After the last post on one arm push-ups, muscle-ups, and pistol squats, let’s go really deep on the muscle-up. This is one of the most wanted skills in calisthenics. It also causes a lot of confusion because people mix together: • strict muscle-up • bar muscle-up • ring muscle-up • kipping muscle-up • strength drills • technique drills So let’s simplify it. This post is mostly about the bar muscle-up and mostly the stricter strength-based version, not the big kipping version. We will go over: • the types of muscle-ups • the real prerequisites • the progressions • the false grip • the swing and knee drive • the transition • the most common mistakes • the best drills • how ring muscle-up fits in 🤔 First, what type of muscle-up are we talking about? There are different versions of the muscle-up. The main ones people talk about are: • Strict muscle-up • Kipping muscle-up • Bar muscle-up • Ring muscle-up For this post, the main focus is: • bar muscle-up • mostly stricter bar muscle-up • using just enough technique to make the skill work well, not a huge kip Why? Because for most people, that is the version they actually want. It builds real pulling strength, real control, and carries over better into advanced calisthenics. Quick story: I had an athlete who kept trying to throw himself over the bar with a huge kip every session. Once we took a step back and focused on strength plus a cleaner path, the skill stopped feeling random and started feeling repeatable. 💪 The real prerequisite: strength matters more than people think A lot of people want a secret trick for the muscle-up. Most of the time, what they really need is more pulling strength. Yes, technique matters. But the stronger you are, the easier the technique becomes. That is why I usually say: • the common advice is 10 pull-ups • but a better indicator is chest-high pull-ups • an even better indicator is weighted pull-ups A good rough sign is if you can do a weighted pull-up with about:

There are 2 main ways people usually train. Not perfectly. Not rigidly. More like a slider. And depending on your goals, life, energy, injuries, or the season you are in, you might shift between them. The 2 big styles are: • 8 out of 10 training = specialist training • 2 out of 10 training = generalist training Neither one is wrong. They are just useful for different reasons. 🔥 1. The 8 out of 10 approach This is when you put most of your effort into one main thing. For example in hybrid calisthenics, that could look like: • Strength = 8 out of 10 • Skills = 1 out of 10 • Freedom of movement = 1 out of 10 That means your main focus is strength. You still touch the other things just enough to maintain them, but most of your time, energy, and recovery goes into one priority. This is very common in sports. For example: • off-season = strength focus • pre-season = technique focus • competition season = routine and performance focus The reason this works so well is because it takes a lot of effort to make something improve quickly… But it takes much less effort to maintain it. That is a huge lesson. You might need an 8 out of 10 to really build something. But only a 1 or 2 out of 10 to keep it. ✅ Benefits of specialist training • Faster progress in one main area • Easier to track • Easier to feel momentum • Great for people who like structure and consistency • Great for breaking through plateaus • Great when you have one big goal If you are someone who likes seeing progress every week, this usually feels really good. ⚠️ Downsides of specialist training • Other areas mostly stay the same • You are not working on everything at once • Can feel repetitive • You need patience and long-term thinking • Hard if you love variety That is the tradeoff. You grow one thing faster. But only because you are not trying to push everything else at the same time. 🌍 2. The 2 out of 10 approach This is the generalist way. This means you spread your effort across multiple things.

Hello All Shannel here 👋🏾 an absolute novice to calisthenicss, wish me luck.

For me it's gotta be hiking, especially with friends What's your fav?

Dips keep coming up a lot, especially because many people say: “I feel dips more in my shoulders than my triceps.” So let’s break that down clearly. 🤔 Are dips a tricep exercise? Yes. Dips are absolutely a tricep exercise. But they are not only a tricep exercise. Dips also use: • chest • shoulders • stabilizers around the shoulder • core to keep position So if you feel dips in more than one place, that is normal. 🦴 Why do dips feel so much in the shoulders? Because dips put your shoulders into a deep range of motion. That means at the bottom of the dip, your shoulders are not just pushing. They are also being stretched. That is one of the reasons dips can feel so intense. So when people say: “I mostly feel the stretch in my shoulders” That is usually because: • their shoulders are tight • they are going deeper than they are used to • their body is not used to that range yet • they may be dropping into the bottom instead of controlling it ✅ Is it okay to feel dips in the shoulders? Yes, it is okay to feel the shoulders working. Yes, it is okay to feel a stretch in the shoulders. That does not automatically mean something is wrong. In fact, dips can actually help improve shoulder mobility because you are getting strong in that deeper position. That is one of the reasons dips are so useful. But there is a difference between: • a strong stretch or normal effort and • sharp pain or unstable pain A stretch or deep working feeling is normal. Sharp pain is not. 📐 Leaning forward vs staying upright This changes what you feel more. Leaning forward more Usually gives you: • more chest • more front shoulder • more stretch feeling This often makes dips feel more like a chest focused dip. Staying more upright Usually gives you: • more triceps • less chest emphasis • a slightly cleaner straight up and down pattern This often makes dips feel more like a tricep focused dip. So yes, your body angle changes the emphasis. ⚠️ Why some people feel too much shoulder stretch