A structured, no-nonsense programme that takes you from zero experience to a strict ring muscle up. Six progressive levels. Real coaching. Real results.
For $19 you get the complete guide (PDF) plus lifetime access to the Muscle Up Tracker app — train with the programme and log your progress in one place.
This isn't a quick-fix tutorial. It's a structured, progressive program built on the same principles that develop competitive gymnasts. Six levels, each with a graduation requirement — satisfy it before you advance.
Log your workouts, track which level you're on, and see your progress over time. The web app is included with your purchase — no extra cost, no subscription. Use it on your phone or desktop.
Start at exactly the right level for your current strength and mobility. No wasted time on exercises that are too easy or too hard.
Clear, measurable criteria for when to advance. Progress with confidence knowing your body is ready for the next challenge.
Every exercise in the guide includes a linked video demonstration so you can see exactly what good form looks like.
Blocks of effort and recovery are mapped out — 4 weeks hard, 5th week off, add volume over 5-week cycles. Follow the program and let your body adapt.
Mobility work (false grip stretch, arm extension stretch) in every level. The guide explains how fast muscles, tendons and ligaments adapt — so you don't outpace your joints.
Every exercise has explicit reps and sets (e.g. 3–5 sets of false grip stretch, arm extension stretch and ring hang). No guesswork.
Annotated movement breakdowns from the guide — every phase of the muscle up dissected and taught.
Each level builds on the last. No guesswork — just follow the progression.
False grip stretch, arm extension stretch, ring hang, false grip, false grip ring rows, ring push ups with turn out.
False grip hang, transition ring rows, pull up, bar dip.
False grip pull ups, ring dips with turn out, bent arm false grip hang, false grip ring rows, ring push ups.
Tempo eccentric ring muscle up (down), false grip pull ups, ring dips.
Ring muscle up — your first full rep from hang to support.
Muscle up conditioning — build to 10 sets in 30 min.
The guide teaches a strict ring muscle up — minimal pike in the hips, no momentum from swinging or kipping. It's an expression of strength and mobility, not a trick.
The ring muscle up is easy to learn with solid progressions, hard work and persistence. Build the weak links in your chain.
Muscles replace themselves in ~3 months; tendons and ligaments in ~9 months. Train no more than every 2 days; deload every 5 weeks.
Each level has a graduation requirement. Satisfy it before moving on. If you're not progressing, drop back one level for a block.
One price. The complete PDF guide and the Muscle Up Tracker app. Lifetime access — no subscriptions.
One-time payment. You get both:
PDF guide + tracker app access. No recurring fees.
I have a background in both marine science and software engineering. After working as a scientist, I left to pursue coaching and sport full-time. That was 2017. I opened The Bodyweight Gym in Perth — a calisthenics studio that ran until 2021, coaching everyone from complete beginners to competitive athletes.
In the fitness industry, two skills immediately set you apart as a trainer: a strict ring muscle-up and a freestanding handstand. So that's what I learned to teach.
Problem was, I had no gymnastics background. I was a 30-something adult learning from scratch. The first 12 months nearly broke me. Elbow tendonitis that wouldn't go away because I kept progressing too fast. Muscles ready, tendons weren't.
It took two years of trial and error, countless failed attempts, and one breakthrough moment when someone asked me to show them something on the rings I'd installed in my apartment. I nailed my first strict ring muscle-up that night.
Since then, I've coached hundreds of people through their first muscle-up and handstand. I learned everything the hard way so you don't have to.
This programme contains everything I know. Six levels. Graduation tests at each stage. No fluff. No shortcuts.
— Mat
The Bodyweight Gym
You get two things: (1) The complete Ring Muscle Up PDF guide — 31 pages, 6 levels, video links for every exercise, benchmarking, and loading/deloading structure. (2) The Muscle Up Tracker web app — log your workouts, track which level you're on, and see your progress over time. Both are included in the one-time $19 purchase. No subscriptions.
Yes. Level 1 starts with mobility (false grip stretch, arm extension stretch), ring hang, false grip, false grip ring rows, and ring push ups with turn out. The program is designed for complete beginners through to athletes cleaning up their muscle up.
The guide says this is impossible to answer — it depends entirely on your current and historic strength and mobility. Learning a muscle up from scratch may take more than 12 months; patience is key. Benchmarking (e.g. 3 pull ups + 3 bar dips for Level 2) tells you where to start.
Gymnastic rings (wood preferred), something to hang them from (pull-up bar or rig), parallel bars or dip station for Level 2, and chalk. That's it.
No. The guide teaches a strict ring muscle up — minimal pike in the hips, no momentum from swinging or kipping. The Bodyweight Gym advocates the learning of skills with strict movements.
No more than once every 2 days. Take a planned deload week every 5 weeks — in that week you still train but only complete 1 set of everything. The guide spells out blocks of 4 weeks hard, 5th week off, and when to test for the next level.