Muscle up – By Felix Chen

That was actually my second one.  Special thanks to the Crossfit Zone team for the encouragement and advice, Meagan for the video, and Sean Lind for the stress on technique!

~ Great post from Felix Chen!

It was after a workout when I first saw one.

“This is what you call a muscle up.” says the slightly intimidating bald man in a ever so slightly cocky tone with a warm friendly voice; he was looking at me.  Myself and a bunch of onlookers watched him grab on to the rings with a funny looking grip, swing a little bit, pulled himself up on the rings as he magically found himself overtop it with relative ease.  He did about 4 in a row and then came back down.  Claps and cheers ensued after.  I’ve seen that skill on Beast Skills before, but never in person.  I was certainly wowed.

It was definitely my first 5 classes at Crossfit Zone.  At that point, I distinctly remember struggling with a 65 pound push press in my first gym class – it felt like I was holding the world up, I couldn’t do a pull up, or hold the rings and stabilize myself doing a ring hold.  Even though I didn’t even attempt it, I recognized how much upper body strength the muscle up required.

I was somewhat bewildered after seeing that and the man smiled at me and said “Don’t worry, we’ll get you there.”  I later learned his name was Cam and muscle ups were one of his strengths.  That was a little over six months ago in late august/early september 2009.

So in over the next few weeks, I only thought Cam could do them.  Later I saw a few more people and only those few people do them and just pump them out.  I don’t remember when, but early on, I tried to do one and failed miserably… it required way way way more strength and coordination than I thought.  The false grip was terribly uncomfortable.

Gradually I learned the lore of the muscle up – the incredible mix of a pullup, followed by a ring dip.  Both are not terribly hard exercises given a little dedication.  But that transition phase between the two movements is absolutely unforgiving.  Because of this, Crossfit has an unofficial “Muscle up club” that recognizes members who get a muscle up.  It is reserved for the elite and dedicated few who could combine the raw strength, and coordination to get one.

I learned that it could take at least half a year to get one from being at zero… certainly where I was.  I learned the continued struggles of those who almost get one.  I witnessed the dedication of those who relentlessly pursued to get one.  I saw it repeatedly put down as a goal to just get one.  I saw the shower of praises to those who managed to perform one.  I was awed by some people who started around the same time as they managed to do them one day.  The muscle up seemed ever so elusive and certainly exclusive.  It almost seems like the holy grail of Crossfit because of the immense dedication, strength and technique to perform one.  The muscle up seemed like getting your blackbelt in martial arts – proof that one has mastered the basics.  Because certainly if somebody is able to get one, they are most certain to be able to perform pretty much all the exercises and skills crossfit uses in its basic repertoire.

I am certainly not elite in anyway – however, I do realize with enough hard work.  I’m pretty sure I can get one.  I tucked away it in the back of my mind.

Time passed doing crossfit and I gradually became much stronger, faster, leaner in body composition and with myself seeing that I have beaten some benchmark WOD numbers I have set previously, I think I can do it.  My forearms, biceps/triceps, lats and pecs have seemed to develop enough to seriously take it on.  The new year rolls around and a new board was put up.  I put down 1 muscle up by the end of Feb 2010 as one of my goals along with a sub 27min 5km run (near the end of the year).

I didn’t think much of it at first, but at late January when I tried to do one… I still realized I was nowhere close.  Seeing my deadline was looming near, I became absolutely obsessed about it.  I read everything about it.  I watched so many videos of it online.  I asked anybody that can do it for tips.   I subscribed to the Crossfit Journal prior to watch Sisu, but now I scrounged everywhere for any piece of Muscle up video and literature I could get my hands on.  I was on a mission to get my goal… after all, a goal is a dream with a deadline.  Crossfit says that if you can do 15 pullups, or the chest to bar variations, and 15 ring dips… you can certainly do one.    I wanted to prove myself.

Early to mid Feburary I made sure I practiced at least once every week at the open gyms.  Everybody said I was so close.  I was 90-95% there.  I was stuck.  I could make it to the transition, and everything gives out.  My biceps were so incredibly sore for days after my 30-40 min attempts.  My elbows were so incredibly stressed.  My back felt strained.  I was incredibly frustrated.  That transition phase is impossible!!!  My deadline passed and I couldn’t perform one.  I was just stuck.  I really really wondered if I was just going to stay there.  I knew it was a matter of time, but when?  How long am I going to stay there for?  I was doing everything I could.  I developed a better and explosive kip and kept an ever going mantra in my head… “explode from the hips, elbows in close, shoot through the hoops, whip the elbows up/behind quick, keep the tension, and push up”.  It just wasn’t enough.  I was getting insanely obsessed and jealous of those who were doing them effortlessly.  What were they doing right?  What am I doing wrong?  They gave all the tips that they could, and even with their patience in guidance and coaching – something still wasn’t clicking.

By sheer luck during my misery, some hope came along.  Coach Deanna’s gymnast/circus performer/gymastics coach friend, Sean Lind was in town for a few days to run a seminar or two.  I saw him in some videos before when I scrounged around on the Crossfit Zone’s blog and was really really intrigued by it.  Was definitely hoping to do that sometime and it couldn’t possibly have come a better time.

The seminar was yesterday and he showed us a lot of ring exercises, and advice on technique.  He hammered on technique, technique, and technique.  I think moreso than anybody… myself, Megan and Deanna eagerly and greedily soaked up his advice on everything.  Despite his patience and advice I gave one more attempt yesterday and still failed.  I was too tired.

Today I gave it one more try at the open gym.  I observed Deanna and Megan try for 10-15 minutes while Sean was giving advice and coaching.  I listened with great intent and tried to internalize everything he said.

These thoughts/tips/advice kept running through my mind:

• good false grip position, at the bottom of the rings
• chalk up hands to have improved grip
• keep tension in the legs to have tension to increase the power of the kips.  that increases leverage.
• don’t kip forward, or backwards… kip up – you want the force to go up, not forward or backward. raise your knees up.
• at the dip phase, dip straight up, not forward, not backward.  Have good technique
• keep elbows in very close
• whip the elbows back as fast as possible
• keep your head up and look forward, your head direction guides you in what direction you want to go
• pull and and snap your knees up at the end of the kip the same time.  AT THE VERY SAME TIME.  previously i was separating that before – it wasn’t in harmony
• keep tension in the upper body and core

So I attempted it fully expecting to fail and soak up more tips from Sean…  and I FOUND MYSELF UP AT THE TOP.  It felt weird, and almost too easy.  I could see my crossfit mates were clapping, cheering and happy for me.  But I didn’t get that picture, so they told me to do it again.  I was certainly convinced that it was a fluke and couldn’t replicate it.  They held their cameras up, I concentrated and found myself doing it again.

I had done finally done it.

Thoughts:

• For all those struggling/attempting to seriously do one, who think they are ready to do it.  They most likely have the upper body strength.  It really is the technique.  Clean proper technique probably the key.
• When performed, it doesn’t really feel like you muscled it up.  It feels smooth and easy – which is weird.
• Sean said I only had done half of it… now it’s to slowly control it down… the much harder part to gain and build additional strength.
• I don’t feel like I reached the finish line or got the holy grail.  I merely set out to attempt to achieve a skill and did it.  I still suck at wallballs, running and rowing.  I need to get stronger at lifts.  There are so many more more things to work on.
• I want to make my muscle up more ‘pretty’.  Slower, more strong, more effortless.
• I felt really proud and happy.  Even though it took a ton of hard work and deliberate effort, even though it felt good to cross it off the list of goals, it still didn’t feel like placing 3rd in MIS at JDC West 2010… where I went absolutely nuts.
• I knew it was a matter of time to get it, didn’t realize it only took 6 months… which I think is pretty fast given a zero level base… according to the MyFranTime proficiency chart.
• It was easily one of the hardest things I’ve attempted and successfully did.  I thought the Muscle up was impossible, but it’s not.  I’ve heard the Iron Cross is really hard to do… I really want to attempt that before I go to Poland.  Apparently Bulgarian Dips are the gateway to it… time to start working on those.
• Time to start doing these consecutively…
• To those who are trying to do it, believe in yourself!
• I’m pretty sure I can conquer anything I set my mind to now.

It was definitely a great experience and it is a skill that I definitely won’t take for granted.  I will pay it forward and offer my advice to anybody that needs it (when I can start doing it well)!  Wouldn’t have done without the constant mentoring.  Feels good to bring some closure to something I’ve worked on for 6 months.

For those interested, there will be open gym hours to come in from 10:30am – 12:00pm today!

Today’s Workout:

*If you did Thursday’s WOD, do only one of the AMRAPs, otherwise, rock it sock it.*

Buy In – 12 minute technique practice for people unfamiliar with the lifts, extended warm-up others.

WOD – Zone Games

* this is a wod that will challenge you like people will be challenged at the upcoming sectionals.  bring your strong will and positivity and you will prevail!*

Elite:  2 x 10 minute AMRAPS (total reps)

Amrap 1:

• 5 Thrusters (95/135)
• 5 muscle ups/10 ctb pullups for girls

Amrap 2:

• 5 floor to overhead (95/135)
• 10 wallball (14/20)

Zone 4:  scale to 65/95, 10 regular pullups

Zone 3: scale to 45/65, 10 regular pullups, scale wallball

Zone 2: 5 min each amrap, scale as needed 

Zone 1: choose one amrap, scale as needed

Cash Out – lie on the floor or walk around until you feel good again 🙂

Running WOD

Rest or recovery run (5K to 8K)

Please post in the comments when and where you are doing your run if you would like people to join you!