Gripping too low, too high and progressing too fast are a few of the most common problems while developing the false grip.
This is a quick, down and dirty post and reminder of a few problems I see with people working on their false grip technique on False Grips. Reminder, all of this is addressed in our free 4-week Strict Muscle Up Guide.
3 common problems with the false grip (on False Grips)
1. Grip is too low - Make sure the heel of your hand is on top of the grips as close to the wrist as possible. This is the only way that you will have the leverage necessary to pull over the top in a full muscle up. The pictures below show the correct position along with a position that is too low.
Correct
Incorrect (too low)
2. Grip is too high - Make sure you are not grabbing too high over the grips. While it may seem like more is better, this will actually be a very uncomfortable position (both on False Grips and empty rings) because your hands will end up slipping downward and likely tearing wrist skin. In the picture below, you can see the wrist is over the top of the grips rather than just being next to the outer edge.
Incorrect (too high)
3. Too much, too soon - Finally, when building your false grip strength, do it in a similar way that you would build strength on a barbell, start light and build slowly. For example, progressively build intensity over a period of time making sure you feel comfortable with the previous movement before moving on.
Example:
Week 1 - False grip toe-assisted transitions on low rings
Week 2 - False grip ring rows
Week 3 - False grip bent-arm hang on rings
Week 4 - False grip straight-arm hang on rings
Final note
As with all good training sessions, make sure to finish up with some stretching exercises afterward! Also, we have an entire 4-week Muscle Up Guide that you can download for FREE. We love helping out. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to reach out or tag us in a video at @falsegrips on social media.