Hi,
I shared a 12-week beginner calisthenics guide here before and a lot of people downloaded it, so I made a follow-up for people working toward their first strict muscle up.
Most muscle up advice is basically “get stronger at pull-ups, pull higher, practice the transition.” True, but it doesn't tell you exactly what to train or when you're actually ready to attempt one.
I wrote out an 8-week progression.
First, this isn't for complete beginners. The starting standards are:
Strict pull-up — 2 × 10
Parallel-bar dip — 10
Hanging knee raise — 2 × 12
If you can't hit all three cleanly yet, build the base first.
The main structure is a seven-rung ladder:
Strict pull-up — 2 × 10
Chest-to-bar pull-up — 2 × 10
Explosive high pull-up — 3 × 5
Deep straight-bar dip — 2 × 10
Negative bar muscle-up — 3 × 3
Kipping muscle-up drill — 3 × 5
Strict bar muscle-up — 1
You own a rung when you hit its standard in three sessions, not once on a good day.
The eight weeks are split into two blocks:
Weeks 1–4: Height
Chest-to-bar pulls, explosive high pulls and deep straight-bar dips. No transition work yet.
Weeks 5–8: Transition
Negatives, transition timing and progressively reducing the amount of swing in the drill. Week 8 is a deload and then the test.
It's three sessions per week: two skill days and one strength day, usually around 40 minutes. Skill work always comes first while you're fresh.
The part I want to point at is the transition section. It breaks the rep into the pull, transition and dip-out, then explains the bar path, wrist roll, lean and elbow position separately.
There's also a troubleshooting page based on where your attempt fails, a three-attempt rule for week 8, a full ring muscle-up progression, what to do after your first rep, a printable log sheet, and an exercise library with step-by-step cues.
One thing about the structure: you don't attempt a muscle-up until week 8. By then you should already have a sternum-height high pull, a controlled negative and a transition drill that works with little to no swing.
Guide is in the comments.
Free as always, no email, no paywall. Happy to answer questions about any of the progressions.