Stop chasing the perfect muscle-up

A young athlete has become strong in his muscle up, pulling 20kg. Being a fan of streetlifting, he watches the World championship, where a lot of elite, French athletes pull with the plates in between the feet. Being a big fan of them, he changes his technique accordingly. A few months later, he’s become weaker. Why is that?

‘Your legs are too bulky.’

‘Just pull more explosively, that’s all.’

Is it really about bodily weight distribution or as simple as ‘just pull harder’? The answer isn’t as simple as pull harder, but at the same time probably simpler than you think.

Looking beyond raw strength

In streetlifting, you can use a ‘plates in front’ or ‘plates in between’ setup.

With the plates in front, you have the plate resting on your shin with the rope long enough that it sits on the instep of your feet. Since the weight is distributed more away from the midline /centre of mass, looking from the side, you need to maintain a stronger hollow body posture when performing the movement. This often feels the most stable.

Plates in between is when the rope is longer and you clasp the plate between the feet. The weight is now more aligned with the midline. When pulling, you’re better able to kick the weight a bit forward, allowing for a powerful and perceived cleaner transition.

When to choose one or the other?

In front: if you have a harder time maintaining body tension, It may suit better if you’ve got relatively longer lengs and are looking for more stability, this might be better suited for you.

In between: if you have a harder time with the transition speed and need more efficiency, may suit better of your arms are relatively longer, and if maintaining body tension isn’t your limiting factor.

Practical example

To illustrate this, an athlete has progressed up to 20kg for a clean muscle up that fits the competition standards. Now, adding a small increase, or just 1.25kg, seems impossible. The pull starts strong, but the transition isn’t clicking. First thought: I need to get stronger. Why is it that those strong, French athletes all pull in between with ease? These are all understandable questions, but the main one should be different. In this case: What is the right way to address the limiting factor?

First off.

Programming wise, this athlete is aiming to test the 1 rep max every session, thinking that’s the way to go.  First step is to reduce the intensity and scale the volume a bit. More practice at submaximal loads allows the athlete to refine the movement quality without constantly fighting fatigue.

He knows the plates in front technique, but out since quite a few strong athletes pull in between, he figured this is the way. Looking at how he pulls, the body tension is lost quickly. This leads to an inefficient pull and the plates swinging too much, making it even more difficult. Switching to a plates in front allows the athlete to focus more on the body tension and less on controlling the weight.

The goal was to find the right technique that allows to express his current strength the most efficiently, not finding ‘the best’ technique.

What’s in it for you?

If you’ve been stuck at a plateau for a long period of time and see others pull in a specific way that you’ve adopted, ask yourself the following: If that technique works for the athlete, why should it automatically work for me?

Everyone is unique and needs personal adjustments if needed.

Final thoughts

Two athletes, both pulling 40kg+ in the muscle up.  One pulls in front, the other uses plates between the feet. Which one is better? Simple answer: none.

Both have found the technique that works for them, that allows them to express their strength most efficiently, keeping any possible injuries at bay and progress over time.

You shouldn’t aim to copy someone else’s perfect technique, it’s about finding what works for you. Any lingering doubts on what works best? It isn’t always as simple to be found in a quick search online or by looking at someone else with a similar build.

It’s dependent on your body type, injury history, goals and muscle-up technique.

If you’ve been stuck despite getting stronger, the answer might not be as simple as you need more strength. It’s about finding the best strategy that suits your body the best. That’s exactly what we’ll work on together.