Muscle-Up Transition - Tricep Elbow connection

[Gerald Mangona]

I'm weak where the tricep inserts into the elbow. I've been doing the bottom of diamond push-up as an FSP (3 x 20s) during my warm-ups. They've definitely gotten easier over time.

I lack the pulling strength necessary to get the rings low enough to actually get into the transition. So I'm doing Slizzardman's pull-up (2 sets/5 rounds) 2x per week and seeing good results.

On ring days, I sub the MU with 3 pullups, 3 dips, and 3 transitions using legs for assistance. Lots of assistance. I definitely feel my elbows on those moves, so I'm making sure not to over-extend myself and never work to the intensity where I feel the tendon being pushed to its limits. So far, I've made incremental progress without dealing with overuse soreness.

In order to strengthen that tendon, would it hurt to do 3 transitions once or twice a week during my warmups instead of just waiting til the ring WOD day comes? Don't want to overdo it, but I can definitely feel what a unique movement that is in comparison to dips, diamond pushups, and pullups. Plus, it allows me to slowly work on the "last 3 inches" of the pullup, bring the rings from clavicle-level down to pec level. I'm still very weak there.

Good idea? Bad idea? Try once per week and work my way up to 3 or 4 per week?

J

[jl5555]

I believe that FritzMB might be the go-to guy for this particular issue. Search his posts as he has posted a few videos of how he practiced and worked up to the MU transition. The results speak for themselves.

[Blairbob]

Currently, on Monday, I work assisted MU to negative MU as part of the multiplane pull/press on my SSC.

However, I am considering working it everyday on every cycle but not sure if it will be too much. Probably another one of my dumb idears.

[Gerald Mangona]

Cool. My transition muscles are so weak and my legs are providing so much assistance, that I think I'm going to do this as a "grease the groover", doing sets of 5 throughout the day. Also, with my legs providing assistance, I can go very deep into the pullup. This means I can start the dip with my elbow joint at the same height of the rings (instead of from below). So I can work the transition without having to overstress the elbow or rotator cuff.

We'll try this for awhile, and see if -- along with the pull-up work -- I can increase my pull-up ROM to the point where I can transition into the dip from a place where my elbow is not so disadvantaged mechanically.

I would hardly even call it an assisted muscle-up. It's more like a squat with my hand moving the ring from above me to below me

J

[Ryan Verma]

Here is the FritzMB video that jl5555 mentioned:

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Although I'm able to do consecutive muscle ups already, I wanted to train the transition phase to be able to do a slow muscle up.

I've been using it for the last couple weeks at only half the frequency he recommends in his video and I can see results already. I hope it helps you

[Cole Dano]

I think that what Frits did was very intelligent. The exact frequency of how often will always be a matter of debate, but i think for anyone struggling with the MU and wanting to get it, it may very well take a period of dedicated work.

Currently i've just been doing MU work on ring strength days. However i am going to go into a strength skill phase with the aim of improving my MU, Chest Roll to HeS, PL and FL.

Conversations with Ido on his recent visit, and reflecting on what worked for me when i was working on difficult skills in yoga confirm to me that i need this kind of phase from time to time.

The art is in finding how to implement it best for you where you are at. I'm not sure if it can be generalized.

However if one is just working MU via the WODs then it may be safe to assume a bump in frequency may be in order to get there.

[pogo69]

I'm using Frits' ideas to enhance my MU, but with greatly reduced volume as skill practise in my morning mobility routine. I'm not progressing as quickly as did Frits, but I don't want it to interfere with my other training (FSP SSC + WOD).

As you say, Mr Brady, exactly how you programme such things will be dependent upon your goals.

[braindx]

I would ditch the diamond pushups and use that volume to work on transitions or deeper dips in rings.

Full flexed elbows under extremely torquing loads (e.g. when the arm is aligned vertically such as triceps extensions or skull crushers) are notorious for causing overuse and triceps tendonitis much more quickly than other exercises. Likewise, exercises like close grip bench or diamond pushups torque the elbow at a weird angle too.

Things that will help are:

Mobility work + massage

Lighten the overall training volume to allow it heal

Practice your transitions sparingly

Leave most of the other work to triceps exercises that do not aggravate your condition