These Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises are designed for anyone that wants to build strength, mobility, skill and muscular endurance so that one day they can master that elusive Ring Muscle Up!
The Ring Muscle Up is an advanced and difficult exercise and a huge milestone to achieve. They are normalised in CrossFit Games Workouts and Open WODs, however the reality is that only a small number of CrossFit athletes can do them RX.
This article is for everyone else.
For everyone that wants to build more strength, skill, mobility and confidence and one day succeed in RXing this tricky movement.
To get your body ready for the Ring Muscle Up, consider adding alternative exercises to your training regimen that will prepare your body for this impressive exercise.
8 Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises
The following exercises work the back, shoulders, arms, chest, and core:
1. Tricep Dips
The triceps dip is one of the most effective exercises for activating the triceps muscles in your upper arm.
Additionally, you must activate your core as you hold your hips off the ground. The triceps are used for pushing (think the final press at the top of the Ring Muscle Up), and you will engage them in any daily activities that require pushing.
2. Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises – Tricep Pushdowns
A tricep pushdown is an isolation exercise designed to target your triceps muscles.
Perform tricep pushdowns by standing in front of a pulley machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Grab hold of the cable attachment on the pulley machine. This attachment can be fitted with a rope, a straight bar, or a V-bar.
Keep your upper body aligned as you pull down on the cable attachment through a full range of motion in your elbows.
3. Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises – Machine Assisted Pull Ups
Making use of a pull-up machine is another way you can apply assisted pull-ups to your workouts and build foundational strength for future Ring Muscle Ups. You will need access to an assisted pull up machine.
The general idea is to add enough weight to the machine so that it balances you when you perform pull ups. Use the machine to feel the movement and activate your muscles.
4. Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises – Band Assisted Pull Ups
Pull up bands offset your bodyweight so you can perform the full range of motion for a traditional pull up.
As you get stronger, you’ll need less assistance from the band and can use a lighter version. The idea is to transition away from any kind of band in the long run into performing completely unassisted pull ups.
Never use them 100% of the time, but band assisted pull ups can be a helpful tool in your quest to improve your pull ups, and then further along your mission towards Ring Muscle Ups.
5. Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises – Chest to Bar Pull Ups
The chest to bar pull-up can be done using strict form in which the lifter minimizes momentum, or done using a kip, referred to as a kipping chest to bar pull-up.
6. Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises – Lat Pulldowns
The lat pulldown (short for latissimus dorsi pulldown) is one of the most popular exercises used to strengthen the muscles of the back.
7. Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises – Straight Arm Pull Downs
The straight-arm pulldown exercise is a variation of the classic lat-pulldown. In this case, you perform the movement standing and keep your elbows locked out the entire time.
The straight-arm pulldown trains the lats through a long range of motion, and is helpful for people who have trouble feeling their backs activate with conventional pulldown exercises.
8. Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises – TRX Rows
You simply hang, suspended from the trainer’s handles, supported by your arms and feet, then pull your chest up toward the handles, “rowing” your body upward.
As a general rule, the TRX row can be incorporated into just about any strength training workout.
What Muscles Does the Ring Muscle Up Work?
To get yourself up and over the bar and then into a dip position, you’re going to depend on several muscles in your upper body, including the:
- Latissimus dorsi (back)
- Deltoids (shoulders)
- Biceps and triceps (arms)
- Trapezius (upper back)
- Pectorals (chest)
You’ll also be relying on the strength of your core muscles.
What Preliminary Training should you do for a Ring Muscle Up?
If you’ve set a goal of completing a proper Ring Muscle Up, there are preliminary training requirements that you can work towards to help train your body for this advanced gymnastic exercise.
- Practice doing 10 to 12 standard pullups
- Practice doing 10 to 12 tricep dips
If you’re already performing advanced moves like unassisted pullups and tricep dips, you might be ready to try this dynamic exercise.
If you’re still working on increasing the strength in your back, shoulders, arms, and core, it’s a good idea to build up to this move slowly by practicing preparatory moves and alternative exercises first.
Ring Muscle Up Alternative Exercises
Wnat more workouts and exercises? Try these Triceps Dips, Sit Ups or Push Ups WODs.
