Muscle-Ups

In May of last year, I had began trying my hand at muscle-ups. I suffered badly from poor technique, and was injured severely time and time again. It was very frustrating to watch so much footage of people doing them, yet it was a brick wall to me.

What I discovered is that in my second year of weight lifting, I was constantly in elbow joint pain. It was inflamed, and ice helped, but the exercises reignited the problems on both arms, always with one arm more affected than the other.It would prevent me from most lifts. Pull-ups were mostly to blame, but Bench Press was second.

I had been aware that with Bench Pressing that tucking your elbows is the powerlifting method, and it utilizes your triceps more. I prefer to work my chest in Bench Press, so I flared my elbows with my technique. I noticed that in many exercises, I flared my elbows. I came to realize that this was the source of my pain. Specifically with Muscle-Ups, if you both flare your elbows and use your thumbs in your grip, you send a train of tension into your elbows. The key is to tuck your elbows to your sides, and to use a thumbless grip, much like an Overhead Press or Military Press.

Some people use a strong kip in their Muscle-Up, and I don't care for that style. That said, I do use momentum to get over the bar. I start the set by swinging forward 30 degrees, and on the rebound, I perform a Pull-Up, and spin my hands forward, while entering a Dip, ending in full extension, away from the bar at full arm's length. It's a very fun, and a very impressive move. Both push and pull are performed in the movement. After a rep, when you are atop the bar, you can perform as many Dips as you'd like. This is a nice variation to use besides Parallel Bar Dips.

The exercise is considered plyometric and a power move. It is dynamic. There is a heavy skill element required. It is important to be good at Dips and Pull-Ups. I realized that muscle-ups were much easier altogether than when I tried last year. I am stronger for one, but I think specifically my recent researching and training in gymnastics has helped. An interesting word I learned is proprioception. It is control of one's limbs through strength in varying angles and positions. I like to roll onto my back and stay in a shoulder stand. I've also been doing Dragon Flags for probably a year. Lastly, the most important is handstands. I've hardly begun training them, and yet I've felt the power already. The same goes for fixing my technique on both side planks and front planks.

I've also been performing yoga more regularly. I also feel good control of your legs is important for keeping a smooth movement. I practice L-Sits, and I often do standing front leg extensions on cables and with just bodyweight..