Get Your First Muscle Up
Why This Lesson Matters
The muscle-up is one of the clearest displays of raw bodyweight strength — combining a pull-up, a transition, and a dip into one seamless movement. But it’s also one of the most frustrating skills to chase. With the right foundations, you’ll save months of failed attempts and build strength that carries into every other calisthenics move .
The 3 Phases of a Muscle-Up
Pull-Up – Explosive strength to pull chest high to the rings.
Transition – The hardest part: moving elbows from under to above the rings.
Dip – Pressing out to full lockout overhead .
What You Need First
Before diving in, make sure you have:
✅ 5 full pull-ups (chest-to-bar if possible).
✅ 5 full dips on rings (with lockout).
✅ Core strength (hollow holds to keep tension).
✅ Patience — progress takes consistency .
Mini Reflection
👉 Which of these prerequisites is your current sticking point — pull-ups, dips, or core? That’s where you’ll want to focus first.
Pro Tip
The transition is always the bottleneck. The higher you can pull in phase 1, the easier phase 2 becomes. Think of pulling to your waist, not just your shoulders.