The CrossFit Exercise All Lifters Need Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training The CrossFit Exercise All Lifters Need Train Your Whole Upper Body With One Lift by Tanner Shuck December 2, 2021January 20, 2022 Tags Challenge Training, Exercise Coaching Not Just a CrossFit Exercise Still think of the muscle-up as just a CrossFit exercise? That's a mistake. Everyone can benefit from it. And the ability to do it right is a sign you've got great relative strength. But the muscle-up could actually be better. The super muscle-up (SRMU) is a strict ring muscle-up that includes isometric holds at different positions. Using the same logic as a paused squat or paused deadlift, the purpose is to improve positional strength and bring up weak points. To perform the SRMU, you'll need to be able to do the components of a muscle-up, so first make sure you can do at least 5 unbroken, false-grip ring pull-ups and 5 strict ring dips. Once you've got that down, then theoretically you should be able to do the SRMU. Notice I say "theoretically" because it's not always as simple as just doing more pull-ups and dips. The transition between the two is key. But even if you lack the strength to perform a strict muscle-up from start to finish, breaking it down into its individual components will help tremendously. Do a muscle-up (strict or kipping) Hold at the top position: ring support hold Lower to a dip: bottom of the dip hold Transition from dip to top pull-up position: bent-arm false-grip hold Lower to starting muscle-up position: Straight-arm false grip hold Your body is always stronger on the eccentric phase than the concentric phase of any exercise. So starting in a ring support hold (at the top), perform a 5-10 second isometric hold at each different position of the muscle-up, allowing yourself to build the strength from the top down. Transition from position to position with as much control as possible. Easier said than done, I assure you. You'll most likely have difficulty moving from the bottom of the dip hold to the bent-arm false grip hold since this will really test your false-grip strength. Keep a proper false grip with your wrists curled on top of the rings for the holds while maintaining a hollow body position. The super muscle-up just adds to the difficulty of the SRMU by increasing time under tension. If you want to perform a SRMU, you have to earn it. Focus on building basic foundational strength with pull-ups, dips, and isometric holds first and foremost. In this case, it's strength before skill. This exercise will get easier if you're relatively lean. Once you've got the strength and have practiced the skills, you'll be able to add this to your upper-body arsenal. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip The Curl You Can t Handle But try anyway because it'll add some extra bang to your guns... fast. Training Christian Thibaudeau October 8 Training Tip The Mirror is the Ultimate Judge Forget about how much you weigh. Here are some better ways to track your progress. Bodybuilding, Tips, Training Eric Bach September 12 Training Tip The Right Way to Lift for Fat Loss It's not what you think. Keep burning calories after your workout is done with this counterintuitive training method. Belly Fat, Fat Loss Training, Tips, Training TC Luoma April 22 Training The Fallacy of High-Rep Olympic Lifting High-rep Olympic lifting is rising in popularity largely do to CrossFit. But is it a smart way to train? CrossFit, Metcon, Training Mark Rippetoe August 26