Exercise guide · Advanced · Compound

Muscle-Up (On Vertical Bar): How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The muscle-up on a vertical bar is a challenging bodyweight exercise that combines a pull-up with a dip, requiring significant upper body strength, coordination, and technique. It primarily targets the lats, with secondary emphasis on the biceps, triceps, and forearms.

Primary muscles
Lats
Secondary muscles
Biceps , Triceps , Forearms
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Advanced · Compound
Demonstration of the muscle-up (on vertical bar)
Front view: muscles worked by the muscle-up (on vertical bar). Primary: lats. Secondary: biceps, triceps and forearms.
Back view: muscles worked by the muscle-up (on vertical bar). Primary: lats. Secondary: biceps, triceps and forearms.
Primary Secondary

How to do the muscle-up (on vertical bar)

  1. Step 1: Start by hanging from a vertical bar with your palms facing away from you and your arms fully extended.
  2. Step 2: Engage your core and pull your body up towards the bar, leading with your chest.
  3. Step 3: As you pull yourself up, lean back slightly and bring your elbows towards your sides.
  4. Step 4: Continue pulling until your chest reaches the bar and your elbows are fully bent.
  5. Step 5: Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower yourself back down to the starting position.
  6. Step 6: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the muscle-up (on vertical bar) 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.

Muscle-Up (On Vertical Bar) alternatives

More exercises that train the lats as their main target:

More lats exercises

See the best lat exercises, ranked →

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.