What is Knee muscle up?

The Knee muscle up is a medium-level pull exercise that uses a knee drive to transition over the bar. It primarily targets the back (lats), with secondary work for biceps, shoulders and core, and serves as a progression toward full muscle-ups.

How to Do Knee muscle up

  1. Grip the bar: Use an overhand grip slightly wider than shoulder-width; engage shoulders and retract scapula to protect joints before initiating the movement.
  2. Activate core and hang: Hang with arms extended, pull shoulders down, brace core and keep chest up to create tension before beginning the knee drive.
  3. Drive knees up: Explosively pull your knees toward your chest while driving the hips and pulling the elbows to generate upward momentum and a brief kip.
  4. Transition over bar: When your chest reaches bar height, roll your chest and hips forward over the bar and press through the hands to clear it.
  5. Controlled descent: Lower with control back to a dead hang, avoid dropping; reset scapula and breath steadily before attempting the next repetition.

Muscle Groups

Back

Description

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Perform a Knee Muscle-Up by gripping the pull-up bar with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hang from the bar with arms fully extended. Pull your knees up towards your chest while simultaneously pulling yourself up towards the bar. Transition your body over the bar once your chest is above it. Extend your arms to complete the motion, then lower yourself back down with control. This exercise targets the upper body muscles and serves as a modification for those working towards full muscle-up proficiency.
Movement Group: Pull
Equipment: None (bodyweight only)

Progressions and Regressions

None

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of the Knee muscle up?

The Knee muscle up builds pulling strength, hip-drive coordination, and core stability while reducing the strength requirement of a full muscle-up. It improves transition mechanics, trains explosive timing, and serves as a safer progression toward full muscle-ups.

What common mistakes should I avoid with Knee muscle ups?

Common mistakes include using excessive kip instead of controlled pull, poor scapular engagement, letting elbows flare, rushing the transition over the bar, and neglecting dip strength. These errors reduce effectiveness and increase shoulder injury risk.

How can I progress to a full muscle-up or modify the Knee muscle up?

Progressions include band-assisted knee muscle-ups, negative muscle-ups, explosive pull-ups, and transition drills on low bars. Build dip and triceps strength, practice strict pull-ups, and add core explosive hip drives. Alternatives: assisted jump muscle-ups or ring transitions.