Scaling Ring Muscle Ups with Bar Muscle Ups


If you are working on getting your ring muscle ups, but still want to work on a harder variation of a scale, bar muscle ups just might be the right choice. You should have a solid base in chest to bar pull-ups before progressing to bar muscle ups. If you are wanting a bit of clarity on ring versus bar muscle ups, we have a quick guide for that. Just to be clear, “ring muscle ups” and “bar muscle ups” are not one in the same. You can be proficient in one movement and not the other.

This article is also not about bar muscle up progressions. There are several resources for this, and you can’t use False Grips for bar muscle ups OR kipping ring muscle ups (strict muscle ups only).

What is transferable between bar muscle ups and ring muscle ups?

The concept of power generation is transferable between these two movements. Again, think concept not the actual movement pattern. There are different stabilization needs with the two movements, but they both require power from the hips. 

Power generated from the hips

In kipping ring muscle ups, the movement becomes even more efficient when you can generate additional power from your hips. Have you seen athletes who literally look like they are floating on top of the rings without a noticeable dip? These athletes are able to generate enough power to elevate their bodies more than the standard.

Now thinking about bar muscle ups, here you also benefit from a powerful hip movement. If you can float your hips to right below the bar, you essentially just have to sit up.

The concept of using momentum to generate power, while minimizing the amount of pull needed from your upper body, can be applied to both movements.

In Conclusion

Some may argue that ring muscle ups are easier than bar muscle ups. This is a matter of opinion, but generally, the additional stabilization of the rings adds to its difficulty. The concept of transferable skills across multiple movements is something to keep in mind as you continue to grow and learn as an athlete in general.

Next time you want to try a different modification, consider this post and bar muscle ups as an alternative movement.