Muscle Up Progression Workout Plan
The pieces a muscle-up is built from - hangs, scapular pulls, rows, push-ups and dips - across three 10-minute sessions a week.
- Days per week
- 3
- Session length
- 15–17 min
- Exercises
- 26
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- No equipment
Your week
- MonDay 1 · Pulling Foundation
- TueRest
- WedDay 2 · Pushing & Support
- ThuRest
- FriDay 3 · Transition & Core Tension
- SatRest
- SunRest
Free on iPhone and Android, or adjust it in the web planner
The workouts
Day 1 — Pulling Foundation
Quick pulling prep: hangs, scapular activation, rows, and assisted pull variations to build vertical pulling strength.
About 15 minutes · 8 exercises| # | Demo | Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dead Hang StretchRest 20s | 1 × 20s | 20s | |
| 2 | Scapular Pull UpRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 3 | Inverted Row Bent KneesRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 4 | Seated Pull up between ChairsRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 5 | Jumping Pull upRest 30s | 1 × 6 | 30s | |
| 6 | Pull-up (negative)Rest 30s | 1 × 3 | 30s | |
| 7 | High Bar Inverted RowRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 8 | Seated Isometric Hold Pull upRest 20s | 1 × 15s | 20s |
Day 2 — Pushing & Support
Short push emphasis: wall to incline push-ups, scapular control, and entry-level dip work to prep the transition.
About 17 minutes · 9 exercises| # | Demo | Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Push-up (wall)Rest 20s | 1 × 10 | 20s | |
| 2 | Kneeling Push-upRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 3 | Incline Push-Up (on box)Rest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 4 | Scapula Push-UpRest 20s | 1 × 10 | 20s | |
| 5 | Kneeling Scapular Push-UpRest 20s | 1 × 10 | 20s | |
| 6 | Bench Dip (knees bent)Rest 20s | 1 × 10 | 20s | |
| 7 | Triceps Dip (bench leg)Rest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 8 | Scapula DipsRest 20s | 1 × 10 | 20s | |
| 9 | Push-up to Side PlankRest 20s | 1 × 6 | 20s |
Day 3 — Transition & Core Tension
Fast mix of hangs, rows, negatives, and push/dip basics to connect pulling to pushing with strong core tension.
About 17 minutes · 9 exercises| # | Demo | Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plank arm liftsRest 20s | 1 × 20s | 20s | |
| 2 | Dead Hang StretchRest 20s | 1 × 20s | 20s | |
| 3 | Scapular Pull UpRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 4 | Inverted Row under TableRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 5 | Inverted Row with Bent Knee between ChairsRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 6 | Seated Pull upRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 7 | Pull-up (negative)Rest 30s | 1 × 3 | 30s | |
| 8 | Wide Hand Push-upRest 20s | 1 × 8 | 20s | |
| 9 | Triceps Dips FloorRest 20s | 1 × 10 | 20s |
About this plan
A muscle-up is a pull-up that keeps going and a dip that starts from nowhere. This plan trains both halves separately three days a week, then works the transition between them.
Day one is pulling: dead hangs, scapular pull-ups, inverted rows with bent knees, seated pull-ups between chairs, jumping pull-ups and negative pull-ups. Day two is pushing: wall push-ups, kneeling push-ups, incline push-ups, scapular push-ups and bench dips. Day three combines them — plank arm lifts, dead hangs, scapular pull-ups, inverted rows under a table and between chairs, then seated pull-ups.
The scapular pull-up is the exercise nobody skips twice. Hang with straight arms and pull your shoulders down away from your ears without bending your elbows. It is a small movement and it trains the first inch of every pull — the inch where a muscle-up either starts or does not. People who cannot do it tend to hang like a dead weight and then yank.
Negatives and jumping pull-ups are how you get reps at a strength you do not yet have. Jump to the top, then lower over five seconds. Three of those is more useful than twenty band-assisted reps, because the lowering is where the strength is built.
Be realistic about the timeline. A muscle-up typically wants somewhere around eight to ten clean pull-ups and ten to twelve dips before the transition is worth attempting, and this plan is the road to that base rather than a shortcut past it. Expect months, not weeks.
The dips on day two are from a bench with knees bent, which is deliberately easy. Progress by straightening your legs, then elevating your feet, then moving to parallel bars.
Train this plan in the app
LoadMuscle carries all 3 routines with a demo for every exercise, and logs your sets as you go, so next session you can see what to beat. Free on iPhone and Android. Want something built around your own schedule and equipment instead? Try the free workout planner.
