Muscle-Up (On Vertical Bar)

Setup

1. 01Grip a sturdy vertical bar or pole with hands stacked one above the other, stronger hand on top.
2. 02Hang with arms extended and feet clear of the ground or braced lightly against the pole.
3. 03Set the shoulder blades down and back before initiating the pull.
4. 04Brace the core so the hips do not swing away from the pole.

Execution

1. 01Pull explosively up the pole, driving the chest toward the top hand.
2. 02As the chest passes the top hand, rotate the torso around the pole and punch the top elbow over into a support position.
3. 03Press both arms to lockout so the shoulders finish above the hands.
4. 04Lower under control back through the transition to a full hang.

Checkpoints

• -Shoulder blades depress before the arms bend.
• -Hips stay close to the pole through the pull.
• -The transition rotates around the pole rather than pushing away from it.
• -Elbows reach full lockout at the top.

Common mistakes

• -Pulling with arms only instead of driving the whole body up the pole.
• -Letting the hips drift away, which stalls the transition.
• -Attempting it without owning stacked-grip pull-ups first.
• -Dropping out of the support instead of lowering under control.