INTRO
This book is gonna tell you the story of my journey in calisthenics,
my muscle up story and how the “IRONWRIST” was invented.
I will share the best methods, most useful advice and little tricks
to improve your muscle up.
I will describe psychology & mechanics of the muscle up.
I will explain the accessory exercises for injury prevention.
You will get the knowledge of the exclusive experience of mine
and the best routines
routines to implement into your workouts.
I will also tell you how to work with weights on the muscle up
and prevent injuries.
This book is all you need to become the master of the muscle up.
CONTENTS
1. The story
1.1 How it all started
1.2 My progress
1.3 The roots of „Ironwrist”
2. How
How to
to p
pre
repa
pare
re your
your bo
body
dy
2.1 Basic rep range to start the muscle up?
2.2 Where to start?
2.3 What exercises do I need to do?
2.4 Accessory exercises
3. First muscle up
3.1 Body alignment
3.2 Starting moment
3.3 Timing & transition
3.4 Best ways to attempt
4. Clean mu
muscle up
up
4.1 How to do the clean muscle up
4.2 How to get away from kipping
4.3 Best exercises to straighten your muscle ups
4.4 Most important advice
5. Ironwr
Ironwrist
ist muscle
muscle up vs regula
regularr musc
muscle
le up
Pros & cons of each
How to use both?
Ironwrist accessory exercises
exercises
2 z 47
6. How
How to incr
ncrease
ease reps
eps
6.1 Psychology & why does the bad form make sense?
6.2 Best methods & tips (video)
6.3 Top 20 routines to use
7. Weighted game
7.1 How to start adding weight
7.2 How to increase the 1RM
7.3 How to prevent injuries
8. Summary
3 z 47
1.The story
1.1 How it all started
My calisthenics story takes its spontaneous beginning back in 2010. I was 15
years old. Me and my friends went to the school stadium where the bars were. One of
them just randomly said - „lets do a pull up ladder”. Everyone was able to complete
at least one repetition except for one young men. Yes, it was me. The embarrassment
feeling I had then was enormous.
It was the start of the summer. During all the three months I had been coming to the
bars at night to learn this one single pull up. I didn’t
didn’t want to work out during the
daytime because I used to overthink the others opinions, like someone could have
thought „how a boy cannot do even a single pull up!?”, I wanted to run away from
this feeling.
Summer was gone and the hard work paid off - I completed my first rep on the
pull up bar
bar..
I started to work out on a daily basis. I still remember how my surroundings used to
be surpris
surprised
ed in a negative way by me doing such a thing. They told me that it
wouldn’t last more then 2 weeks of training.
Thus, writing this,
this, I can tell that they were wrong, I lasted way longer than that.
One day, while searching through YouTube I bumped into this video, which inspired
me to do the muscle up. Of course, after an attempt I failed and from this moment I
had a new goal.
Next 6 months I had been training to be able to complete a muscle up. There was no
tutorials, no calisthenics coaches, there were just me, the bar, and the desire.
4 z 47
After a thousand fails - I did it. I remember it to this day. My first muscle up - dirty,
with kipping. Just horrible. I ran to my friend’s house who used to work out with me
to tell him what happened. Since then, me and the muscle up are best friends.
With time, calisthenics was getting more and more popular. People started
posting more videos, doing competition
competitionss here and there, more people started to
actually work out.
One fine day the competition time came to my city in Ukraine. So now please stand
up - it was a FREESTYLE competition. Yeah, I used train freestyle. I was able to do
Front Lever, Back Lever, Elbow Planche, all the Muscle UP VARIA
ARIATIONS.
TIONS. It was
2012 so these elements were considered as advanced.
I won. You know why? My friends still didn’t believe in me. One of them, right
before the semi-final said - „Ruslan semi-final
semi-final is your max”. The only thing I wanted
to do then was to prove that he is not right.
After winning the competition I felt like I can do a lot more and I started to do
elements with some additional weight. Surely, the injury hit me very fast. Then, after
a month of overthinking „what is wrong with my training” I understood, that I don’t
have fundamentals. Basics, which would keep my body ready and would help to get
rid of any damages during workout.
Therefore, I started to work on my strength and endurance. One day I was looking for
some calisthenics videos through the internet and I saw Bar-Barians team - one of the
first and the most elite groups in this sport. I used the word elite on purpose, because
it was very difficult to join them, only the strongest and passionated could do this.
5 z 47
After completing the physi
physical
cal and mental tes
tests,
ts, Englis
English
h classes to communicate
communicate
with them, proving my loyalty to the philosophy of the team I was approved as an
official member of the Bar-Barians.
The next step was to travel to United States to personally get familiar with the
Bar-Culture. The only option of getting the USA VISA for me was to get enrolled
with the students exchange programs. I had to study really really hard to pass all the
exams perfectly. This was the only opportunity to travel and reach the goal.
I spent a year in United States. I met all the „legends”, those who inspired
millions of people around the world to start doing calisthenics.
I won American prestige calisthenics competition „Pull up park jam” (2015-2016). In
US I understood, that I have the possibility to reach everything what I can only set as
a goal, that I have this power to approach something incredible if I work hard for it.
Then, I started to provide workshops and trainings sharing my knowledge which I
gained thought years of experience.
When I came back to my motherland Ukraine, I received an invitation to do a
workshop in Singapore. At that time it was something I couldn’t believe. Me?
Workshop? Singapore? I am in! I held my first official workshops during all week
there. Back then, I thought about my first pull up, which brought me to Singapore.
I started to get workshop offers more, people started asking for training plans and
online coaching. I do this to this day. I teach people in person and online, who
achieve their small or big goals. This is what makes me very happy and proud. I
provided workshops in USA, Singapore, Italy,
Italy, Israel, Poland, Ukraine, Lebanon and
its just the beginning.
In 2017 I went to Italy to compete in „One More Rep Vol.1” in the strength and
endurance category. I came back home with the overall champion trophy.
6 z 47
In 2018 I went there for the second time and competed in „One More Rep Vol.2
ENDURANCE LEGEND”. I had only 2 weeks for the preparation and I didn’t know
if I was going to participate until the very end. It was the health matter. I won in the
dramatic final. I was underrated again, no-one thought that I was able to win. It gave
me a strong dose of motivation.
After winning some prestige competitions I gained respect in the calisthenics
world.
I met a lot of strong and well known people in this sport. Some of them became my
friends - Dejan Stipke, Vadym Oleynik, Jay Smallbarspartan, Viktor Kamenov and a
lot more. I always say and will always remind people about it, that calisthenics, like
sport in general, connects people. Age, skin color, religion and social background - it
all doesn’t matter. In sport we all are equal.
Unfortunately, one of the greatest adventures of my life came to an end - I had to
leave Bar-Barians.
Bar-Barians. Regar
Regardless,
dless, it doesn’
doesn’tt change th
thee fact that I always respect the
philosophy
philosop
hy they have. I will always remember this as one of the factors of my small
success.
Nowadays, I try to become the most complete athlete. I travel around the world
providing
providin
g the worksho
workshops
ps and seminars, also judging the competitions.
competitions. I train myself
to dominate in the every aspect of the calisthenics world. I am a coach at the
calisthenics studio Fit&More in Poland. Finally I do something I always wanted to
do. It took me 8 years to transform my hobby into my favorite job.
I never thought, that I would become an inspiration for the people around the
globe. I never expected myself traveling, sharing knowledge and meeting great
people. I never knew, that one pull up would ever bring me to the point where I am
now.
7 z 47
1.2 My progress
10 years ago there was no trainers or tutorials. Everything I learnt at the time was
just by watching the movement patterns from someone on Y
Youtube.
outube. No one has ever
coached me or at least showed me how to get here or there in calisthenics. My whole
early career experience is based on trial and error method. Thats why my experience
is special, well, at least I want to believe so.
Well, speaking about my progress in calisthenics I would say that it was slow and
fast at the same time. There were times when I increased my muscle up reps by 2-3 in
just few days, but there was also the time when I hit the block and couldn’t progress
for years. I want you to understand that its okay to progress fast and then stuck at
some point. For example, I learnt my first pull up in 3 months but I increased my reps
from 1 to 10 in one months.
Usually, learning the movement pattern takes the longest. Then, there come the
fast progress until the first mental block where you need to fight through in your
head. Yes, it may sounds crazy but increasing reps is actually a mental game! It took
me a while to understand this even thought I’ve always been doing it this way. We
will get back to the mental part of increasing reps later in the book but for now, let me
explain you how I progressed with the muscle up.
So, I guess it was 2010. I was able to complete 3 pull ups at that time, yeah, you
have read it right - only 3 pull ups. Thats why there is no “pull, push,dip” reps
requirementss to start learning how to muscle up. One day my friend did the muscle
requirement
up workout and I was spectating. I asked him to repeat the muscle up over and over
again while not asking anything about how to do it. I was learning the movement
pattern: where he points his eyes, how he places his wrists, how much he swings,
when he starts to pull up, kick the legs and so on. I was used to learning from seeing
because I was a football player at a time and I watched probably every video of
8 z 47
Cristiano Ronaldo skills compilation on YouTube. So after my friend finished I
decided to try, I didn't have the “feeling” that I’m gonna do it or that I'm strong
enough whatsoever. I just tried, and I made it. I was shocked so was everyone around.
The day after I came to the park alone and tried it again...couldn’t manage to
complete a single one. Then, I was frustrated and sad because I couldn't understand
why. Now I know, that my body just wasn't prepared to remember the movement. We
often do something for the first time and then cant repeat it on the second training, it
happens on the daily basis to my clients. Why? Because your muscle memory
capacity is too limited at the time. When your pull up range is 3-5 and you have just
started working out a month ago - the body can't remember the more advanced move
so easily even if you completed it once. But if your rep range is 3-5 and your have
been working out regularly for 3-4 months already - now we can talk about
remembering
rememberi
ng the muscle up. What I am trying to say is that you don’
don’tt have to be able
to do 15-20 pull ups to learn the muscle up, your body needs to learn how the pull
and push patterns work. I had clients who did the muscle up when their pull ups reps
were 5 and also there were people who could do 30 pull ups but no muscle up. Why
is that you may ask? Because working out is not just repping without paying any
attention on how you activate your muscle, its learning your body language. Let me
explain it to you this way - in school they tell us to study something before the exams
and so we do. After the exam we forget most of it. Now tell me is it the same when
you learn something fun and useful on your own by choice. You remember most of it.
Don't think about working out as an exam preparation but fun, useful article. There is
no better way of progressing than understanding what you are actually doing with
yourself and you don't have to be a scientist for this, just listen to your body.
Around 4 months passed by and I still couldn't complete this damn muscle up
again. But the day has come, it was January i think. Weather was windy and cold, no
9 z 47
one at the park but me, peace and quiet. I was sitting there and watching some
downloaded muscle up videos trying to repeat the same. I stood in front of the bar
and I literally visualized myself doing it. I jumped on the bar and the muscle up was
done. I was so happy that I ran to my friend’s house to let him now. Since then, my
numbers were increasing every week by one. How? I was just trying to beat my
personal best every time I saw the bar
bar.. For example at the school lunch break I have
always been trying to hit my maximum on muscle ups, just one set, and then come
back to the classes (or no haha). My point is that if you are beginner in calisthenics
and you try to increase your number, whatever exercise, you just need to hit your max
every time you start the session. Also, in the end of your workout try to test your max
before you go home. When beating your personal best - please forg
forget
et about perfect
form, forget the superhuman guy you saw on YouTube doing 5000+ clean muscle
ups, its only about you and your record. Chicken wings are okay too, you can't get
through without chicken wings (one handed muscle up), it is just necessary to build
much needed mental and physical strength of getting above the bar. It may sound
simple to you but its the naked truth for the beginners.
After I completed my first real muscle up and increased it to 10 reps I was
looking for the challenge. One day I were searching around YouTube and I bumped
into this guy Zef Zakaveli who did 20 cleanest muscle ups I have ever seen in my life
back then. So I was like - “okay let me try to repeat”. As you might have already
guessed - I couldn't complete even one rep like him. I started to think about how
could I build up my way to this level of the muscle up and I realized, that kicking
with straight legs would be one step closer and it was. With time I was kicking less
and less until I got there.
Once the clean muscle up was done I started looking for the more advanced stuff
like slow muscle ups and dif
different
ferent grip variations. Firstly,
Firstly, I am gonna give the
10 z 47
honorable mention to the different grip muscle ups first - it gives you so much more
control and then the regular muscle up feels better. For instance, the reversed
(supinated) grip muscle up helps you to pull up higher on the regular muscle up,
because on the
the reversed g
grip
rip you need to pu
pull
ll a bit hig
higher
her to safely
safely rotate your
your arms to
get above the bar so then your body gets the new impulse and regular high pull up
will feel different. Secondly, slow muscle ups changed my life. Why? It strengthened
my wrists so much that now I am being called “ironwrist”. Some people say that I
was born with such mobility and thats why muscle up has become so easy to me.
Well its just not true. When I first tried so called “false grip slow muscle up” my
wrists and elbows were hurt so much that I was going to give up on this sport, I
struggled with the pain all the way through my slow muscle up journey. Since I have
understood that the pain just won't go easily if I keep working on the controlled
muscle up I decided to put some “streets science” into it, so I started making up
exercises which don't need any special gym equipment but still would help (you will
see them in the accessory exercises section later). So it helped and I started smashing
all the slow variations: close grip, wide grip, supinated grip, mixed grip and so on.
I was basically able to complete every muscle up I knew then but I wanted to be
someone who people can look at and say - “I want to do muscle ups like him”. Here
came the problem, I wasn't famous or the strongest in muscle ups because there were
such guys like Lee Wade Turner and Zef Zakaveli whose muscle ups were as clean as
it was only possible. I was thinking and thinking and thinking how can I make my
way out…
11 z 47
1.3 The roots of the “IRONWRIST”
February is the coldest month in my motherland Ukraine. I couldn't afford myself
a gym membership so working out in -10C degrees was the only way to me. Imagine
that the bar is so cold that your palms would stick to it and would even make the
scratch sound when you do pull ups. So me and my friends were at the park one day
and the weather was exactly the same as I described. We were supposed to do the
muscle up routine that I came up with. Half of them refused to do the muscle up
because they didn't have gloves and the other half couldn't even do the muscle up
with so much clothes on. Well, as a kid I have always been the one who would say
lets go this way without knowing the way so I started doing muscle up with the bare
arms. My arms were stuck to the bar from the moment I grabbed it. I did the muscle
up without the wrist transition by accident, just because I couldn't do it any other way.
I jumped off the bar looking at my friends with eyes wide open. One of them said
“holy sh*t, what was that” do it again. I did. To this day my maximum muscle up
number was 14. The day after I did 20 using this technique.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
There are no such words in the world to describe how I felt about this discovery.
I guess the old saying “he who seeks will find” fits well here. The other day I was
watching YouTube, and I decided to compare Lee Wade Turner’s muscle ups to Zef
Zakaveli’s ones and I saw, that the one I did is basically a hybrid of those two! Can
you believe it? I combined two the most beautiful muscle ups into one „IRONWRIST". It was as explosive as Zef’s, and as smooth as Lee’s. Its like if
Cristiano and Messi came into one to create the best football player to step on Earth.
Incredible.
12 z 47
Since then, more and more people were attempting to do my muscle up and now
it is worldwide known! A lot of people who met me in person were asking me to
show them my wrists if its made of steel. Some athletes were hating on it for the
injuries it may cause, still no injuries for none of my clients nor followers during 7
years. I am known for my muscle ups and I won some world class competitions
thanks to them. I am not saying that the „IRONWRIST” muscle up is the only thing
you need to learn when it comes to muscle up, its just one more style to try. We will
get to the styles comparison later.
To sum up the whole story I need to say that everyone is different, everyone has
his own style and history. I am just glad that I have such opportunity to share my
experience with you guys.
2. How to prepare your body
2.1 Basic rep range to start the muscle up?
As I have mentioned already, there is no typical rep range to start trying the
muscle up. My experience says that you can do muscle up even with 5 pull ups in the
bag and vica versa - not being able to complete a singe muscle up with 30 easy pull
ups in you. Basically, it all depends on how you understand the move, whether you
did any kind of sports before or not. It all starts with the biomechanics of your body
and how good is your muscle mind connection.
Anyways, lets set a general plank based on the average calculation. My average
client, on the day of his first muscle up have around:
15 pull ups
25 dips
40 push ups
30 seconds L-sit
30 seconds chin over the bar isometric hold
13 z 47
15 toes to the bar raisers.
Lets say these are the number where you can easily complete the muscle up after
following the instructions how to. If you meet these “requirements” - there you are
100% ready for the muscle up.
2.2 Where to start?
We start from trying the muscle up and video recording it. No resistance bands,
no jumping muscle up, just an attempt from the hanging position. Why should we
make a video of it? Because there is no better way, unless you have the calisthenics
trainer, to learn the muscle up but to see what is actually going on. You try and see
whether you are not pulling high enough or you have the bad timing on transition.
Make sure to have the video of someone doing muscle up to compare whats wrong.
Start checking it from wrists placement, how elbows bend, where your eye are
looking, how far from the bar do you pull and so on. Muscle up is not just pull and
bar dip, this is the
the complete techni
technical
cal movement that requires
requires the constant
constant work on it.
You can not just try to pull high and then rotate your arms up, its gonna take you a lot
of time to accomplish it this way. So pay attention to the details and make sure to
record your attempts to see whats going on.
Next step, after trying
trying it with
without
out any assi
assistance
stance - help yo
yourself
urself with th
thee resistance
band. So first
first you checked where is tthe
he problem and now
now you can work on it
it with the
band. Make sure
sure to start with th
thee strong one and
and slowly pro
progress
gress with it.
it. Focus on the
the
movements you find the hardest when trying to muscle up without any assistance.
The most important part is to not sticking to the band and only trying to progress
with it. How can your body learn to get over the bar without any help if you don’t try
it raw. Thus, you need to try it in the beginning of the workout, see where is the
14 z 47
problem, then work the problems out with the assistance, and after that try the raw
muscle up again.
Its also not about how many times you try, but how smart you try. Rest enough
time to make your attempt really worthful. Don’t waste your energy just because you
are mad or you cant wait to do it. Remember that the better the attempt - the better
you body learns the movement pattern. There is no sense in doing short attempts,
which barely look like the muscle up, because your body will remember this pattern
and I guarantee that there will be no progress at all.
Lets sum it up:
•
try and record yourself on camera
•
check whats the problem
•
work with the problem using the resistance band
•
try without the band and record your self again
•
compare first video from the beginning and the second from the end of your
workout.
2.3 What exercises do I need to do?
Let me tell you about the most vital exercises when it comes to the the muscle up
learning. I will explain the top 3 which I use with my clients.
1.
Ki
Kick
ckin
ing
gp
pul
ulll up
up o
offf tthe
he ba
bar:
r:
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
This is a tricky one. Probably the most important exercise out of these three.
You need to pull from the bar and up at the same time, meaning - doing the pull ups
diagonally. Make sure to kip with your legs so it helps you to pull a little bit higher.
15 z 47
2.
Low elbow bar dips
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Just from the name of the exercise you could understood the idea of it already.
Make sure to keep your elbows as close to your body as it only possible. Come down
to the moment where you still get the “go up feeling” and go back up, meaning come
as low as possible as long as you can go up after it.
3.
Jumping muscle up
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
You can see that I am not just
randomly jumping on the bar
bar.. I am doing
everything to imitate the real muscle up movement. Pay attention to how I stretch
forward before the pull up part, its very important when doing the jumping muscle
up. Once you master one height, just com down lower and lower with progression.
These 3 are the most important ones where you don't need any equipment nor
gym.
You may ask “How do I add this to my workout? You said to try it with the band” well guys, one day with the band only, the other day these exercises, or you can even
mix.
Example workout #1:
•
Kicking pull up off the bar 15 sets of 2 reps
•
Low elbow bar dips 15 sets of 3 reps
•
Jumping muscle up 15 sets of 2 reps
16 z 47
Keep the reps low to make the best out of it.
Example workout #2:
•
5 attempts of the muscle up
•
10 resistance band muscle up ( or attempts)
•
10 sets of 2 kicking pull ups off the bar
•
10 sets of 3 low elbow bar dips
•
5 sets of 2 jumping muscle up
You can use different variations of it, just remember to not do endless amount
of reps and get tired without letting your muscles learn anything. It is not a type of
workout which needs to make you tired, it needs to make you learn.
2.4 Accessory exercices
Please watch the video attentively. I will be mentioning this one a couple of
times later.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
3. First muscle up
First, lets take a look at one of my first muscle ups.
You can clearly see that it was very far from perfect.
So, I want you to understand that it is not supposed to be beautiful from the first time.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
17 z 47
3.1 Body alignment
Your grip should be at shoulder width or a little bit wider. If you do it wider or closer
- you will have to pull up higher in order to successfully rotate your arms upwards.
Your wrists should be slightly rotated upwards meaning the bar is on the middle of
your palm, under calluses. This will allow you to have the easier and smoother
transition.
18 z 47
You head should be in one line with the rest of your body to not lose the balance
because your centroid is your head. Point your eyes up-front.
Keep your elbows in front of your
your,, not like on the regular pull up. If you keep your
elbow to the sides you will just block yourself. Pull up with your elbows in front of
you on the muscle up.
19 z 47
Legs together and keep it like this all the time.
During the transition phase keep your elbows close to your body.
body. When getting onto
the bar, slide forward with your head to maintain the proper balance, meaning lean
forward with
with your head a little bit.
20 z 47
Dip part is easy,
easy, just don't keep your elbows to tthe
he sides to not get injured.
injured.
3.2 Starting moment
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
First stage of the muscle up is the right momentum at the very beginning. You
can see the I start to pull up only after I full stretch in the front part of my swing. I
stretch my upper chest and arch my back a little bit for more momentum as well. You
really need to focus on this one because it just looks easy. The more you try the
better,, make sur
better
suree to record yourself on camera or h
have
ave someone
someone telling y
you
ou your
mistakes.
21 z 47
3.3 Timing and transition
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Timing skill itself is the matter of practice. Of course you need the basic
knowledge what I am providing you with but remember that you need to really feel
this throughout 100 attempts. So, as soon as you bend your arms halfway - kick with
your legs. You can kick earlier or later, it all depends on your body composure, just
remember that everyone is different and someone needs to kick earlier right after he
starts the whole move while the other person might need to kip later when he is
almost reach the bar with his chest.
Transition is the hardest part of the whole muscle up. This is the connection in
between pull and dip. As you can see on the video, when I kick with my legs and it
brings me higher - I basically
basically lean on the bar.
bar. I meant my head goes forward first and
then the rest of the body follows. I keep my elbows really close to the body all the
way through. Also, I focus on my elbows when rotating upwards, not my wrists.
There is more possibility of doing the muscle up when focusing on bringing the
elbows up than wrists because of the better, stronger movement lever. So, elbows first
and the wrist will follow.
22 z 47
3.4 Best ways to attempt
Well, there are a couple of ways to attempt the muscle up. You should try every
single one to see what works the best for you.
OFF THE BOX
•
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
You can see how I am coming off the box from bent arms to straight and then
pull. Why would I do this? Some of you might have noticed that your second pull up
usually feels easier than your first. It happens because of a so-called stretchshortening cycle, which is usually being called plyometrics. It basically allows you to
use the stretching(eccentric contraction) point in a very great way to make the
shortening(concentric phase) easier, better and stronger. So you come off the box to
use the moment of stretching your arms(coming down) following with contraction
( going up) which makes it possible to pull higher and eventually get above the bar.
•
POINT
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
This one is very critical even when we are talking about the clean muscle up,
not just the first attempt of this move. You
You need to mark a point in front of you. The
distance from the bar to this point is around 50cm. This allows you to find the proper
front position of your straight body a millisecond before you start to pull up.
23 z 47
•
SWING
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
This is how I did my first muscle up. It is a tricky one, you need to try a lot to
catch the proper moment for the pull up. Usually you start the pull up in the
maximum front position but here you can start to pull a little bit later. Cant say much
about this one, just try to use the momentum of the swing.
•
LITTLE PULL UP
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
This one, as well as the BOX method - helps you to use the moment of coming
down to succeed with the going up phase. It just requires a little more effort to pull up
and catch the moment before the muscle up. You would ask why do we need this if
we have the BOX method? Well, the answer is pretty simple - some people prefer it
this way and they find it more comfortable for them. Furthermore, not everyone has
the box in the park.
•
CHICKEN WING
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Yes, YOUTUBE wizards would say it causes a lot of injuries and so on but the
truth is - it DOESN’T. Of course, it's out of the natural biomechanics, I know that. So
do I know that we can tell the same about mostly every move in gymnastics or
calisthenics. Don’t listen to the people on YOUTUBE who look for likes and views,
not the proper and real education. So, 100% of my male clients want to be able to
24 z 47
complete the muscle up, and 90% of them do the chicken wing (one handed) muscle
up first. I did it this way too! It doesn’t have to be beautiful right away. Your first pull
up is ugly too. Don’t be scared to do chicken wings. Just remember to change arms to
not overuse one arm.
4. Clean muscle up
4.1 How to do the clean muscle up
Clean muscle ups is something everyone wants to do. When I just started
working out, clean muscle up was something really rare. Well, comparing it to the
modern reality it was like 50KG muscle up nowadays, only a few people in the world
could do this.
Talking about clean muscle up can be very individual. One person is convinced
that the clean muscle up is something when you don't swing at all and your body
looks straight like a ruler, another person believes that clean muscle up is just when
you don't kick with your legs. If you ask me, clean muscle up is little swing, no legs
movement, all moves look like one.
Example:
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Basically, to do the clean muscle up you need to master your lower body control
during the movement. You need to keep your legs half tightened, half relaxed, and
you need to keep your pelvis tilted/rotated. Don’t listen to someone who says - “relax
your legs it's gonna help”, hell no, it will not. You are only gonna make it worse
25 z 47
because keeping your legs loose is gonna bring you the problem of control and your
lower will swing back and forth all the time during the movement which looks ugly.
Half tightened and half relaxed - means you need to keep your legs as active and
straight as you would do the army stance. You don't squeeze your muscles while
doing it but its neither loosen up like boiled carrot.
Rotated/tilted pelvis - means keeping hollow body position during the whole
movement, don’t arch your upper back or lower back, hollow body position allows
you to have the better connection in between the upper body and the lower body.
4.2 How to get away from kipping
Everyone is talking about high pull ups and bar dips on YOUTUBE. Well yes, it's
really important to do but come on, isn't there anything we should do in order to get
rid of legs’ movement? Definitely, there is! We will get to it really soon but first let
me clear something out. YOTUBE is fine, you can find a lot there but if that's the
only source you wanna learn from - you will just discover the top of the iceberg. No
one tells you to do some specific muscle up exercises on YOUTUBE, they tell you - “
you will just get it better with time”, which is not a lie but it takes way longer than it
could! Me personally, I did my first clean muscle up in 1 year, my clients now get in
in one month after the first muscle up. I just try to say that don’t expect to find
something special for free, especially on social media.
26 z 47
Now,, let's get iinto
Now
nto the ex
exercises
ercises to g
get
et away from kipping:
1.
HOLDING S
SO
OMETHING
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
As you can see on the video, I use something to keep it in between my legs, in
order to learn how to activate legs in a good way during the muscle up.
2.
LI
LIF
FTI
TING
NG STRA
TRAIGH
GHT
TL
LEG
EGS
S
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
One of the best one in my opinion. Since the hardest point is to stop bending
your legs - this exercise helps you perfectly because you kip with your legs straight.
Try to use your legs less as you get stronger with time.
3.
BARR
BARRIE
IER/
R/OB
OBST
STAC
ACLE
LE MU
MUSC
SCLE
LE UP
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Make sure to not arch your back during this exercise, when in the bottom
position,, keep your body as straight as possibl
position
possible.
e. Put the obstacle further in front of
you if it's too hard. If you touch the barrier with your legs it's not a mistake, it helps
to learn control too.
27 z 47
4.
NEGA
NEGATI
TIVE
VES
S WIT
WITH
H TH
THE
E ST
STRA
RAIG
IGHT
HT BOD
BODY
Y
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Muscle up is not only how you go up but also how you come down. Learn how
to keep your body straight on the negative part with this exercise.
4.3 Best exercises to straighten your muscle ups
You might have asked yourself already - “how can I make my muscle up
better?”, well I am happy to
to be here fo
forr you !
Lets check the best exercises for this:
1.
HI
HIGH
GH OR EXPL
EXPLOS
OSIV
IVE
EP
PUL
ULL
L UP
UPS.
S.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
This one is critical to be done properly. Make sure to watch the video
attentively. Anyways, I would like to underline some main points: keep your elbows
in front of you to not block yourself during the pull up, pull up in the arc way ( from
the bar and then onto the bar).
2.
HOLL
HOLLOW
OW BO
BODY
DY IS
ISOM
OMET
ETRI
RIC
C HO
HOLD
LDS.
S.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
This one is easy yet hard. Get over the bar first and come down to the lowest
possible position
position where your chest is in ffront
ront to the bar and hold it, while keeping
keeping the
hollow body position and your legs tight.
28 z 47
3.
PO
POE/
E/ST
STIC
ICK
K MUSC
MUSCLE
LE UP
UP..
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
The goal is to complete the muscle up without dropping the stick.
4.
WEIG
WEIGHT
HTED
ED KI
KIPP
PPIN
ING
GM
MUS
USCL
CLE
EU
UP
P.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Yea, weighted muscle up helps even if you kip like crazy. You still have the
weight on the belt. It helps both mentally and physically. You subconsciously think
that - ‘ damn I did the weighted muscle up, now the bodyweight gets easier”.
5.
ANC
ANCHOR
HOR (KETT
(KETTLEB
LEBELL
ELL OR M
MEDI
EDICIN
CINE
E BA
BALL
LL MUSCLE
MUSCLE UP).
UP).
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
This one is called “the anchor” for a reason. The kettlebell or medicine ball
keeps your legs down and minimize your legs movement.
6.
RESI
RESIST
STAN
ANCE
CE BAND
BAND TO KE
KETT
TTLE
LEBE
BELL
LL..
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Make sure to set up this thing safely, use the heaviest kettlebell in your gym
and the lightest band. The point is to offer resistance to your legs only
only..
29 z 47
4.4 Most important advice
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
When we are talking about the clean muscle up, there come some things which
we are not supposed to do in order to call it clean.
First, is chicken wing. There is nothing wrong with doing chicken wings when
you learn how to do the muscle up but speaking about the clean version - we need to
eliminate this. Fix it by recording yourself on camera and check what's wrong. Make
sure to check the video to see the quick way to fix this problem.
Second, is arching the back. There are a lot of people in calisthenics who think
that they are capable of doing the clean muscle up but they are basically not. You can
see on the video how I arch my back and then straighten my body up when pulling
which is considered cheating. Get rid of this by keeping your feet in front of you so
you can see them.
Third, is swinging too much. There is not much to say, swinging too much
reminds me of a dynamic gymnastics muscle up which requires zero strength and is
based on technique
technique on
only
ly..
Well, what I’ve mentioned previously are just 3 most common mistakes. Also,
I would like to tell you about two pieces of advice on how to make your muscle up
look really perfect.
The position of your head. When you look in front of your or slightly up - there
is a straight line in your body. However, a lot of people keep their eyes and head up,
in the tilted position. This causes the back arching and it complicates the movement
and changes the centroid.
30 z 47
Hip move when getting over the bar. This one is really tricky. You need to
rotate your pelvis when transitioning onto the above the bar position. Check the video
to understand more.
5. „Ironwrist" muscle up
vs regular muscle up
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
This is probably the most interesting part of the whole book.
How to use these two? What are the pros and cons of each?
The video answers all the questions!
However, let's focus on some things. You might have noticed that I am able to
do the muscle up even after a crazy amount of pull ups, and even if my last pull up
looks like I am about to die - I am still managing to get over the bar with the
Ironwrist style. Why does it happen? Because I engage the whole different muscle
group, not the same one which is engaged in pull up work. In other words - on pull
ups I work with my biceps and back, but on the muscle up I work with my triceps and
forearm. It is not even about the wrist, it's mostly the triceps work. Don't get me
wrong, wrist mobility is important and you will improve it with the exercises I gave
you in the muscle up conditioning video.
So, how and when do we use both of them? When I try to beat my record in
muscle ups I always do the regular style first and then, when I am not able to pull
high enough anymore, I start to use the Ironwrist style. Why not use the Ironwrist
from the very beginning? Well, here is the first negative moment about this style 31 z 47
your forearms get tired quickly. In the regular muscle up, the moment of rotation is
based on turning your wrists and elbows up at the same time, which gives you those
milliseconds of free flying and basically saves some energy for the grip. Meanwhile,
when doing the Ironwrist, we grab the bar for good and we don’t let go even for 0.1
seconds. So, when trying to beat my record - I start with the regular and then follow
with the Ironwrist. I explain it practically in the video.
When it comes to the weighted workouts I need to admit, that it's much easier
and safer for me to do the Ironwrist style all the time, because of the really low pull
up. You don't have to pull very high to rotate your arms with the Ironwrist, which
makes it easier. However, you might think that it's really dangerous and it may cause
the injury. No, it will not, because if we do mobility and stretching work
accompanied with systematic wrist strengthening and don't rush with the weight by
increasing it slowly - there is no way you get injured. I have never got my wrists
injured in my whole life.
So, to sum it up.
When trying to do your max - start with the regular muscle up and then when you get
tired, follow with the Ironwrist.
When doing weighted muscle up - do the Ironwrist.
Regular muscle up - good when the pulling strength is strong.
Ironwrist muscle ups - good when the triceps and push strength is strong.
Mastering both is the perfect way to become the master of the muscle up.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
In this video you will find how to master the much needed mobility, flexibility
and strength for the Ironwrist muscle up.
32 z 47
6. How to increase reps
6.1 Psychology & why bad form makes sense
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
It is 80% about your mind and 20% about your body. When we speak about
increasing the reps, first what comes to our mind is the physical part. I get a lot of
questions on Instagram about what routines are the best to increase the muscle up
best. Of course,
course, it is true, we need to train h
hard
ard to achiev
achievee a certain lev
level
el in this move.
However, working smart is the best way.
•
Visualizing the success might sound like a fanatic thing which doesn't make
sense. Well, the most successful people in the world keep saying the same
thing - win in your head first and then the physical part becomes easy. To cut
the long story short - the mental part is the hardest yet the most effective way
to increase reps. Usually I complete my goal in my head before I go to sleep,
when I wake up and during the day. Yes, I think about completing the set and
exactly how I am gonna do this, I overthink every single rep of the set in my
head even before I go to workout.
•
Social media can mislead us about the whole training process. People on
Instagram will make you think they are billionaires while having the last 5$ on
their bank account. No one ever posts their failures and training process. Too
often we all see only the top of the iceberg. W
Wee see how people do super clean
reps on the videos and we think that this is the only way of doing reps.
Furthermore, some miserable people will throw hate on us when we post our
33 z 47
videos with not the best form. Meanwhile, they are not able to take even half of
our workout. What I am trying to say is that don’t get distracted by people who
have no idea of what you are doing and why you're doing this. Training process
is a very individual thing. Unless you have a personal trainer or really
experienced athlete said something about your form, don't take personal the
online critique.
•
Why does bad form make sense? I explain it perfectly in the video but let me
explain it here too. Your nervous system needs the impulse of the certain
amount of stretch and shortening cycles of your muscles to adopt the amount
of work volume you do during one single set. When performing 20 muscle ups
with bad form, it is still 20 cycles for your nervous system. You see what I am
trying to say? Y
Your
our body gets used to the amount of reps and then when you
keep doing the same amount of short reps for sets and then it improves the
form. This is the fastest way to increase reps. If you carry on doing the same
slow and controlled form all the time - your progress will be very slow and you
might even quit calisthenics then. Most of my clients, when we start our work,
don't know about this method and when I tell them to shorten the form, they
get surprised and very unsure about this. However, after a few months they
double up their reps with clean form, after breaking the quality for some time.
•
One of the biggest bonuses of the short form is the constant tension in our
muscles which gives us bigger muscles at the end of the day. Also, it saves us
from the joint injuries. Yes, you have read it right - short form saves us from
injuries. A lot of people confuse short form with bad form. Bad form is
swinging and kicking like crazy which honestly is rally dangerous. Well, the
34 z 47
short form is something different, it is just the decreased range of motion. So,
talking about injuries - locking out your elbows causes more injuries than
keeping the elbows bent all the time.
The most important part is explained in the video. Trust me, even if they hate
your form first, after some time the same people will ask you how you have
improved so fast!
6.2 Best methods & tips
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
There are some tips which will increase your reps immediately! Yes, things like
this exist!
Tips and advice what I am going to give you now, helped me to win a lot of
battles and complete ton
tonss of crazy ssets.
ets.
You have the detailed practical explanation in the video but surely I am going
to briefly explain it here.
•
Loosing the grip on the top.
When you get over the bar, don't hold onto the bar all the time, release your
grip for a second or two like I showed you on the video. This will give you some
extra reps at the end of your sets because it saves a lot of grip energy.
•
Put your head more forward when you get tired.
When you are running out of strength at the end of your set and you cannot
pull high
high enough to keep th
thee good bal
balance
ance while tran
transitioning
sitioning - put your
your head more
more to
35 z 47
the front when getting over the bar, it will create a positive balance and will let you
get over the bar easier without the high pull up.
•
Coming down in two steps.
Come down to the dip and then transit back down. A lot of people come down
from the bar drastically, they drop down in one motion which takes a lot of
energy from them. Remember to do two steps come down. You can also slide
down with your chest on the bar which is not considered as cheating.
•
Stretch your chest on the bottom.
When you come down, remember to stretch your arms and upper chest in order
to have some extra momentum for the next muscle up. I show it detailed in the
video.
•
Stretch your arms fast.
The faster your arms are being locked out the easier and faster they bend. We
talked about two steps coming down. So during the seconds step, which is also shown
in the video, come down as fast as possible without putting any pressure and tension
on your muscles. It saves a lot of energy.
These are the best tips to get 3-5 extra reps instantly!
Now,, I would like to clear up the most problematic issue when it comes to the
Now
muscle up.
How to make the smooth transition from the pull up into the muscle up?
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
36 z 47
The video shows all the details but as always let me double check on it for you.
The pull up before the muscle up is not usual. As you can see I move my hips during
the pull up, I move my legs back when going up and bring them to the front when
coming down. In addition, I stretch my upper chest and arms in the bottom position
before the muscle
muscle up.
To sum up,
Pull up - put legs a backwards but don't bend it like I showed you in the video.
Come down - bring legs to the front
Bottom position before the muscle up - stretch the upper chest and start to pull up
right after.
6.3 Top 20 routines to use
I am going to provide you with 20 best routines to use if you want to
increase your reps, clean your muscle ups. I other words - do these routines if
you want to improve:
1.
5 minutes
minutes of m
muscl
usclee ups - set the timer
timer for
for 5 minutes
minutes and
and com
complet
pletee as many
many
reps as possible in 5 minutes. You can leave the bar during those 5 minutes.
2.
1 pull
pull up - 1 mu
muscle
scle u
up
p - 1 b
bar
ar di
dip.
p. Do this one ffor
or th
thee maximum
maximum roun
rounds
ds
without leaving the bar
3.
50 push
push up
upss - 1 mu
muscle
scle u
up,
p, 40 - 2, 30 - 3, 2
20
0 - 4, 10
10 - 1. Try
Try to co
comple
mplete
te it as
fast as possible. You can also make it harder with push ups - 100,80,60,40,20.
37 z 47
4.
EMOM ( every
every minut
minutee on tthe
he mi
minut
nute)
e) - 3
30
0 set
setss of the
the number
number of mu
muscle
scle ups
ups
you are able to do during 30 sets. Usually it alternates in between 2-5. So every
minute you do 2-5 muscle ups for 30 sets.
5.
1 muscle
muscle up – 5 se
second
condss ho
hold
ld on the to
top
p – 5 secon
seconds
ds ho
hold
ld dip
dip part
part arms bent 90
degrees – 5 seconds hold chin over the bar – 5 seconds hold top of the head
touching the bar – 5 seconds dead hang. Complete 10 sets of this with 1-2
minutes rest in between.
6.
Sets without
without lleavi
eaving
ng th
thee bar - 30
30 pu
pull
ll up
upss - 1 muscle
muscle up,
up, 25 - 1, 20
20 - 1, 15 - 1,
1,
10 - 1, 5 - 1. You can alternate the number of pull ups and adopt it to your
level. Start from 15 and then go down by 3 (12, 9, 6, 3). The goal is to
complete each set without leaving the bar. Rest as long as it needs to complete
the sets.
7.
1 pull
pull up - 1 musc
muscle
le up - 1 bar d
dip.
ip. IIt's
t's going
going to be a pyramid.
pyramid. Pull
Pull ups and bar
bar
dips go up by 1, the muscle up is always 1. So the second set is 2 - 1 - 2, and
the middle of the routine will be 10 - 1 - 10, then go down to 1 - 1 - 1. Rest as
long as you need in between the sets.
8.
5 pull
pull ups - 5 mu
muscle
scle u
ups
ps - 5 bar d
dips
ips - 5 pull
pull ups.
ups. You
You need
need to complete
complete it
it
without leaving the bar. Change the numbers if needed to adopt it to your level.
Do 5 sets of this with 3-5 minutes rest.
38 z 47
9.
10 second
secondss isometr
isometric
ic hold
hold ch
chin
in ov
over
er th
thee bar - 10 second
secondss head under
under the
the bar 10 seconds dead hang - 1 muscle up. Do 10 sets of this with 2 - 3 minutes rest.
10. EMOM (every minute on the minut
minute)
e) 30 sets of 5 pul
pulll ups + 1 muscle up.
11.. 1 muscle up from the dead hang - 1 muscle up from the halfway - 1 muscle up
11
from the chin over the bar. This is one set. Complete 10 rounds with 1-2
minutes rest.
12. 30 seconds dead hang - 1 muscle up, 25 seconds hang - 2 muscle
muscle ups, 20
20 - 3,
15 - 4, 10 - 5, 5 - 6. It is supposed to be done without leaving the bar, try to
complete it with the least amount of breaks.
13. 1 pull up - 1 mu
muscle
scle up - 1 bar - di
dip
p x5 - 20 bar
bar-dips
-dips - 10 pull
pull ups. Without
Without
leaving the bar. Do 3 sets of this. Rest 5 minutes in between the sets.
14. 2 push up
upss - 2 dips - 1 muscle up, 4 - 4 - 2, 6 - 6 - 3, 8 - 8 - 4,
4, 10 - 10 - 5.
5. Do it
as fast as you can. Rest 5 minutes and repeat 1 more time.
15. 5 pull ups - 1 muscle up - 5 bar dips, 10
10 pull ups - 2 muscle ups - 10 bar dips,
dips,
15 pull ups - 3 muscle ups - 15 bar dips, 20 pull ups - 4 muscle ups - 20 bar
dips, 25 pull ups - 5 muscle ups - 25 bar dips. Rest as long as you need to
complete each set.
39 z 47
16. 1 muscle up - 20 bar dips x5
x5.. W
Without
ithout leaving
leaving the bar
bar.. You
You can change the
number of bar dips to adopt the routine to your level.
17. 1 muscle up - 10 bar dip
dipss - 10 pul
pulll ups - 1 mu
muscle
scle up - 10 bar
bar dips - 10
10 pull
ups. Try to complete it without leaving the bar. If you break the set, try to
complete it with a minimum amount of breaks.
18. 5 pull up
upss from th
thee dead hang tto
o the halfway - 5 pull ups from the halfway to
to
the chin over the bar - 5 full ROM pull ups - 5 muscle ups. Complete it without
leaving the bar.
bar. Change the numbers to fit your level.
19. 5 pull u
ups
ps - 1 mu
muscle
scle up. Do as many rou
rounds
nds as p
possible
ossible without
without leavi
leaving
ng the
bar.. Rest 3 mi
bar
minutes.
nutes. Comp
Complete
lete 5 sets.
20. EMOM (every minute on the minut
minute)
e) - 2 pull
pull ups - 2 muscle ups - 2 bar dips.
dips.
You can alternate the numbers to adopt the routine to your level.
7. Weighted
Weighted game
7.1 How to start adding weight.
This is the question which everyone of us will ask sooner or later on our
calisthenics way. I am not gonna lie, weighted muscle ups are really dangerous and
we need to keep it safe all the time. I mean, that we shouldn't rush, and add more
weight as soon as we did our first muscle up with 5kg. I always say that you might
have the power to lift more weight, but your body is not ready yet. I have made a lot
40 z 47
of mistakes during 10 years of my journey, and rushing the process with the weight
was the biggest one. I still remember to this day, how I was one of a few people in the
world in 2013, who were able to do the 20kg muscle up. Back then, I was competing
not against myself, how we all should be, but against the internet. I watched a lot of
videos on YOUTUBE with weighted muscle ups and I let my ego bury my joints. I
started to add weight inappropriately, breaking the form and attempting more and
more and more. This was a huge mistake. Yes, I went from 20kg muscle up to 30kg
muscle up in a few weeks back then, but I’ve got injured on the very first 30kg
muscle ups - joint inflammation. It was all because of the rushing. Now I know that
we all have nowhere to run, the slower we go the longer we can stay in the game.
Everyone who wants the fast progress with the weight - get ready for the
consequences.
How do I know that it's the time to start adding weight? When I master the
clean muscle up and I feel my arms really stable on the bar, meaning that you don't
shake and bounce on the bar when doing the muscle up. Remember, that you need to
start from 2-5kg, not 20! Even if 5kg feels really easy, please don't rush. I would
really recommend to wait until you can do 8-10 muscle ups with one weight, to step
up for the heavier ones. It is also easier to see if you are ready, when you are able to
complete all your bodyweight sets with the weight. For example, you used to do 10
pull ups - 5 muscle ups - 10 bar dips with you
yourr bodywei
bodyweight,
ght, so now
now wait until
until you can
complete it with 5kg to step up.
41 z 47
7.2 How to increase the 1RM
This is another important question which trembles our minds all the time! Well,
I will tell you about 5 most effective yet simple ways.
1.
10 minu
minutes
tes EMOM (ever
(every
y minu
minute
te on the minute).
minute). Take the weight
weight you are
able to complete 10 sets for 1 rep. Let's say it's 10kg. Do this EMOM every
week to see the progress. Once you complete the 10th set as clean as the 1st
one - add weight by 1-2kg. Of course, when we speak about really heavy
weights like 40kg - add 0,25 or 0,50 kilograms. Why 10 sets? Because it's fast
and effective. You will not get bored of it. Surely, for those who want more,
you can do even 60 sets. But remember - your goal is to complete your last set
as clean as your first.
2.
Post
Post activ
activatio
ation
n pot
potenti
entiatio
ation.
n. P
PAP
AP is
is a phenomen
phenomenon
on by which
which the
the force
force exerted
exerted
by a muscle is increased due to its previous contraction.
contraction. Post-activation
Post-activation
potentiation
potentiatio
n is a theory that purports that the contractile history of a muscle
influences the mechanical performance of subsequent muscle contractions. In
simple words, your muscles remember the weight you did some reps with, and
then when you take the lighter weight - you fly. I usually call this method a
short-termed muscle memory phenomenon. You make your muscles contract at
its 80-90% max to enhance its capacity for the lower output. Let me give you
an example:
My 1RM in pull ups is 80kg. My 1RM in dips is 100kg. My 1RM in muscle
ups is 40KG.
42 z 47
I set the EMOM for 10 sets and I do 1 rep every minute with 80-90% percent of my
max.
I take 60kg. I finish 10 minutes and then I go to do dips with 80-90% of my max.
I take 80kg. I finish 10 minutes and then rest for 5 minutes.
Now,, it's time for progress. As I said my max is 40, so I am trying to increase the
Now
weight.
After completing those 20 sets of activation, my muscles are ready to lift more weight
on the muscle up. I take 42kg and I make it happen.
This is basically how I did my first 40kg muscle up. I decided to test this method and
it worked.
3.
Completin
Completing
g all the sets you used to d
do
o wi
with
th y
you
ou body
bodyweigh
weight,
t, b
but
ut now
now
weighted.
As soon as you are able to complete most of them - it's definitely a time to move on
and add some more weight. I like this method because it's challenging.
4.
Dro
Drop
p set
setss have
have alw
always
ays b
been
een eeff
ffect
ective
ive aand
nd iitt will
will never
never chang
change.
e.
However, we need to know that it's very important to do those sets smartly.
Let's say my muscle up 1RM is 40kg.
First set is 1 muscle up + 40kg
Second is 2 muscle ups with 35kg
Third is 3 with 30kg.
And you don't have to stick to numbers, just do your max with the next weight.
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Remember to rest around 1 minute because long breaks will make you recover and
you can come back to do 40kg. Stay fair to the drop set. It's about dropping the
weight and putting the maximum pressure on your muscles under certain exhausting
circumstances after completing the previous set.
5.
Take 50%
50% o
off yo
your
ur m
muscl
usclee up 1RM and do max repet
repetitio
itions
ns with
with it.
Then take 40% of your max and do max reps.
Then 30%, 20%, and 10%.
Rest as long as needed to reach the same number of the previous set.
For example, my muscle up 1RM is 40kg.
I take 20 and do 15 reps with it, then I rest for 10 minutes to be fully fresh.
I take 16kg and try to complete 15 reps with this weight. I keep going until 10% of
my 1RM and try to reach 15 reps with all the weights.
These are the best ways I know from my own experience to increase the weight
on the muscle up. Remember to work smart, not hard. Especially with the weight.
7.3 How to prevent injuries
1.
It is som
somethin
ething
g we all should
should remem
remember
ber - WARM UP WELL
WELL..
When it comes to weighted stuff, we need to remember that simple fitness
warm up from Youtube is not enough. If you want to keep it safe and healthy - devote
20-30 minutes to the intense warm up. 5 minutes jump ropes, then 5 minutes basic
warm up, then 5 minutes active stretching and 10 minutes of bodyweight moves like
pull ups, dips,
dips, push ups, an
and
d muscle ups to make you
yourr body “tired” a little bit
bit.. Surely,
Surely,
the time is very relative, you can do even 15 minutes warm up or 40. It all depends on
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the individual, we are all different. Why did I say “tired” a little? Because only then,
our body is fully activated. Don't jump into weighted muscle ups right away after
jump rope,
rope, you will regret it after
after..
Also remember, that in workouts where we work with the weight - we need to
do some sets with 20-30% of 1RM with moderate intensity to prepare your body for
the hard work. Yes, it might seem like you are gonna be sort of tired after the whole
warm up but don't think about this way, its just the warm up which makes you sweat
a little. I promise, your body will be ready like never before.
2.
Do
Don'
n'tt w
wor
orko
kout
ut wh
when
en it h
hur
urts
ts..
I always say, that workout should be fun, only then we can truly enjoy the
process and the progress goes
goes well. If you force yourself to work out when your join
jointt
hurts or your shoulder is out of the way - please don't. We don't need to rush and our
health is the most important thing. Rest well after every hard session, it will keep you
safe from overusing your body.
Workout with weight only when you feel good, when you don't have muscle soreness.
Do bodyweight workouts instead, when feeling tired.
3.
Eat & sleep well.
Sometimes it's not the workout that destroys us. It's our lifestyle. Lack of sleep
and lack of healthy, worthy food may cause a lot of problems in your life, especially
in training. Resting is more important than working, remember this.
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4.
Keep tth
he fo
form go
good.
I am not saying that the form needs to be perfect and beautiful, but there is
definitely a limit. For example, we can kip when muscle up, but don't do weighted
chicken wings muscle ups. Keep the safe limit and never cross this, because it will
cost you your health.
5.
Rem
Rememb
ember
er abou
aboutt flexi
flexibil
bility
ity and mo
mobil
bility
ity exerci
exercises
ses..
Basic scapular, shoulders, wrists and elbows exercises are necessary to keep
your body tightened up for the weighted work. Most of the needed exercises
are in my muscle up conditioning video which I gave you already.
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8. Summary
Thank you for reading and watching the whole thing. I hope you enjoyed it and
learnt something new. Most of the methods and tips here are my own, which I have
learnt and tested myself. Surely, everyone is different and for one it may not work but
for the other it may be the tip of his life. However, in this book there are methods
which suit everyone. From beginner to advanced you can learn and improve with this
book.
You need to remember that everything I gave you in this book is only my
experience and my point of view. Don't compare this to any other books or
programs.
We talked about everything I could share with you for the muscle up
improvement. Remember, that the best way is to watch, analyze and learn the best
from it. You can take 50% from here and then 50% from somewhere else to be better.
It is okay to find something else to learn from. What I am trying to say is - this ebook
is not the best yet not the worst, you just need to use it smartly.
Feel free to contact me anytime you have questions or problems with the
muscle up or anything from this book.
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