Muscle-ups are very common in CrossFit and considered a benchmark in the community. If you want to be considered an advanced athlete you must know how to do it, but more importantly how to warm-up for ring muscle-ups.
Nowadays with social media all around us, it is common to post a video of your first ring muscle-up anywhere you can, but even the most seasoned athlete must know how to warm-up for ring muscle-ups properly.
There are a number of muscles that are activated when you do ring muscle-ups:
- Lats
- Deltoids
- Biceps
- Triceps
- Trapezius
- Pecs
- Core
If you do kipping ring muscle-ups, then your entire body is working out as you need to use your hips to generate momentum to get you above the rings.
Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.Read more: 8 Ring Muscle-Up Alternative Exercises for Everyone that Can’t MU Yet
Warm-Up for Ring Muscle-Ups
Now that you know the muscles worked during a ring muscle-up, you should get an idea of how to warm-up for ring muscle-ups.
These exercises are a great way to warm-up for ring muscle-ups. As a general rule, perform around 10 reps of each exercise to fully warm-up.
1. Prone Snow angels
This is a great shoulder warm-up. Lay on your stomach with your hands next to your hips and palms facing down. Lock your elbows in a straight position, pull your hands off the ground and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
This movement activates the rhomboid muscles of your mid-back that help control your shoulder blades.
2. PVC Pipe Pass-Through
PVC pipe pass-through adds the grip component to your warm-up while also increasing your shoulder mobility.
3. Halos – Warm-Up for Ring Muscle-Ups
Halos can be done with any weight you have available, but we recommend going lighter than usual as this is just a warm-up.
Halos continue to work on your shoulder mobility and your mid-line as the weight above your head plays with your core stability.
4. Banded Pull Aparts
Another exercise that activates your upper back, the rhomboids, trapezius and rear delts. It increases your shoulder health and stability prior to getting up on the rings.
5. Banded Face pulls
After doing some pull aparts, continue to do banded face pulls to focus your exercise on your infraspinatus and teres minor.
6. Reverse Grip Deadhang Hold
The deadhang works out your upper back, shoulders, core, forearms and hand and wrist flexors.
Do not stay in this position for longer than 10 seconds at a time, as this is just a warm-up and not a competition.
7. Ring Rows
The ring rows bring your closer to what the ring muscle-up is while warming up your arms and your upper back.
Image Sources
- ring muscle ups workouts: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
- Ring muscle-ups: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.