The Muscle Up is a very
cool bodyweight exercise...it's a two-part movement
that basically has you doing a pull-up then a dip/pushdown
type movement to get your body up over the bar.
It's a TOUGH exercise,
requiring a lot of strength and co-ordination (and
high ceilings) but the results you can get in your
back, arms and shoulders are phenomenal!
So what do you do if
you either don't have the strength to do a full-on
muscle-up or don't have high enough ceilings to do
one either (which is my problem).
You do THIS modified
version of the exercise, which takes up some of your
bodyweight and lowers the height so it can be done
even in a basement. And, when done using a power rack,
also has the advantage of being able to roll the bar
forward as you transition.
This modified version
will primarily hit the triceps (you could almost call
it a bodweight pushdown). By setting the bar higher,
you can do the pull-up part of it better but you won't
be able to push yourself up over the bar with your
feet set on the bench (you'll see with the setup).
Here's how the setup
goes...set the rails in the power rack to about the
level of the bottom of your ribcage. Set a bar on
top of the rails. Set a bench parallel to the bar
just a few feet back from the bar.
You can adjust the bar
height and bench distance once you get doing the exercise.
Set your hands on the
bar about shoulder-width apart (palms down) and stand
up on the bench.
Now, keeping core tight,
lower yourself down, bending at the elbows and knees.
Your arm position will look like the top of a pushdown
(which is also the top of a reverse grip pull-up!),
knees should be bent with toes on the bench.
Now, using tricep power
(and a little leg help, if you need it), push yourself
directly up as though doing a bodyweight pushdown.
As you push yourself
up, the bar will roll forward a little (which is why
the rack is so useful for this). Come all the way
up until your arms are fully extended and locked out.
Lower yourself down,
reversing the movement and repeat.
As you can see, doing
it without the bench would make it a LOT harder. Doing
a "free" muscle-up requires tremendous strength
in the upper body. This variation makes the benefits
of the exercise a bit more accessible if you either
don't have enough strength for the full movement or
don't have high enough ceilings (which is what I run
into with it).