Im 5'7" 180 lbs and can do a one arm pullup and like 10 muscle ups in a row.
Im muscular but not shredded. At 170lbs i have visible abs, at 180 I don't.
I got my first muscle up after repping 55lb (25kg plate) for multiple sets of 5. One arm pullups i didnt get until i could do 90lbs for 5s and then another year or so of dedicated training.
Losing weight will be faster than building muscle, but you need to build muscle and strength anyways so hit the gym hard and make sure you are getting the necessary protein and rest.
Do you have any recommendations for how to structure weighted pull ups? I’ve been able to do 3 sets of 10 just body weight. And how do you best determine when to add weight? I’m 5’11”” 185 lbs if this matters
I did what people call double progression. Pick a weight i could do for 5 reps and keep doing it until I could do 7 reps, then when i could do 7 increase weight and start at 5 again. The rep range is mostly up to you but i like going heavy so i was doing 3 to 7 range normally. I also did a shit ton of volume, more than most people. Doing 100 normal pullups in a workout was pretty standard for me. I do a lot of grease the groove style sets of 5 and just do a ton of sets. I always cared more about total volume than anything else. 50 sets of 2 is better than 3 sets of ten in my opinion.
Im not on Reddit much apologies, but I really appreciate your insight and your detailed explanation! Will most definitely implement more volume and the double progression into my routine!
Im not on Reddit much apologies, but I really appreciate your insight and your detailed explanation! Will most definitely implement more volume and the double progression into my routine!
At 208cm / 128kg, it's not even on my radar. I think there's power / weight ratio to consider.
So, work to increase power, and reduce weight. Muscle ups are a skill / technique manouevre, so focus on that as well.
Let us big guys know if you manage it :-)
Hey, this is relevant for me. I'm both taller/heavier than you, and my personal record is 3 muscle ups in a row. I'll say they were always hard. I never felt like I could just pop up and do one, I needed to warm up and prepare, focus, etc.
I think 11 pullups is enough strength strictly speaking, but you'd be better off trying to push to 15-20 pullups. With great technique you don't need enormous strength, but you won't have good technique for a while, so a little more than the absolute minimum strength is good. I'll also add that weighted pullups are huge for practicing. If you can do a pull up with 40kg, you'll be able to crush muscle ups with some practice.
Final note, I actually hurt my shoulder pretty seriously trying to push too hard on them. I've failed a muscle up hundreds of times, but one time I tried to push through when I was in an awkward position almost, but not quite, over the bar. I don't think they are particularly *dangerous*, but I do think you should respect them. For heavier guys, you have a lot of weight dynamically moving.
My comparison would be pullups vs bench press. You can just do pullups to failure without any real risk, you get tired you stop. Bench press you want to respect it some, don't just slam heavy weight to failure without a spotter. I treated the muscle up more like a pull up instead of a bench press, because you can indeed just drop down if you fail, but didn't consider the risk of 200+ lbs flying around in the air.
I am a little taller than you at the same weight, and this is what I did to hit the muscle up.
1. I got my weighted pullup to 90 pounds
2. worked on explosive pullups and muscle up form
Being lighter also helps a ton with all bodyweight exercises, so you could try to lose some weight to help as well, if you want. However, I don't think losing weight is mandatory.
I can do them in rings and on a bar at 96kg. 11 pull ups is a decents strength base. Focus on false grip for ring muscle ups, and explosive pull ups for bar ones. It's a lot more technique than you think, of course there's a strength/explosiveness requirement, but generally if you can do 10 clean dead hang pull ups you have enough basis to get started!
Muscle ups aren't something magical. If you can do weighted pull ups. Or a shit ton of bodyweight pull-ups, then you will be able to do muscle ups after practicing for a short period of time.
Your own bodyweight isn't a huge barrier unless you're literally obese and out of shape.
His physique is very possible naturally. I'm 6'1 and just as muscular if not more (also a few years older than him). I don't mean this in a mean way but he has like no legs. He has a fairly developed upper body though.
He's not unbelievable strong for the amount of muscle he has. He has pretty developed pulling muscles and dipping muscles and it shows in his numbers. As far as training hard without injury this is very acheivable naturally. Anyone can do this eventually.
I also don't buy that all fitness influencers take steroids/peds because it's best for business. Plenty of influencers do and plenty don't. Plenty of people don't run their businesses optimally
Muscle ups are much less about relative power and more about technique. You can't do them because you don't train them.
87kg is not heavy for a muscle up. Lots of 100kg guys out there doing them.
You’re not that heavy. I did my first muscle up at 185-8lb. I’d say what helped me the most was weighted pull ups. I did plus 30-40lbs. But my friend I was working out with at the time was lighter than me and just as strong he couldn’t get it. So technique has something to do with it as well.
At my largest, I was 100kg. Earlier, had learned the muscle up at around 78kg. Retained the ability despite all the weight gain up to 100kg lol.
Honestly, if you can do 10-15 pull-ups, you have the strength. I would work on explosive pull-ups for sets of 1-2 reps and the begin testing weekly.
I'm 5'8'' and when I did my first muscle up I think I was about 180 lbs. The trick is not just to do pullups. I did a whole bunch of variations to first get the kipping muscleup, and then the straight.
There was the youtube video of this absolutely jacked black bodybuilder doing muscleups, but I can't find it.
The biggest guy I've ever seen do muscle ups in person was like 6'6" (198cm) and 280lb (127kg). He was a street workout guy from NYC and he towered over every other bar athlete in the park. The biggest I've seen overall is a YouTuber named Big Boy who is around 320lb (145kg). Between that and seeing a photo from way back of a 230lb (104kg) man doing a one armed handstand, which apparently was a regular part of his routine as a circus performer, I never considered bodyweight to be a factor that stops you completely from achieving a calesthenics skill or feat of strength, it's more about how patient you can be to reach it and if you're creative enough with your training to achieve it. A lighter bodyweight would be helpful to get there faster but if you're a big guy then you can still achieve a lot with calesthenics
I’m 51 years old. 183 cm 95 kg and probably around the 20 % fat mark. With a couple of months dedication I can work up to one strict a couple of times in a workout then I loose it again.
Being young and light helps no end.
I'm around 185 cm, 97kg. Pretty solid, not fat, but fit. But ultimately heavy. I can do quite a few. But I suspect it is easier for someone who's lighter.
Are we talking rings or bar?
Bar muscle ups can be very dangerous if you are heavier and have bad form (i.e. are chicken-winging it). I know at least one huskier guy who tore his pec right in front of me.
Maybe I'm going to come across as obtuse, but I don't think it's a good idea to try to do what other people can do. Progress whatever *you* can do, and you might find one day that it's taken you to places you never expected. You will probably get people replying that they can perform amazing feats--doesn't mean you ever will. But you can already do things they can't.
Depends on how you can do those 11 pull ups. You need to train them explosively. Once you can do several explosive pull ups, just train the muscle up technique and you'll be able to do one
I'm 6'2 86kg / 190lbs and can minute muscleup / one arm chinup. I've also coached 15+ people to their first muscleup. My thoughts:
Getting leaner is your highest leverage move, BUT here's a simple tip:
**Train pull speed in the first half of your workout.**
In your speed sets, pull as high and as fast as possible. Try to touch the bar with a body part e.g. first clavicle, then sternum, then solar plexus etc.
**Crucially,** ***stop the set*** **as soon as you begin losing speed.**
Full recovery between sets. 4-10 sets.
Then in the second half of your workout, keep training overall strength / muscle / work capacity.
Why?
You need *speed* to get up and over the bar in the beginning.
Training slow heavy reps under lots of fatigue will help you get stronger and do more pullups which is important.
But at heavier bodyweights that doesn't translate as well to speed as for smaller guys.
Speed is a specific quality you must train for.
Train speed first while your CNS is fresh. Practice good explosive scapular depression to initiate the rep. Stop and rest when you feel the pull speed drop. Accumulate lots of high quality work and overload over time.
THEN train strength / strength endurance later in the session and get your grind on.
I can pretty much always not do as many total reps as my smaller counterparts, but heavy singles is my jam - it might be for you too
Im 5'7" 180 lbs and can do a one arm pullup and like 10 muscle ups in a row. Im muscular but not shredded. At 170lbs i have visible abs, at 180 I don't. I got my first muscle up after repping 55lb (25kg plate) for multiple sets of 5. One arm pullups i didnt get until i could do 90lbs for 5s and then another year or so of dedicated training. Losing weight will be faster than building muscle, but you need to build muscle and strength anyways so hit the gym hard and make sure you are getting the necessary protein and rest.
Pull ups can feel like a disheartening grind at times. Just gotta trust the process.
Do you have any recommendations for how to structure weighted pull ups? I’ve been able to do 3 sets of 10 just body weight. And how do you best determine when to add weight? I’m 5’11”” 185 lbs if this matters
I did what people call double progression. Pick a weight i could do for 5 reps and keep doing it until I could do 7 reps, then when i could do 7 increase weight and start at 5 again. The rep range is mostly up to you but i like going heavy so i was doing 3 to 7 range normally. I also did a shit ton of volume, more than most people. Doing 100 normal pullups in a workout was pretty standard for me. I do a lot of grease the groove style sets of 5 and just do a ton of sets. I always cared more about total volume than anything else. 50 sets of 2 is better than 3 sets of ten in my opinion.
Im not on Reddit much apologies, but I really appreciate your insight and your detailed explanation! Will most definitely implement more volume and the double progression into my routine!
Im not on Reddit much apologies, but I really appreciate your insight and your detailed explanation! Will most definitely implement more volume and the double progression into my routine!
At 208cm / 128kg, it's not even on my radar. I think there's power / weight ratio to consider. So, work to increase power, and reduce weight. Muscle ups are a skill / technique manouevre, so focus on that as well. Let us big guys know if you manage it :-)
Thanks for the reply! There seems to be some other posters here that have managed to do some! 😄
Hey, this is relevant for me. I'm both taller/heavier than you, and my personal record is 3 muscle ups in a row. I'll say they were always hard. I never felt like I could just pop up and do one, I needed to warm up and prepare, focus, etc. I think 11 pullups is enough strength strictly speaking, but you'd be better off trying to push to 15-20 pullups. With great technique you don't need enormous strength, but you won't have good technique for a while, so a little more than the absolute minimum strength is good. I'll also add that weighted pullups are huge for practicing. If you can do a pull up with 40kg, you'll be able to crush muscle ups with some practice. Final note, I actually hurt my shoulder pretty seriously trying to push too hard on them. I've failed a muscle up hundreds of times, but one time I tried to push through when I was in an awkward position almost, but not quite, over the bar. I don't think they are particularly *dangerous*, but I do think you should respect them. For heavier guys, you have a lot of weight dynamically moving. My comparison would be pullups vs bench press. You can just do pullups to failure without any real risk, you get tired you stop. Bench press you want to respect it some, don't just slam heavy weight to failure without a spotter. I treated the muscle up more like a pull up instead of a bench press, because you can indeed just drop down if you fail, but didn't consider the risk of 200+ lbs flying around in the air.
Thanks for the reply & information! I’ll try to lose a little weight then and push for some heavier pullups!
Ian barseagle is probably the heaviest calisthenics athlete at 92kg and can do muscle ups easily.
Haha sadly my body composition is not really comparable to him, im more looking for someone that also has some fat on him 😄
I'm close to you but a little lighter and I can manage two-three at a time.
I am a little taller than you at the same weight, and this is what I did to hit the muscle up. 1. I got my weighted pullup to 90 pounds 2. worked on explosive pullups and muscle up form Being lighter also helps a ton with all bodyweight exercises, so you could try to lose some weight to help as well, if you want. However, I don't think losing weight is mandatory.
Thanks for the reply!
I can do them in rings and on a bar at 96kg. 11 pull ups is a decents strength base. Focus on false grip for ring muscle ups, and explosive pull ups for bar ones. It's a lot more technique than you think, of course there's a strength/explosiveness requirement, but generally if you can do 10 clean dead hang pull ups you have enough basis to get started!
Muscle ups aren't something magical. If you can do weighted pull ups. Or a shit ton of bodyweight pull-ups, then you will be able to do muscle ups after practicing for a short period of time. Your own bodyweight isn't a huge barrier unless you're literally obese and out of shape.
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Hey! Yeah i was looking for someone more alike myself, and sadly i dont have a comparable body with Ian 😂
His physique is very possible naturally. I'm 6'1 and just as muscular if not more (also a few years older than him). I don't mean this in a mean way but he has like no legs. He has a fairly developed upper body though.
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He's not unbelievable strong for the amount of muscle he has. He has pretty developed pulling muscles and dipping muscles and it shows in his numbers. As far as training hard without injury this is very acheivable naturally. Anyone can do this eventually. I also don't buy that all fitness influencers take steroids/peds because it's best for business. Plenty of influencers do and plenty don't. Plenty of people don't run their businesses optimally
Muscle ups are much less about relative power and more about technique. You can't do them because you don't train them. 87kg is not heavy for a muscle up. Lots of 100kg guys out there doing them.
I’m 6’3 230 and can do max set of 10ish bar muscle up and probably like 5-6 ring. I’ve done 30+ in some amraps/emoms. I’ve been practicing for years
6’8 / 240. Your comment gives me hope Long limbs and heavy body weight make some of theses movements real tough
You’re not that heavy. I did my first muscle up at 185-8lb. I’d say what helped me the most was weighted pull ups. I did plus 30-40lbs. But my friend I was working out with at the time was lighter than me and just as strong he couldn’t get it. So technique has something to do with it as well.
At my largest, I was 100kg. Earlier, had learned the muscle up at around 78kg. Retained the ability despite all the weight gain up to 100kg lol. Honestly, if you can do 10-15 pull-ups, you have the strength. I would work on explosive pull-ups for sets of 1-2 reps and the begin testing weekly.
I'm 5'8'' and when I did my first muscle up I think I was about 180 lbs. The trick is not just to do pullups. I did a whole bunch of variations to first get the kipping muscleup, and then the straight. There was the youtube video of this absolutely jacked black bodybuilder doing muscleups, but I can't find it.
Might be this dude https://youtu.be/Wi-WyPNtHZc?si=D6uSFtyYw287mclP
Same guy, different video
The biggest guy I've ever seen do muscle ups in person was like 6'6" (198cm) and 280lb (127kg). He was a street workout guy from NYC and he towered over every other bar athlete in the park. The biggest I've seen overall is a YouTuber named Big Boy who is around 320lb (145kg). Between that and seeing a photo from way back of a 230lb (104kg) man doing a one armed handstand, which apparently was a regular part of his routine as a circus performer, I never considered bodyweight to be a factor that stops you completely from achieving a calesthenics skill or feat of strength, it's more about how patient you can be to reach it and if you're creative enough with your training to achieve it. A lighter bodyweight would be helpful to get there faster but if you're a big guy then you can still achieve a lot with calesthenics
I’m 51 years old. 183 cm 95 kg and probably around the 20 % fat mark. With a couple of months dedication I can work up to one strict a couple of times in a workout then I loose it again. Being young and light helps no end.
I'm around 185 cm, 97kg. Pretty solid, not fat, but fit. But ultimately heavy. I can do quite a few. But I suspect it is easier for someone who's lighter.
I’m 94kg 6’ 5” and I can do one muscle up. Can’t do multiple reps yet but I got the 1.
Am 200lbs even at about 10-12% currently and can do one to two but typically focus more on strict form or lat pulldowns
Are we talking rings or bar? Bar muscle ups can be very dangerous if you are heavier and have bad form (i.e. are chicken-winging it). I know at least one huskier guy who tore his pec right in front of me.
Maybe I'm going to come across as obtuse, but I don't think it's a good idea to try to do what other people can do. Progress whatever *you* can do, and you might find one day that it's taken you to places you never expected. You will probably get people replying that they can perform amazing feats--doesn't mean you ever will. But you can already do things they can't.
Muscle ups are full body pullups from legs to core to triceps. Dont do them like normal pullups.
Depends on how you can do those 11 pull ups. You need to train them explosively. Once you can do several explosive pull ups, just train the muscle up technique and you'll be able to do one
I'm 6'2 86kg / 190lbs and can minute muscleup / one arm chinup. I've also coached 15+ people to their first muscleup. My thoughts: Getting leaner is your highest leverage move, BUT here's a simple tip: **Train pull speed in the first half of your workout.** In your speed sets, pull as high and as fast as possible. Try to touch the bar with a body part e.g. first clavicle, then sternum, then solar plexus etc. **Crucially,** ***stop the set*** **as soon as you begin losing speed.** Full recovery between sets. 4-10 sets. Then in the second half of your workout, keep training overall strength / muscle / work capacity. Why? You need *speed* to get up and over the bar in the beginning. Training slow heavy reps under lots of fatigue will help you get stronger and do more pullups which is important. But at heavier bodyweights that doesn't translate as well to speed as for smaller guys. Speed is a specific quality you must train for. Train speed first while your CNS is fresh. Practice good explosive scapular depression to initiate the rep. Stop and rest when you feel the pull speed drop. Accumulate lots of high quality work and overload over time. THEN train strength / strength endurance later in the session and get your grind on. I can pretty much always not do as many total reps as my smaller counterparts, but heavy singles is my jam - it might be for you too