The pull-up and dip are some of the most basic upper body movements that people need to spend more time on.
The following is an example program for someone who has roughly 3 strict pull-ups and roughly 3 dips. Same can be applied to anyone with less or more of these two movements.
Week 1
Monday: Every minute on the minute (EMOM) for 10 minutes: 2 strict pull-ups and dips
Wednesday: EMOM for 12 minutes: 2 strict pull-ups and dips
Friday: EMOM 14 minutes: 2 strict pull-ups and dips
Week 2
Monday: EMOM 10: 3 strict pull-ups and dips
Wednesday: EMOM 12: 3 strict pull-ups and dips
Friday: EMOM 14: 3 strict pull-ups and dips
Week 3
Monday: EMOM 12: 3 strict pull-ups and dips
Wednesday: EMOM 14: 3 strict pull-ups and dips
Friday: EMOM 16: 3 strict pull-ups and dips