When it comes to muscle-ups, like with pull-ups, if you cannot generate and maintain enough tension and stability around your torso, spine, and hips you will be more prone to pulling needless deadweight and having a much bigger swing than necessary. This will negatively impact your ability to do muscle-ups as each rep will feel so much tougher than it should.
Here are 5 core exercises that will help you generate tension, maintain the muscle-up specific body position, and will therefore improve your ability to excel at muscle-ups.
#1) Hollow Body Hold + Band Resisted Lat Push-Downs
This exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability (think core stability), and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility. While the band resistance isn’t too significant, this exercise strengthens the lats, particularly if you are really mindful of contracting them during the press-down component. The band component when reaching back makes this exercise very anti-extension in nature.
Coaching Tips:
- Loop a resistance band around a secure surface and slide the dowel through the band. There should be resistance in the band for 100% of the exercise.
- Grab onto the dowel, and adopt your preferred hand width. Aim to use the hand width you’d use during muscle-ups.
- Lie on the floor. Lift up your legs so they are in a vertical position, fully extend your knees, point your feet away from you (plantarflex).
- Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around the spine), brace your core (360 degree brace), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes and quads (specific to muscle-ups and pull-ups).
- Now slowly lower your legs towards the floor, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form. Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise.
- Before each rep, repeat the same breathing and body tension sequence I described above.
- While keeping your body still, and elbows straight (but not hyperextended), lower your arms and dowel behind you, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
- Once you hit your end range, really contract your lats and press the dowel towards your thighs, and pause for a count.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hips to leave the floor.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#2) Bent Leg Raises From False Grip Hang
This exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability, shoulder and scapular stability, and false grip.
Coaching Tips:
- Use a false grip, and adopt your preferred hand width. The bar should be sitting on your wrists. Wrap your fingers and thumbs around the bar. If you plan on doing muscle-ups using a regular pull-up grip, you can use the same grip here.
- Set your body so it’s in a relatively straight line from your head to feet (or you can use more of a hollow body position).
- 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/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt).
- Use the muscles in your mid and upper back, and move 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.” Maintain this position for the duration of the exercise.
- Before each rep, repeat the same breathing and body tension sequence I described above.
- Now slowly bring your knees up so your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Keep your legs together.
- Gain a moment of control, then lower your legs to the starting position with complete control. Do not use any momentum/do not kip!
- When you are in the bottom position/between reps, keep your legs fully extended, and squeeze your glutes and quadriceps.
- 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 head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#3) Prone Roller Serratus Roll-Outs
This exercise strengthens the serratus muscle, improves shoulder and scapular controlled mobility, and lumbo-pelvic stability. The serratus plays a key role in the upward rotation of the scapulae and overhead mobility.
Coaching Tips:
- Place your forearms on a roller (you may also use a towel).
- Get into a plank position from your forearms and feet. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to heels.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around the spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes.
- First of all, press your body away from the roller and protract your shoulder blades (spread them apart, and move them away from your spine, and around your ribcage). This movement is here fairly subtle. Do not mindlessly hang out on your shoulders.
- Use the muscles in your shoulders and around your shoulder blades and slide the roller forward.
- Once you hit your end range (a range where you are able to maintain proper form), perform the reverse movements and return to the starting position.
- Do not keep your shoulder blades pinned. They are meant to move.
- For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight line from your head to heels. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, weight to shift from foot to foot, or hips to pike or collapse.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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#4) Weighted Push/Pulls From Plank
This exercise improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility.
Coaching:
- Get into a plank position from your forearms and feet. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to heels.
- Rest a weight on a towel or slider, and hold the weight. Keep your wrist in a neutral position.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around the spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt), and squeeze your glutes.
- Now slide the weight forward and press the weight overhead.
- Gain a moment of control, then row the weight back to the starting position.
- In the bottom position, do not allow your elbow to flare out.
- Do not keep your shoulder blade pinned. It is meant to move. During the press it should protract and upwardly rotate (move away from your spine, around your ribcage, and away from your opposite hip). During the row it should perform the reverse movements.
- On the planted side, for the duration of the exercise press your body away from the floor and protract your shoulder blade (move it away from your spine, and around your ribcage).
- For the duration of the exercise, your body should remain in a straight line from your head to heels. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, weight to shift from foot to foot, or hips to pike or collapse.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
#5) Dynamic Hollow Body + Weight Lowering
This exercise, which is extremely anti-extension in nature, improves lumbo-pelvic stability, and shoulder and scapular controlled mobility.
Coaching Tips:
- Lie on the floor. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- Lift up your legs so your thighs are vertical, and bend your knees to about 90 degrees.
- Hold a weight plate (or dumbbell/kettlebell), and extend your arms so they are vertical, and the weight is over your chest.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core muscles (360 degree brace), and tuck your ribs towards your hips (close the space in your midsection/think about wrinkling the front of your shirt).
- Now slowly extend and lower your legs and arms/weight towards the floor, and to a range where you are able to maintain proper form.
- Gain a moment of control, return your legs and arms/weight to the top/starting position.
- When you return to the starting position pause and do a proper reset.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your shoulders to shrug.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hips to leave the floor.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
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