How Long Does It (Really) Take To Muscle-Up
Across the internet, there are fitness gurus claiming they can teach you to muscle-up in 24 hours. And while it sounds fantastic, it simply isn’t realistic. The muscle-up is the gateway exercise to being a calisthenics expert, but it takes time to earn this title.
So, to better inform our audience, we have collected data from our friends, family, and training partners and found a much more realistic time frame. Here are our results.
On average it takes 3-4 months of consistent training to execute your first muscle-up with good form. However, you shouldn’t be concerned about the time frame – but more about how many practice attempts you are doing per week.
What do we mean by this?
Well, if two identical beginners tried to muscle-up; but, one practiced once a week and the other practiced three times a week then the one who trains more often will achieve their first muscle-up (three times) faster.
The time frame is just an easy way to quantify it. The actual crooks of the it comes down to your consistency and discipline.
From our research, we calculated your 220th repetition will be your first muscle-up. Which means you need to fail 219 times! So, to get your muscle-up in 3-4 months, you need to average around 15 practice attempts a week.
Factors Determining The Time It Takes To Muscle-Up
In the example above, we said two identical beginners. But, in the real world, we’re all blessed with individual bodies and fitness levels that provide variation. Here’s what to expect…
Your Bodyweight
The most common discrepancy between individuals is their body weight, and as it goes it’s also the most significant variable which impacts muscle-up progression. Here’s why:
The heavier you are, the greater the resistance you must lift and throw over the bar. Because of this, it takes longer to build sufficient strength; so naturally, you’ll take longer to muscle-up.
In our story, we started young and weighed no more than 60kg/ 132lb when we mastered the muscle-up. Even though we didn’t weigh an awful lot, it still took us 3 months to get our first one!
Strength Levels/ Experience
The reason muscle-ups take so long to learn isn’t because it’s a hard motion – ironically, this is the easiest part of the whole exercise.
The actual reason is that it takes time to gain the necessary strength to complete a muscle-up.
So, a full beginner starts by increasing their strength levels – which is the longest phase of the muscle-up journey.
But, it’s different if you’re experienced as you’re already equipped and at a headstart. So, you can skip this step and instantly start practicing the technique.
If you already have the strength, all you have to do is get used to projecting yourself over the bar. Because of this, it will only take you a few days to get your first muscle-up, and a few weeks to perfect it.
Bar Thickness
Did you know the thickness of the pull-up bar also affects the difficulty of a muscle-up? If you didn’t, we would first recommend reading this article here.
Essentially, the thicker the bar the more grip strength is needed to hold yourself. Because of this, a muscle-up will be harder on a thick bar as opposed to a thin one.
A standard bar is 1.2” to 1.8” in diameter. Where possible, beginners benefit from practicing on any bars thinner than this. This is because they can get familiar with the muscle-up motion, rather than be penalized for their forearm strength. For example:
We got our first muscle-up on a set of children’s swings! They were significantly thinner than our pull-up bar which allowed us to throw ourselves over the bar, despite our immature forearms.
Kipping vs Strict
A kipping muscle-up uses lots of momentum to project yourself over the bar. Whereas, a strict muscle-up is when you minimize any swinging. See below:
The kipping muscle-up is remarkably easier than a strict muscle-up, because the momentum takes the tension away from your upper back, arms, and core. Because of this, it’s more a test of rhythm and balance than strength.
As a result, you’ll be a lot quicker to do a kipping muscle-up than a strict muscle-up. And while this sounds fantastic, it’s seen as a ‘cop-out’ amongst the calisthenics community.
We aren’t here to tell you which is right, or wrong; but, if you want to learn to muscle-up, you may as well learn the proper technique. And that’s the strict muscle-up. Even though it will take you longer, it’s more rewarding and pays greater strength dividends in the long run.
Can You Speed Up Muscle-Up Progression
Unfortunately not.
The reason why muscle-ups are seen as the holy grail across calisthenics, cross fit and parkour isn’t because it’s easy. It’s because it takes devotion and commitment to perfect.
We understand why you would ask this. During our journey, there were plenty of occasions when we looked for ‘hacks’ to speed up progression. This wasn’t because we were lazy, but instead, we weren’t seeing results. We get how frustrating it can be…
But, take it from us, as long as you put in enough time and practice you will get your first muscle-up.
…And everyone who can muscle-up will share a similar story.
For example, check out the video above. Jamie Tso illustrates his 12-month journey to master the muscle-up. He demonstrates that there aren’t any shortcuts or handouts when it comes to a muscle-up. Just hard work and discipline.
So, what does this mean for you?
Your heart has to be in it; otherwise, you’ll give up before you achieve your first muscle-up. The journey is as much of a mental battle as it is a physical one. So, as long as you are prepared for a roller coaster of emotions, you’ll get your first.
What To Do If You Feel Like You Aren’t Getting Anywhere
Okay, when should you pack up your bags and call it a day?
Never.
Even if it’s taken longer than the average 3-4 months, you shouldn’t quit.
Firstly, we recommend reading our article on the most common mistakes individuals make when trying to muscle up.
Secondly, it’s wise to switch up your current training method and try alternative methods. So, if you feel like you aren’t making any progress, try these below:
Use Resistance Bands
If you struggle with the muscle-up technique, you should use resistance bands.
Resistance bands allow you to attempt an assisted muscle-up. This is when you have extra support, so you require less effort to throw yourself over a bar. Think of it like doing a muscle-up on a trampoline.
The benefit of this is you can repeatedly practice the motion of a muscle-up, without using up all your energy. As a result, you become familiar with the movement and build it into your muscle memory. Once you’re confident enough, you can then attempt without.
Take A Break
Sometimes, all you need is to take a break.
It’s common to hyper obsessive when working towards your first muscle-up. In doing so, you could be overtraining your body and doing more harm than good.
While it sounds silly, if you spend a week without even thinking about them, this could be the secret ingredient in getting your first muscle-up.
This week period allows your muscles to recover fully and lets the muscle-up technique marinate with your brain. So, when you come back to it you’re as fresh and as explosive as possible!
Switch Up Your Training Plan
Don’t want to take a break? No problem, switch up what you’re already doing instead.
Sometimes a change is better than a rest in which case try a new training plan. Here are two for you to try – one calisthenics, and the other weight lifting.
| Day Of Week | Training Plan (Weights) |
|---|---|
| Monday | Chest: Bench Press, Cable Fly, and Incline Dumbells. Shoulder: Front Raises, Shoulder Press, and Shrugs. Triceps: Tricep Extensions, Tricep Pull Downs, and Skull Crushes. |
| Tuesday | Rest. |
| Wednesday | Back: Lat Pull Downs, Dumbell Rows, and T-Bar Row. Biceps: Bicep Curls, Hammer Curls, and Negative Curls. Forearms: Forearm Curls, Forearm Extensions, and Grip Machine. |
| Thursday | Rest |
| Friday | Quadriceps: Leg Press, Leg Extensions, and Weighted Step Ups. Hamstrings: Lying Leg Curls, Romanian Deadlifts, and Squats. Calves: Step-ups and Stair Machine. |
| Saturday | Rest |
| Sunday | Core: Russian Twists, Plank, and Crunches. |
| Day Of Week | Training Plan (Calisthenics) |
|---|---|
| Monday | Push-ups: Wide Push-ups, Diamond Push-ups, and Pike Push-ups. Parallel Bars: Tricep Dips, Parallel Bar L-sits, and Wide Tricep Dips. Pull-ups: Pull-ups, Deadhangs, and Negative Pull-ups. |
| Tuesday | Rest |
| Wednesday | Core: Crunches, Sit-Ups, Leg Raises, and Side Plank. Statics: Frogstand, Plank, and Handstand. |
| Thursday | Rest |
| Friday | Legs: Wall Sit, Pistol Squats, Lunges. Squats: Bodyweight Squats, Cossack Squats, and Bulgarian Squats. |
| Saturday | Rest |
| Sunday | Explosives: Box Jumps, Skipping, and Ab Roller. |
These should help inspire you for ways to switch up your current workout plan. If you are calisthenics-heavy, try weight training and vice versa.
Increase Relative Strength
If you’ve spent months and months trying to muscle-up and had no positive result, you may have to increase your relative strength. But first, what is it?
Relative strength is how strong you are compared to your body weight. And there are two ways to increase it:
- Diet on a calorie deficit. This way you lose weight, but maintain strength – resulting in a net increase in relative strength.
- Become stronger, without putting on mass. This can be achieved by training explosive bodyweight movements, such as push-ups, pull-ups, or dips.
By increasing your relative strength, you become more powerful and explosive – making the muscle-up easier.
Practice, Practice, Practice
There’s no way around it. If you want to get your first muscle-up, you must keep on practicing.
It’s all well and good having complex training plans and diets, but in reality, you should heavily be focused on practicing the technique.
How Long To Turn A Chicken Wing Muscle-Up To A Strict One
A chicken wing muscle-up is when you can “technically” perform one, but you favor one side over another – causing your elbow to stick out like a chicken wing!
The good news is you are so close to getting your first muscle-up.
To progress from a chicken wing muscle-up to a strict muscle-up will take a few weeks of conditioning. This is because you must make slight adjustments to your technique, which takes time to build into muscle memory
Let’s begin with the adjustments you must make:
- Build a greater swing.
You don’t want to approach the bar when you’re directly under it, instead, you want to be facing it. To do this, begin your muscle-up by pushing out your hips, and then explosively tuck them in to build a small amount of momentum. This makes it easier to bring both your elbows out during the transition phase. - Don’t load your body weight on the bar
After the transition phase, beginners make the mistake of resting on the bar with their chest. This makes it extremely difficult to lift yourself back up and finish the movement. Instead, you want to turn it into one fluid movement, from start to finish.
As quickly as you make these adjustments, you’ll get your first proper muscle-up! We say it will take a few weeks, as that’s the time frame it takes us and everyone else we know – but it is possible to get it quicker.
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