Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Kipping Muscle Up: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The kipping muscle up is a dynamic bodyweight exercise that combines a pull-up with a dip, using momentum to transition from below to above the bar. It primarily targets the lats and requires significant upper body strength, coordination, and explosive power.

Primary muscles
Lats
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the kipping muscle up
Front view: muscles worked by the kipping muscle up. Primary: lats. Secondary: abs, obliques, shoulders, biceps and triceps.
Back view: muscles worked by the kipping muscle up. Primary: lats. Secondary: abs, obliques, shoulders, biceps and triceps.
Primary Secondary

How to do the kipping muscle up

  1. Step 1: Start by hanging from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Step 2: Engage your core and use a swinging motion to generate momentum.
  3. Step 3: As you swing forward, pull your chest towards the bar, using your lats and biceps to initiate the movement.
  4. Step 4: Continue the upward motion until your chest reaches the bar, then transition into a dip position by pushing down on the bar and extending your arms.
  5. Step 5: Lower yourself back down to the starting position by bending your arms and controlling the descent.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the kipping muscle up by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Kipping Muscle Up alternatives

More exercises that train the lats as their main target:

More lats exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.