Manymuscleups A4 Weekprogressionfrombreakingmuscle

Thanks for downloading this Breaking Muscle training program.
Copyright 2015 Breaking Muscle, LLC
Many Muscle Ups: A 4-Week Progression

By Phil Hesketh
A big moment for anyone who does CrossFit is achieving your

first muscle up. But what happens then? How do you increase
your efficiency and work capacity when it comes to
muscle ups?
I have seen so many people try countless times to swing

themselves up on the rings without first training a solid
gymnastic foundation program. This can lead to injury or just
bad practice, and therefore slower progression.
With the CrossFit Open approaching quickly, being able

to do multiple muscle ups is an essential skill needed
by anyone who wants to perform well.
The aim of this four-week program is to develop a base of

strength for an athlete to be able to improve his or her muscle up
ability. The program is targeting to athletes who can perform five
to ten linked kipping muscle ups and two to five linked strict
muscle ups.
It is suggested that athletes do the three sessions over

a seven-day period with a rest day in between each
session. It is also essential that athletes following the program,
pay extra attention to their body, and ensure they are resting well
and performing adequate mobility and flexibility to complement
the increased gymnastic volume.
It is a common thing in any gym to see people following a

strength program to improve their weightlifting or powerlifting.
These programs are usually progressive, based around
percentages, and include a variety of different accessory
movements in addition to the major lifts.
So why not apply the same principles to gymnastics? You

can see in this program that there are a few constant themes
across the four weeks. Each session is split up in to three parts:
1. Strength: Muscle ups (rings or bar) or a gymnastic

complex
2. Strength Assistance: Ring dips, pull ups, chin ups, skin
the cats, ring push ups, ring flys
3. Positional Assistance: Ring support holds, L-sit holds,
false grip holds, hollow and arch holds/rocks.
All the content of the program follows a basic linear progression

across the four weeks. Some movements progress in reps and
others in weight. Because of the varied nature of CrossFit, it is
important to train both for muscular strength as well as
endurance.
Each week starts with a volume session where athletes will

perform a set number of reps per minute, increasing in difficulty
as the program progresses. This is one of the more effective
ways I have found to improve my own gymnastics, sometimes
accumulating over 100 muscle up reps in one workout.
This format is also beneficial when it comes to interval-style

workouts where a certain number of reps is required per round.
One key thing with gymnastics is learning how much rest you
need in between sets without pushing your body to a failure
point. So by training in the EMOM (every minute on the minute)
format, you can learn quickly where your thresholds lie.
In addition to the volume work, there is also a complex

session each week to help improve endurance on the
rings and bar. These complexes are mostly performed as strict
reps. Strict work is incredibly important as it helps build both
muscular and tendon strength so the body is strong enough to
handle the demands of kipping reps.
The same rules apply to the strength assistance

work. The variations of pull ups and ring dips are programmed
to help develop the athlete’s push and pull strength, which is
obviously important in gymnastics. These reps progress in weight
each week. If the athlete is able to push and pull his or her own
bodyweight, then weight can be added to create an additional
stimulus - just as you would with a barbell to improve for a
weightlifting movement.
The positional work in this program is important to

increase strength in a static hold, and again increase
muscular and tendon strength. Ring support and false grip
holds can be progressed by adding load and increasing time
under tension. It is essential to increase your strength in these
positions as an athlete can often be holding onto the rings for
thirty to forty seconds and beyond when performing multiple
linked reps.
The hollow and arch hold work is arguably the most important
part of the program. Although this work may seem repetitive and
sometimes tedious, it is incredibly important to make sure the
athlete can maintain the right body position throughout the more
complex gymnastic movements.
There is a two-part test at the end of the four-week

program to assess how you have improved. This test can
be repeated over time to measure growth in performance. With
regard to scaling, if you cannot perform the required amount of
reps with good position and form, do not hesitate to scale back
the reps or weights slightly until you can.
For all the movement videos, check out the YouTube Playlist
Or copy and paste this URL: http://bit.ly/16Z2GoO
Week 1
Session 1 Session 2 Session 3
Ring Complex: 2 strict
ring pull ups, 2 strict
Kipping MU-‐ 3 reps Strict C2B pull Ups MU, 2 strict dips. X 5
EMOM x 10 mins 4x8@BW sets
Strict ring Dips Ring support holds Ring push ups -‐
5x10@BW 0:15 x 6 5x10@BW
Hollow hold -‐ 0:20 x 5 Hanging L-‐sit 0:15 x 6 Hollow rock -‐ 0:20 x 5
Arch hold -‐ 0:20 x 5 Arch rock -‐ 0:20 x 5

Week 2
Kipping MU-‐ 4 reps Bar Complex: 2 strict
EMOM x 5 mins, rest 2 Strict C2B pull ups T2B + 2 strict pull ups
mins, repeat 4x8@+2.5kg + 2 bar MU x 5 sets
Strict ring Dips False grip holds 0:15 x
5x8@+5kg 6 Skin the cat -‐ 3x3
Ring push up hold
Hollow hold -‐ 0:25 x 5 0:30 x 6 Hollow rock -‐ 0:25 x 5

Week 3
Ring Complex: 2 strict
Kipping MU-‐ 2 reps ring pull ups, 2 strict
every 30 seconds x 10 Strict C2B pull ups MU, 2 strict dips. X 5
mins 4x6@+5kg sets (+5kg)
Strict ring dips -‐ Ring support holds Ring push ups
6x6@+10kg 0:15 x 6 (+5kg) 5x8@+5kg
Hollow hold -‐ 0:30 x 5 Hanging L-‐Sit 0:20 x 6 Hollow rock -‐ 0:30 x 5

Week 4
Kipping MU-‐ 1 max
effort set,
immediately followed
by 2 reps every 30 Bar Complex: 3 strict
seconds until you have Weighted C2B pull up T2B + 3 strict pull ups
completed 40 reps -‐ 1 rep max + 3 bar MU x 5 sets
Weighted strict ring
Hollow hold -‐ 0:35 x 5 dip -‐ 1 rep max Skin the cat -‐ 3x4
False grip holds 0:15 x
Arch hold -‐ 0:35 x 5 6 @+5kg Hollow rock -‐ 0:35 x 5
Ring push up hold
0:40 x 6 Arch rock -‐ 0:35 x 5

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Thanks for downloading this Breaking Muscle training program.

Copyright 2015 Breaking Muscle, LLC

Many Muscle Ups: A 4-Week Progression

A big moment for anyone who does CrossFit is achieving your

I have seen so many people try countless times to swing

With the CrossFit Open approaching quickly, being able

The aim of this four-week program is to develop a base of

It is suggested that athletes do the three sessions over

It is a common thing in any gym to see people following a

So why not apply the same principles to gymnastics? You

1. Strength: Muscle ups (rings or bar) or a gymnastic

All the content of the program follows a basic linear progression

Each week starts with a volume session where athletes will

This format is also beneficial when it comes to interval-style

In addition to the volume work, there is also a complex

The same rules apply to the strength assistance

The positional work in this program is important to

There is a two-part test at the end of the four-week

Arch hold -­‐ 0:20 x 5 Arch rock -­‐ 0:20 x 5

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Arch hold -‐ 0:20 x 5 Arch rock -‐ 0:20 x 5