MU NEG transition pain

Hey guys,

After doing a search on the forum/youtube etc I couldn't really find a solution for my problem:

I can do a MU with false grip, however when I come down and make the transition back to the

false grip pullup, I first of all have a hard time transitioning, but when I do transition back and

am able to hold it, my wrists/forearms take a huge hit, and afterwards I have to stop doing a 2nd rep

because of the pain.

Do you guys have any experience with this and / or tips for me?

I did my first full MU in April, so this stuff is not new, it's just the coming down part in the transition

that I haven't mastered yet

Thanks!

ps: if helpful, I can shoot a video upcoming Thursday

When you say they 'take a huge hit' does that mean that you jerk at the bottom, and that's causing the pain? Or just that you start to feel a lot of pain as you transition?

jfslocum said:

When you say they 'take a huge hit' does that mean that you jerk at the bottom, and that's causing the pain? Or just that you start to feel a lot of pain as you transition?

Let me go into more detail:

I am at the bottom of the dip position, ready to transition back to false grip pullup..

there I already feel it's difficult to make the transition.

Then I make the transition (very bad technique) and end up in the almost top false grip pullup

where I have to get to the floor quickly because mostly my wrists hurt from doing that move

and holding on until the false grip pullup position.

I get out of the false grip pullup quickly because I feel pain in my wrists and a little bit in my forearms.

and it's not really a lot of pain as it's a moderate pain that stays active for a while even after resting/exercising,

however I am able to do another MU after a little rest

Thanks!

It sounds like you're putting more pressure on the tendons in your wrist than they can handle. This happened to me when I was first learning muscle ups and I've seen it happen to others as well. There are several probable causes:

1. Your wrist strength is inadequate. There's already a lot of good resources on this site for building wrist strength. If you aren't doing wrist strength exercises, start. If you already are, you may need to wait until you've built up greater strength.

2. You're weak at the transition, which results in a slight 'jerk' when you transition down. Even if your wrists are particularly strong, the forces involved could cause pain. The solution to this is to do more exercises targeting that area. If you can't lower yourself very slowly through the transition, you need to work more on that area.

3. You could be making an error in form. This is hard to diagnose over the internet, but double check that your grip, hand and arm positioning is correct.

Thanks jfslocum!

I was thinking myself it's a wrist strength problem..

and have actually recently started doing some of the exercises a little bit

I will shoot a video on Thursday for a better view of what is going on.

It would help to see a video. But here is what I can suggest in addition to what was already said. Tape the bottom part of your rings to provide more friction for your hand and wrist (i.e. your false grip) and use chalk (magnesium powder) for your hands. Wrap each of your wrists with two feet of elastic wrap (I use two pieces of and old 5 cm wide elastic knee wrap). Adjust your rings so you can come down in your dip and rest your toes on a ball for support and then lower down through the transition with your forefeet on the ball. When lowering down focus on slowly bringing your elbows forward while keeping your hands as close to your chest as possible. Make sure that you are warmed up with some slow false grip pull ups (top part only) followed by a 5 second hold in the top position. I hope this will help you to get stronger. In my case it took at least six weeks, so don’t expect some miracles. Just be patient.

Fresh from the gym, side and front (i performed it twice):

Don't mind the Support hold ha, i was way to focussed on the MU to execute the hold

(i almost fell on the side shot)

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Well, many people, as did I get pain in the elbow area during MU.

I learned a MU simply by getting into false grip and doing it. Never thought of doing negatives or assists, really. The rings being ceiling hung were too high anyways.

I use to get a nice sharp pain in my elbows, typically when I would fail on one. This is because your elbow is being stretched with load on it. OWW!

When you transition down, focus on keeping your elbows in more. That should make them a bit less painful.

I like to warmup muscle up work starting with just some light row MU with the legs in squat, then feet on block, then negatives before I work them. Been since late June when I was working on them twice a week for bent arm days.

Hi Paintrick. I think you simply lack the strength to control your transition down from the moment that you have moved your hands from the bottom of your dip forward to just in front of your shoulders. From that position you drop down in a free fall to where you can catch yourself about one third down. That results in quite a shock load on your wrists and elbows, and, yes, that can hurt. Going up in your MU you compensate for that lack of strength by starting with bent arms so you can gain just enough momentum to “slingshot†yourself through the transition. Otherwise, I think you are getting close to a well executed MU. Just more work to get stronger and to get more control in the top part of your pull up. My suggestion is to get access to low rings with short straps (preferably at home). It gives you more training options. Good luck.

Thanks guys!

FritsMB said:

My suggestion is to get access to low rings with short straps (preferably at home). It gives you more training options. Good luck.

FritsMB, I have those at home, what training do you suggest?

Thanks!

This video shows what worked for me. Maybe it does for you too. You may want to include some very slow pull ups and dips (1 set of 5x(5-10 sec. up, 5 sec. hold, 5-10sec. down)).

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Good luck.

FYI I cannot do a MU yet and am just training negatives.

Because my quest for the MU was proceeding so awkwardly I finally started following the progressions and focused on negatives and was somewhat dismayed to find out that they are really tough! And an out of control Negative can definitely produce injury and I experienced a lot of the elbow pain Blairbob talked about... wrist pain- not so much.

I have been focusing on them a lot though so maybe I can help. What has been working for me is when I get to the bottom of the dip I do a few things:

• 
  -I contract all my muscles forcefully. This includes chest and biceps in particular.
  -At this point in the movement my elbows are pointing up. What I mentally think of is "pressing" my elbows down so they are pointing at the ground while STRONGLY contracting all of the above muscles.
  -If you lose control still following these steps, it either means your transition muscles aren't strong enough (which should not be a problem in your case since you are already doing a good MU), or you just aren't REALLY REALLY trying to engage all of your strength to control the descent.
  

I would recommend practicing this assisted in addition to your normal MU work. For example, I like to rest my feet on a block and do the Negative Muscle Up that way- I think it will help you refine your technique without putting yourself at risk for too much injury.

And do the wrist strengthening movements as discussed earlier of course.