I Got My First Muscle-Up At Age 40! This Is How YOU Can Learn Muscle-Ups!

I am 45 years old and LOVE doing muscle-ups! But before I turned 40 this seemed like an impossible goal!

The exercises I am sharing in this article helped me get my first muscle-up (I can now do 12 in a row), slow muscle-ups, weighted muscle-ups, and other advanced muscle-up variations.

I was already advanced at pull-ups and had a very high level of upper body strength, stability, and mobility. So I did skip some key foundational exercises I include in my Ultimate Muscle-Up Program. In this program I teach you how to do muscle-ups from the ground up.

In order to do muscle-ups, you should already be proficient at pull-ups. If not, this article will help. My pull-up program would also be a game changer!

Here are 8 exercises that will help you get your first muscle-up! These exercises are in various phases of my Ultimate Muscle-Up Program.

#1) False Grip Active Hang

This exercise strengthens false grip, improves shoulder and scapular stability, and lumbo-pelvic stability (think core).

Coaching Tips:

Use a false grip (or hybrid false which is what I use). The bar should be sitting on the base of your wrists (where it creases). Wrap your fingers and thumbs around the bar. Adopt your preferred hand width.

Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked/level position, and your legs and feet should be slightly ahead of your torso. Fully extend your knees, and flex your glutes and quadriceps.

Initiate the movement by using the muscles in your mid and upper back, and draw each shoulder blade in towards your spine and down towards the opposite hip (retract, depress, and downwardly rotate). When you do your body should elevate a slight amount.

Do not allow your elbows to bend/”pull.”

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your shoulders to shrug towards your ears, shoulder blades to elevate, or shoulders to roll forward.

For the duration of the exercise, maintain the above body position.

For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and flex your glutes and quadriceps.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

Do 3-5 sets of a 5-30 second hang. See what you are capable of doing/what feels comfortable. Do a warm-up set using band assistance (optional).

If you can’t yet do active hangs with a false grip, you can practice doing false grip inverted rows or false grip active hangs where your feet are on the ground. And at the bottom of this article I also share some strengthening and mobility exercises that should help your false grip feel stronger and better.

#2) Weighted Pull-Ups

Once you can do regular pull-ups, weighted pull-ups are great for improving your pull-up height. You want to do very heavy reps with a low rep range (1-3 reps), and slightly lighter weighted pull-ups where you’ll be aiming to pull higher and be more explosive (do 3-5 reps of these).

Coaching Tips:

Weight yourself however you prefer (weight belt, hold weight between feet, loop KBs over feet, etc).

Use a regular pull-up grip (palms facing away) as this is specific to muscle-ups.

Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked/level position, and your legs and feet should be slightly ahead of your torso. Fully extend your knees, and flex your glutes and quadriceps.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/wrinkle the front of your shirt like you would during a dead bug).

Initiate the pull-up by using the muscles in your mid and upper back and draw each shoulder blade in towards your spine and down towards the opposite hip, and drive your elbows in towards your sides and down towards the floor.

Aim to pull as high and explosively as possible. Make sure your chin passes the bar but do not look up and reach with your chin.⁣⁣ ⁣In the top position imagine you are crushing oranges in your armpits.

In the top position, do not allow your elbows to flare out. ⁣⁣

During the lowering/eccentric component, do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They should perform the reverse movements as they did during the ascending component.

Do not allow your shoulders to shrug towards your ears or shoulder blades to elevate during the “pulling” component.

For the duration of the exercise, maintain the pull-up specific body position.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

Do 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps. Do a warm-up set of band assisted pull-ups, and a set of regular pull-ups. You can also ramp up the weight in each set.

#3) False Grip High Pull-Ups

In order to excel at muscle-ups you need to have a very high pull-up. Chin to bar or even upper chest to bar won’t cut it. This is especially true with bar muscle-ups. The rings are easier as they allow you to transition with a much lower pull.

Many people overlook the pull-up component, and as a result struggle mightily with muscle-ups. If you feel overwhelmed with muscle-ups, focus on making your pull-ups as high and powerful as possible. This is likely my number one piece of advice.

Coaching Tips:

Use a false grip (or hybrid false which is what I use). The bar should be sitting on the base of your wrists (where it creases). Wrap your fingers and thumbs around the bar. Adopt your preferred hand width.

Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked/level position, and your legs and feet should be slightly ahead of your torso. Fully extend your knees, and flex your glutes and quadriceps.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/wrinkle the front of your shirt like you would during a dead bug).

Initiate the pull-up by using the muscles in your mid and upper back, and draw each shoulder blade in towards your spine and down towards the opposite hip, and drive your elbows in towards your sides and down towards the floor. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

In the top position, do not allow your elbows to flare out. ⁣⁣

Make sure your chin passes the bar, but do not look up and reach with your chin.⁣⁣ ⁣ Aim to get your mid to lower chest to the bar. This is a good bench-mark for a successful muscle-up.

During the lowering/eccentric component, do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They should perform the reverse movements as they did during the ascending component.

Do not allow your shoulders to shrug towards your ears or shoulder blades to elevate during the “pulling” component.

For the duration of the exercise, maintain the pull-up specific body position.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

Do 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps. Do a warm-up set of band assisted false grip pull-ups.

#4) Eccentric Muscle-Ups

This exercise trains the lowering component of the muscle-up, strengthens false grip, improves shoulder and scapular stability, lumbo-pelvic stability (think core), and strengthens the muscles in the mid and upper back.

This exercise is identical to eccentric pull-ups but you’ll be using a false grip.

Key Coaching Tips:

Use a false grip (or hybrid false which is what I use). The bar should be sitting on the base of your wrists (where it creases). Wrap your fingers and thumbs around the bar. Adopt your preferred hand width.

Start so you are close to bar level, or jump up from a stable surface.

Lower in 3-5+ seconds. Lower in one fluid movement.

Keep your legs straight and together, and always keep your feet slightly ahead of your torso.

Flex your quads and glutes the entire time, and really focus on maintaining tension/brace/keeping your ribs down.

Do 3-5 sets of 1-5 reps. Do a warm-up set using band assistance (optional).

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#5) Weighted Dips With Pause

This exercise strengthens the triceps, chest, and shoulders, and improves lumbo-pelvic stability (think core). This exercise has a big carryover to the press component of the muscle-up.

Coaching Tips:

Weight yourself however you prefer (weight belt, hold weight between feet, loop KBs over feet, etc).

Adopt your preferred hand width.

Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked/level position, and your legs and feet should be slightly ahead of your torso. Fully extend your knees, and flex your glutes and quadriceps.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/wrinkle the front of your shirt like you would during a dead bug).

Now lean forward a slight amount/lean over the bar, and take 1-2 seconds and bend your elbows and lower your mid to lower chest to the bar.

In the bottom position, pause for 1-2 seconds. Do not allow your elbows to flare out. Use a range where you can maintain proper form.

Then perform the reverse movements and extend your elbows and press your body away from the bar and to the top position. Gain a moment of control in the top position.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your shoulders to shrug towards your ears, shoulder blades to elevate, or shoulders to roll forward.

For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked/level position, legs fully extended, and feet slightly ahead of your torso.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

Do 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps. If you add weight, do a warm-up set using bodyweight. And do a warm-up set using band assistance (optional).

#6) Banded Muscle-Up Transitions

These are great for working on the muscle-up transition, and also really help to improve false grip strength. You’ll likely need to use a LOT of band assistance as you get used to doing this exercise!

Coaching Tips:

Loop a band around the bar and under your feet.

Use a false grip (or hybrid false which is what I use). The bar should be sitting on the base of your wrists (where it creases). Wrap your fingers and thumbs around the bar.

Adopt your preferred hand width, and start in a concentric muscle-up hang (top position of pull-up but with false grip).

Keep your arms tight to your body and imagine you are crushing oranges in your armpits.

Now pull up a few inches like you would with a pull-up, then lean forward a slight amount and bend your elbows, then press up and extend your elbows and complete the rep.

Gain control, then perform the reverse movements and go back into the false grip concentric hang position.

Keep your elbows tight to your body, and imagine you are crushing oranges in your armpits. Don’t let your elbows or arms travel away from your body/flare out.

Keep your legs straight and together, and always your keep feet slightly ahead of your torso.

Flex your quads and glutes the entire time.

Really focus on maintaining tension/brace/keeping your ribs down.

Do 3 sets of 3-5 reps. Do a warm-up set using a thick band. You’ll likely need to use a LOT of band assistance as you get used to doing this exercise!

#7) Russian Push-Ups

This advanced push-up has a huge carryover to muscle-ups, particularly the transition!

Coaching Tips:

Get into a plank position from your hands and feet. Set your body so it is in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels, tuck your chin, and keep your neck in a neutral position.

Adopt your preferred foot width. Unlike regular push-ups where you are on your forefeet, the tops of your feet (laces) should be in contact with the floor.

Position your hands so they are slightly closer together than during regular push-ups. In the bottom position, your elbows and upper arms should remain tight to your sides. Figure out what hand width and positioning works and feels best for you.

At the top of the push-up, your shoulders, elbows and wrists should be in a relatively stacked position.

During the push-up components, your weight should be evenly distributed throughout your full hands and fingers, not just at the base of your hands/wrists. Pretend you are trying to spread your full hands and fingers to the floor.

Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/wrinkle the front of your shirt like you would during a dead bug), and flex your glutes and quadriceps.

Descend into the push-up and retract your shoulder blades. Think about lightly drawing your shoulder blades together and towards your spine as you are performing the eccentric component, but do not overdo this movement. Imagine you are pulling or “rowing” your body down to the floor. Do not just drop down.

In the bottom position, your elbows should be positioned over your wrists, and forearms in a vertical position. Do not allow your elbows to flare out.

Once your upper arms are approximately parallel (or slightly closer) to the floor, press your body backwards and touch your forearms to the floor. Your feet should glide along the floor during this component.

Once you hit your end range, pull your body forward and perform the reverse movements so your elbows are directly over your wrists and forearms are in a vertical position.

Then press back up to the top/starting position.

As you are performing these movements, do not sink into your shoulders, and do not allow your body to collapse towards the floor. This is extremely important.

For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your shoulders to shrug, or shoulder blades to elevate.

For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight line from the top/back of your head to heels.

In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.

Do 2-3 sets of 5-10+ reps.

#8) Banded Muscle-Ups (from dead hang)

Add these in after you have become really proficient at the pull-ups and muscle-up specific exercises I’ve given you. These are great for working on technique and building strength, but AFTER you’ve worked on other key fundamentals.

Coaching Tips:

Loop a band around a bar and either under your hips or under your feet. I prefer hips as it allows you to maintain more tension and control/stillness in your legs.

Use a false grip (or hybrid false which is what I use). The bar should be sitting on the base of your wrists (where it creases). Wrap your fingers and thumbs around the bar. Adopt your preferred hand width.

Have very slight swing forward. Time your pull so you pull as you hit the end of the forward swing. Unlike during a pull-up where you travel in a vertical path, with the muscle-up the path should be a slight arc ahead and then behind the bar.

Focus on pulling the bar down to you like you would during a pull-up.

Drive your elbows in towards your sides and down towards the ground.

Focus on pulling as high as possible before you transition. Think “high pull-up.”

Imagine you are trying to land your chest over the bar (without touching the bar).

As your chest is approaching the bar lean forward a slight amount and bend your elbows, then press up and extend your elbows.

Perform the reverse movements during the lowering.

During the transition keep your elbows tight to your body, and imagine you are crushing oranges in your armpits.

Keep your legs straight and together, and always keep your legs and feet slightly ahead of your torso.

Aim to use no leg drive.

Flex your glutes and quadriceps the entire time.

Really focus on maintaining tension/brace/keeping ribs down.

Do 3 sets of 3-5 reps. Before you do these sets, do two warm-up sets of 2-3 reps using a thick band (and a slightly thinner band for the second warm-up set).

Your false grip will likely feel weak, uncomfortable, and awkward for quite some time. This is TOTALLY normal! But you should NOT feel like you are injuring yourself. To prep for false grip, you might need to do some wrist mobility and basic strengthening drills as well. I use both of these as part of my warm-up (wrist flexor and wrist extensor rocks).

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