Time and time again, athletes approach and ask me to teach them a skill—be it a pull-up, a muscle-up, a handstand push-up or a pistol. Here’s how the conversation often goes: Client: “I really want to get a muscle-up. Can you teach me after class?” Me: “How many chest-to-bar pull-ups can you do?” Client: “Maybe one on a good day.” Me: “What about ring dips?” Client: “One. In a band.” Me: “Johnny, you're not ready to work on muscle-ups. Once you can do 10 chest-to-bar pull-ups and 10 ring dips, then we can start looking at the muscle-up.” Client: "So you don't think I will be able to learn one today? Me: small chuckle. Client: Sadness overtakes his/her face.   ******...

So do I! That's why I turned to Miracle-Worker Gymnastics Coach Louise Eberts. When it comes to gymnastics, Louise has helped many athletes go from good to great. One simple cue she gave to CrossFit Games veteran Emily Abbott ("Look up on your bar muscle-ups") made all the difference in the world for Abbott, whose bar muscle-ups now appear effortless. One thing I particularly respect about Louise is her ability to create patient athletes. Whenever you see videos of her athletes getting their first muscle-up, it's always a very pretty first muscle-up. This is because she doesn't let people get ahead of themselves. Everyone she works with builds the necessary strength first, so when they do get through the rings they're...

There's nothing more frustrating for a coach than watching an athlete skip warm-up and head straight to the bars and start busting out butterfly chest-to-bars or muscle-ups.

Remember, even the best of the best take the time to properly prep their body before big swinging moves like ring muscle ups. I watched Lucas Parker, a six-time CrossFit Games competitor, train a couple times, and he spends more time warming up than working out.

Rips aren’t created equal. When a client gets a large blood blister that turns into a deep rip in the palm of his hand, I usually recommend avoiding handwork for a day or two.  Versus, when someone whimpers about some superficial skin loss on his thumb from hook gripping during high-rep hang cleans, I tell him to tape it up and suck it up!  Generally speaking, regardless of the rip, tape can be useful. It’s great for preventing rips, and it’s also great for reducing pain when you do rip. Further, it helps prevent further damage to the skin when you hit the bar. 1. Finger and Thumb rips  These guys, which often result from using a hook grip on the...

Whether your muscle-ups are so good you don't need to false grip, like phenom muscle-upper Alex Schaalo, or you struggle along with the false grip like myself—which often leads to ripped skin on my wrists—a good grip is important when it comes to any ring work, especially big swinging movements like muscle-ups.

When 15.3 was announced, my heart sank.

After 6 years of CrossFit, I’ve finally made it to a place where I’m not scared of 30 double unders. 100 still gasses me like no other. Let alone more than one set of 100...