Paoli’s Muscle-Up Progression: Part 1

CrossFit Journal (Video)

Consider this your muscle-up primer.

In Part 1, gymnastics and movement specialist Carl Paoli shows us the band-assisted muscle-up prep he uses for every athlete.

“I need to be able to bow back and forth as a … pretty strong shape that can kind of just be manipulated, molded,” he begins.

Paoli breaks down the progression into four steps:

1. Hip extension and flexion.
2. From hip extension to a fast sit-up.
3. From the sit-up to driving the heels to the butt.
4. Then pull the body into a dip.

“It’s almost like you’re doing a forward roll over the rings,” he explains. “If I can do those four things—five reps each sitting—I will be primed and ready to go, and we can add it to the big picture of the muscle-up.”

Video by Again Faster.

8min 18sec

Additional audio: CrossFit Radio Episode 191 by Justin Judkins, published Sept. 28, 2011.