OT: Pull-ups

Can you now, or have you ever been able to do 8 uninterrupted pull-ups?


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jimmyjoseph

All-Conference
Jun 18, 2020
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It's a really tough muscle group for most people to strengthen. No idea why. When I was going hard-core on p90x, I could do 80 or 90 push-ups, bench just short of 300, do curls like nobody's business, but pull-ups were always a challenge to get over 6.
part of it probably is that men are way more concerned about pecs and biceps than lats. I believe if we spent as much time on pull-ups as we do on bench and biceps they would respond. But they are hard which means we naturally want to avoid them.
 

JohnRossEwing

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Jul 4, 2013
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It's a really tough muscle group for most people to strengthen. No idea why. When I was going hard-core on p90x, I could do 80 or 90 push-ups, bench just short of 300, do curls like nobody's business, but pull-ups were always a challenge to get over 6.

Bodyweight stuff is hard.

I used to coach wrestling and had a 119 pounder that could bench 225 and squat 350ish...dude could rip off pullups like they were nothing (sucked at wrestling) we. had a 190 guy that could lift the gym, held most of the school lifting records at. the time but probably could not do 3 pull ups in a row.

Check out gymnasts, those guys. are RIPPED...they look huge. Then you find out they are all 5'2 and 135 pounds. Easy for them to do pull ups.

Add pounds to that frame, even if you are working out, it isn't like that 60 pounds is all muscle and all in your back, biceps and rear delts. So you are still lifting a ton more weight up during your pull up.
 

skintight

Sophomore
Dec 2, 2012
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there is a a huge obesity problem in the united states. pardon the pun. obesity alone will stop people from being able to do a single pull up. just sayin
 

vs540husker

Heisman
Oct 3, 2004
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Use to do 4 sets of 12 pull-ups and 4 sets of 12 chin-ups as part of my workout 3 years ago. But I’d be shocked if I could do 1 set of 2 now.
 
Aug 18, 2016
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Not sure what you're reading, but the "average guy" (median) in the USA is obese and can't hang from a bar, let alone, do 8 pull-ups. Potentially the same source that calculates that the average penis is 8 inches long. Of course, the average guy on this board does 8 pull-ups with his 8-inch penis, but we're obviously elite in every way.

@Huskerz99 and his 3 1/2 incher helps keep the average at 8 inches for those of us packing 12 and 1/2 inchers
 

dinglefritz

Heisman
Jan 14, 2011
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part of it probably is that men are way more concerned about pecs and biceps than lats. I believe if we spent as much time on pull-ups as we do on bench and biceps they would respond. But they are hard which means we naturally want to avoid them.
Pull ups are an anatomically unnatural physical action. When you stop and think about the function of the human body, when do you ever do an action that requires you to pull down with that type of action? Pulling a garage door down maybe? It's just not a muscle group we've needed to use to survive. If your daily life required you to pull yourself up a cliff or in to a tree without using your legs then you would probably be able to do a lot of pullups.
 
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JohnRossEwing

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Jul 4, 2013
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Pull ups are an anatomically unnatural physical action. When you stop and think about the function of the human body, when do you ever do an action that requires you to pull down with that type of action? Pulling a garage door down maybe? It's just not a muscle group we've needed to use to survive. If you're daily life required you to pull yourself up a cliff or in to a tree without using your legs then you would probably be able to do a lot of pullups.
Well, I use it when I am pulling myself up the side a girls house that has blocked me from contacting her but I know she is just playing hard to get...I mean...yeah the garage door!
 

mgbreeze

All-Conference
Dec 16, 2004
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Didn't the Marines make some changes to their physical fitness testing to replace pull ups because so few could pass? If a wiry HS grad can't do them you know It's a tough one. I'm getting to later 40's and still do pushups regularly. Could do 40 or so good ones no problem, but gotta be honest I'd struggle to do 2 pull ups. If I ever have to shimmy across a guy wire to escape the zombie horde I'm screwed.
 
Jun 7, 2017
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I would say 8 non-kipping pullups is good for most reasonably fit adults.

For context, the bare minimum to pass the old Marine Corps boot camp Physical Fitness Test was 3 and 20 was a perfect score. Most Marines I served with averaged 10-15 and are among the most physically fit people around. And, they do pullups all the time. We were not allowed to kip and did full dead-hang.

I won't say how many pullups I did in the Corps or now.

Now excuse me while I go plow supermodels with my 13" meat sausage.
 

JohnRossEwing

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Jul 4, 2013
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Didn't the Marines make some changes to their physical fitness testing to replace pull ups because so few could pass? If a wiry HS grad can't do them you know It's a tough one. I'm getting to later 40's and still do pushups regularly. Could do 40 or so good ones no problem, but gotta be honest I'd struggle to do 2 pull ups. If I ever have to shimmy across a guy wire to escape the zombie horde I'm screwed.
That was to let girls in.
 

thegwer

Sophomore
Aug 4, 2001
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I'm not worried about Pullups it's wearing those Depends someday is more concerning to me.
 

inthedeed

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Mar 28, 2009
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as a kid could climb most trees and could climb any ropes using just my arms. in my 20's would do 4 sets of pullups alternating with chinups at the end of heavy workouts. usually could get 20, then 15, then 10 then 8 or so. remember you could push me over with a finger at the end of that(for a few minutes anyway)
about 40 years later my mind thinks it could but one might be a tussle.
 

mgbreeze

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Dec 16, 2004
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That was to let girls in.
I guess that's true. 2016 Marine Times article:

"After years of debate about whether to require women to do pullups as part of the PFT, the flexed-arm hang era is officially coming to a close. Starting next year, all Marines, poolees and officer candidates will have two choices when it comes to flexing their upper-body might: pullups or pushups.

Brian McGuire, deputy of fitness branch for TECOM's standards division, called the flexed-arm hang an "inadequate test of upper body strength," adding that the pullup is preferred because it requires an individual to overcome his entire body weight, while a pushup requires he overcome only 70 to 80 percent. So why include pushups at all?

McGuire said it was because the Marine Corps didn't "want to create a manpower problem by having some female Marines failing."
 

Husker.Wed._rivals

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Feb 13, 2004
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This thread peaked my interest. I'm a 61 year old overweight 5 day a week gym rat. I do 4 sets weekly of around 10 pullups using the machine assist. Today I tried overhand pullups with no assist and did 4 honestly. I got a fifth by kipping. I started my Marine Corps PFT (43 years and 60 pounds ago) by doing 16 reverse grip pullups. I practiced a lot and by year 4 could do 20. I was bummed today I could do only 4, so definitely motivation to lose some weight. But I doubt I could ever get to 20 again. I don't believe the "average American man" can do eight, not by a longshot.
 

JohnRossEwing

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Jul 4, 2013
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This thread peaked my interest. I'm a 61 year old overweight 5 day a week gym rat. I do 4 sets weekly of around 10 pullups using the machine assist. Today I tried overhand pullups with no assist and did 4 honestly. I got a fifth by kipping. I started my Marine Corps PFT (43 years and 60 pounds ago) by doing 16 reverse grip pullups. I practiced a lot and by year 4 could do 20. I was bummed today I could do only 4, so definitely motivation to lose some weight. But I doubt I could ever get to 20 again. I don't believe the "average American man" can do eight, not by a longshot.

Yeah, I just think the fact that most dudes are probably over 160 pounds makes this really hard. That is a lot of weight to be lifting up.

I would say the "average joe" can do these things

1. One true pullup
2. 7 true pushups

That is it. I am just thinking of the dudes I work with, I can't picture any of them doing 8 real pullups. But I can picture all of them lying about it! Haha
 

ADV88

Junior
Oct 26, 2018
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I'm training myself for the Murph and have been doing 20lb vested "strict" pullups for a while now... usually get 10 in a set and have done up to 70 pull ups in this method... need to get to 100 for the Murph... it's tough but I'm feeling good about where I'm at and WILL complete the whole thing come Memorial Day... I'm also planning on running through the whole thing in a row and not breaking it up by mixing movements the way he ran it...

The Murph:
20 lb vest for the complete workout
1-mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1-mile run

I ran a 1/2 murph last weekend in 34 minutes... I want to do the whole thing in less than an hour and so that's my goal
 
Aug 27, 2006
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I'm training myself for the Murph and have been doing 20lb vested "strict" pullups for a while now... usually get 10 in a set and have done up to 70 pull ups in this method... need to get to 100 for the Murph... it's tough but I'm feeling good about where I'm at and WILL complete the whole thing come Memorial Day... I'm also planning on running through the whole thing in a row and not breaking it up by mixing movements the way he ran it...

The Murph:
20 lb vest for the complete workout
1-mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1-mile run

I ran a 1/2 murph last weekend in 34 minutes... I want to do the whole thing in less than an hour and so that's my goal

Holy cow...you rock.
 

RiLLLLLLLLey

Junior
Oct 14, 2017
1,242
332
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Yeah, I just think the fact that most dudes are probably over 160 pounds makes this really hard. That is a lot of weight to be lifting up.

I would say the "average joe" can do these things

1. One true pullup
2. 7 true pushups

That is it. I am just thinking of the dudes I work with, I can't picture any of them doing 8 real pullups. But I can picture all of them lying about it! Haha
I was a gym rat from the age of 15. Lately, I simply refuse to go to any gym - you know, because of that whole Covid thing. I still do push-ups in my living room, and, no ****, lift furniture in lieu of dumbbells. When my wife sees me curling a small coffee table, I always start laughing.
 

WagyuWrangler

All-American
Sep 27, 2014
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We need some major clarification ITT, are we counting narrow over or underhand as pull ups and not chinups?

Narrow I can do 10 either way, real shaky past 6, past shoulder width apart, like 2.

Also does it count as one handed is you grab your wrist with the other hand? If so 2 also on that lol
 

steinek11

All-Conference
Apr 18, 2004
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I was just never good at them. I’m not going to sit here and get personal about my athletic/weight lifting accomplishments, but I put much more than the average amount of time and effort into it during part of my life. I was never good at pull ups while I was good at other things. I have a lot of experience observing weight rooms as well.

There is no way 8 is the average for adult men. Maybe 8 could be average if one did not have to go past 90 degrees/all the way back down, but even then Im doubting it.
I would venture to say that 80% of American men over the age of 30 would have difficulty doing one underhand pull-up.
 
Aug 18, 2016
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I’m the tallest guy In the room....when I lay down.
Are you in a room with Fisher Price Little People?
 

250vertical

All-Conference
Dec 16, 2011
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I would say 8 non-kipping pullups is good for most reasonably fit adults.

For context, the bare minimum to pass the old Marine Corps boot camp Physical Fitness Test was 3 and 20 was a perfect score. Most Marines I served with averaged 10-15 and are among the most physically fit people around. And, they do pullups all the time. We were not allowed to kip and did full dead-hang.

I won't say how many pullups I did in the Corps or now.

Now excuse me while I go plow supermodels with my 13" meat sausage.
Generally, the longer the arms, the fewer the pullups. Short arm dudes can get going like a beagle on a *****.