Kipping Muscle Up
Kipping Muscle Up is an intermediate compound exercise that mainly works your lats, with help from your abs, biceps, forearms, upper back, shoulders, traps and triceps.


How to do the kipping muscle up
- Grip the rings using a false grip, with the base of your palms on top of the rings.
- Begin with a movement swinging your legs backward slightly.
- Counter that movement by swinging your legs forward and up, jerking your chin and chest back, pulling yourself up with both arms as you do so. As you reach the top position of the pull-up, pull the rings to your armpits as you roll your shoulders forward, allowing your elbows to move straight back behind you. This puts you into the proper position to continue into the dip portion of the movement.
- Maintaining control and stability, extend through the elbow to complete the motion.
- Use care when lowering yourself to the ground.
Muscles worked
Sets and reps
For strength, do 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps with 2-3 minutes of rest. For muscle growth, 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with 90 seconds of rest. Add a little weight when you hit the top of the range on every set.
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Exercises that train the same main muscle, including options with other equipment.
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Lat PulldownCable · Beginner
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Bent-Arm Barbell PulloverBarbell · Intermediate
London BridgesOther · Intermediate
Chin UpBodyweight · BeginnerFAQ
What muscles does the kipping muscle up work?
It mainly works your lats; your abs, biceps, forearms, upper back, shoulders, traps and triceps assist.
How many sets and reps of kipping muscle up should I do?
For strength, do 3-5 sets of 5-8 reps with 2-3 minutes of rest. For muscle growth, 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with 90 seconds of rest. Add a little weight when you hit the top of the range on every set.
Is the kipping muscle up good for beginners?
It suits lifters with some experience. Beginners can start with a lighter weight or one of the alternatives below.