8 things I WISH I knew when I started muscle-up training
Do you remember when you first started your muscle-up journey? The confusion around what is the best path to take, the frustration with your lack of progress, and the doubt like, “Is this even possible?”
I feel you. I really struggled throughout my muscle-up journey, but I persisted and got it!
In this post, I share eight wisdom bombs that would have helped me so much when I started my muscle-up training.
Now, let’s get into it. Take the wisdom bombs you need and go get your first muscle-up!
Wisdom Bomb #1: Which is better, chin-ups or pull-ups?
Well, obviously chin-ups are the best…. for me. For you, it might be different.
When choosing between pull-ups or chin-ups, choose the one that you’re strongest at. For me, it’s chin-ups. I can pull higher, lift more weight, and my one-rep max is way higher.
This is important because the stronger your pull is, the more explosive and easier your muscle-up will be.
Wisdom Bomb #2: Add weights to your routine.
In the beginning, I trained body weight only, but my progress stalled and was really slow.
Then, when I started adding weights, I noticed that after three months of consistently training weighted chin-ups, dips, and pull-ups, I got my first-ever bodyweight muscle-up!
Once you can do three sets of three reps with your main exercises (chin-ups, pull-ups, and dips), try adding a little bit of weight.
But make sure you’re able to do your exercises with really good form first. Give it a go and see how it works.
Wisdom Bomb #3: Stop trying to do all the things!
If you’re anything like me, when you first started your journey, you saw all the cool skills and thought, “I want to do that, and that, and that, and that.” But focusing on too many skills at once can negatively impact your muscle-up progress.
Trust me, I tried everything, and I didn’t really get good at anything.
If you want to achieve your muscle-up, make it your priority. Otherwise, if you’re trying to achieve it alongside a whole bunch of other goals, you’re only going to end up half-assing it, and it’s going to take way longer to achieve.
Trust me.
Wisdom Bomb #4: Do fewer reps.
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard this advice before: just do ten pull-ups, just do ten dips, pull higher, and boom, you’ve got your bar muscle-up.
This method does work for a lot of people, and that is really awesome. However, it didn’t work for me, so I tried another approach, and you might want to try it too!
Instead of trying to do more reps in the 10 to 20 range, I actually did fewer reps but focused on increasing my intensity by adding weight and trying to get as strong and as powerful as I could.
If you feel like you’re lacking strength and power in your muscle-up training, I highly recommend giving the strength training approach a go.
Wisdom Bomb #5: Build a strong foundation.
No matter how much you practice the skill of the muscle-up, if you don’t have the strength to back it up, you’re going to be battling for a long time, like I did.
Banded muscle-ups are not effective for building strength; they are amazing at learning and refining the skill.
There are much better exercises that are going to help you build a stronger foundation. If you focus on getting really strong with your push and pull exercises, you are going to unlock the muscle-up so much faster.
Wisdom Bomb #6: Build your muscle-up mindset.
Your journey to your first muscle-up is going to be physically and mentally challenging.
You are likely to experience failure, frustration, and setbacks.
If you stick with it long enough, you’ll build a resilient mindset, patience, and a newfound sense of confidence as you achieve what once felt impossible.
Wisdom Bomb #7: Bulk up and put on some muscle.
Now, this one is especially for my girls. You don’t need to be the next Arnold, you don’t need to be super bulky, and you don’t need to look like a bodybuilder.
Speaking from experience, if you put on even a little bit of muscle in the key areas, it is going to help you get stronger and achieve your first muscle-up.
These key areas are your back, chest, shoulders, and arms.
Dedicate a period of time to eating at maintenance or in a slight surplus, and really focus on getting in enough protein so that you can fuel and build bigger, stronger muscles.
Wisdom Bomb #8: Focus on progress, not perfection.
Working towards your first muscle-up is not going to be sexy, it’s not going to be perfect, but don’t let that hold you back.
Don’t let the idea of perfection stop you from showing up, doing the thing, and sharing your progress.
Imperfect action beats perfect inaction every time. You will master the muscle-up if you consistently strive to get better over time.
What are some wisdom bombs you’ve learned on your muscle-up journey?
Feel free to reach out to me on Instagram, YouTube, or Reddit.
Keep pushing your limits, and I’ll catch you in the next post. Peace!
To acheieve your first muscle-up even faster try my free how to muscle-up workout program!