Core · Pull Up Bar
Muscle-up
How to do the muscle-up, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Pull Up Bar
- Difficulty
- Expert
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Core Hold
- Mechanic
- Accessory
How to do it
Perform a pull-up to lift your body above the bar, then transition into a dip by pressing your chest above the bar.
- 1Feel your lats, biceps, and core pulling you above the bar and your triceps pressing you to support
- 2Use a powerful kip and fluid transition through the bar
- 3Engage your shoulders and lock out at the top
Common mistakes
- Avoid excessive swinging or flailing; control your kip
- Don't let your elbows flare too wide; keep them close in the transition
- Avoid dropping into the bottom position; lower under control
Muscles worked
The muscle-up mainly works the upper abs and lower abs, with the obliques and glutes assisting.
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- ObliquesSupport
- GlutesSupport
- QuadsMinor
Kovo programs the muscle-up for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed April 2026.