pull
Bar Muscle-Up
Works in
calisthenics
Equipment
pullup bar
Primary muscles
lats, mid back, biceps
Why do it
The muscle-up is one of the big four calisthenics milestones alongside the pull-up, dip and squat, and hitting your first one is a rite of passage. It demands an explosive pull and a fast, confident transition over the bar, so train explosive pull-ups and the transition on their own before joining them. Pull explosively to the lower chest, then snap the elbows over.
How to do it
An advanced movement combining an explosive high pull-up with a transition over the bar into a dip. It demands maximal pulling power and a fast wrist transition. Train explosive pull-ups and transitions separately before combining them.
What the science says
In the PURE study of nearly 140,000 people, grip strength predicted early death and heart disease better than blood pressure did, so training a hard grip is training for a longer life (Leong et al., 2015, The Lancet).