Pull-ups and chin-ups are two of the best exercises you can do – especially with no equipment (other than a bar). They provide an incredible back and bicep workout, and can really help getting that V-taper that every man wants. If you’re not doing pull-ups already, you should seriously start doing them. The question is, how many pull-ups or chin-ups do you need to do to get results?
To determine how many pull-ups or chin-ups you should do, perform one all-out set to failure and see how many you can do consecutively without stopping. Divide this number in half, and multiply by 10. This is the appropriate number of total pull-ups or chin-ups for you currently. For example, if you can do 10 pull-ups non-stop, your goal should be 50. (That’s 10 x (10/2) reps). If you run into fractions, round up. For example, half of 7 is 3.5, so you’d do 10 sets of 4). Perform this many pull-ups 3-5 times per week, or whenever you train back. As you get bigger and stronger, this exercise will become more challenging, so don’t expect the number of pull-ups or chin-ups that you can perform to increase indefinitely. Don’t worry, they will continue to be effective in developing your back and arms. If you can do more than 20 pull-ups or chin-ups in one continuous set, it is time to add weight using a weighted vest or a weight belt.
The exact number of pull-ups or chin-ups you should do will vary based on a number of variables like overall fitness level, level of muscularity, how much fat you carry, age, and a host of other factors. Read on and we’ll discuss some of these factors and how they’ll affect how many pull-ups or chin-ups you should do.
How many pull-ups is average for a man?
The average, untrained man between ages 18-35 will probably be able to do 1-5 pull-ups. If you are active, athletic, or previously have trained with weights, you may be able to do more than this. If you are already able to do 10 pull-ups consecutively then pat yourself on the back because you are definitely above average already!
If you’re not able to do any pull-ups or chin-ups, there’s a good chance that your bodyfat is too high. This will flush your strength-to-weight ratio down the toilet.
The other possibility is that you are just weak, and lacking muscle mass. If this is the case, then you are on the right track by getting started with pull-ups or chin-ups. You’ll need to continue to do resistance training until you’ve built more muscle, and eventually, 10+ pull-ups will be nothing for you.
How many pull-ups should I do if I’m overweight?
Depending on how overweight you are, just being able to do a single pull-up could be difficult. If this is the case for you, start out by doing 10 sets of one pull up or chin up. Just perform one pull-up or chin up, rest as long as necessary (less than 5 minutes) then do another. Repeat this process until you reach a total of 10. If you are really weak, feel free to space them out through the day. Continue to do this 2 to 3 times a week until you can do two pull ups or chin ups without stopping, at least for the first set of the day. At this point, you will then do sets of 1-2 pull ups or chin ups until you reach a total of 20.
If you cannot do a single pull up or chin up you need to focus on losing fat. Also perform resistance training 2-3 times per week to build muscle until you are light enough and strong enough to do a pull-up, or chin-up.
How many pull-ups should I do if I’m a beginner?
Your goal should be to get to where you can do a set of 10 pull-ups or chin-ups in one set without stopping. Use the formula I gave in the beginning to determine a starting point. If you can only do 2 or less pull-ups when you start out, do singles until you reach a total of 10. Once you can do 3 consecutive reps, move up to performing 10 sets of 2 reps.
If you cannot do a single pull-up or chin-up you can do slow hangs, where you jump, swing, or step up to the top of the movement and slowly control your descent. This will strengthen the lats and biceps and will accustom your body to pull-ups. You can also use a pull-up assist machine at your gym, or have a spotter hold your waist and help you on the positive portion of the exercise.
If you are a young beginner, in particular, you’ll find that you progress rapidly with this exercise. Unless you are very heavy. Focus on getting/staying lean so that you’re not having to lift unnecessary excess weight that will make pull-ups and chin-ups much more difficult.
How many pull-ups should I do if I want to get big?
If you want to grow huge muscles, the emphasis should be on doing slow and controlled pull-ups or chin-ups. You should always do them in a slow and controlled manner, but for maximum muscle growth stimulation it is important to slow it down a little more.
50 pull-ups is the benchmark you should aim for in every back workout. If you are on the lighter side (>180lbs for a male) you should try to do even more, in sets of 10-12 slow reps. Perform 3-5 workouts per week.
Stick with the formula in the opening paragraph to get the most out of your pull-up workout and get a bigger back and more muscular arms.
For additional muscle gains, use a weight belt or vest for additional resistance. You can also attach a resistance band to the bottom of the pull-up apparatus and hook the handles onto your feet for more resistance – specifically at the top of the movement, where you are the strongest.
How many pull-ups should I do if I’m already in good shape/muscular?
The beauty of pull-ups, and all bodyweight exercises, is that as you grow larger and heavier (from additional muscle mass), they will require more effort to perform. So as you gain weight, your pull-ups and chin-ups will get harder. So you won’t need to increase the total number of reps unless it gets too easy.
If you are large and muscular, the formula still applies. See how many pull-ups you can do in a single set, fresh. Multiply this by 5, and that’s how many you should aim for in about 10 sets (or divide by 2, then multiply by 10). So if you can do 12 straight, do 60 total.
If this is too much, try resting longer between sets, or doing this challenging exercise at the beginning of your workout, when you’re fresh and at your strongest. If neither of these help, do 10 sets of ⅓ the number of your max and work up from there over the next few weeks.
Should I do pull-ups or chin-ups?
The difference between pull-ups and chin-ups lies simply in the position of your hands. For pull-ups, your palms are facing forward, or overhand grip. Chin-ups use an underhand grip, where your palms are facing toward you.
Both of these hand positions work the same muscle groups but with a slightly different emphasis. Chin-ups (underhand) put more emphasis on the biceps and the rear deltoids. Whereas pull-ups (overhand) will concentrate more of the work on your lats. So if you want a wider back, you should do more pull-ups. If you’re more concerned with growing your biceps, you should do more chin-ups.
Either of these exercises will blast your lats and dramatically increase your upper body strength. It’s best to do a variety of both. Try alternating between chin-ups and pull-ups each set to get a well-rounded workout. Parallel-grip pull-ups work great too for another variation.
Where can I do pull-ups or chin-ups?
The easiest way to do pull-ups or chin-ups regularly is to get a pull up bar at home. A door-frame pull-up bar is an inexpensive and convenient way to ensure you always have access to a bar and no excuse to avoid your pull-ups or chin-ups.
Other options are places like the gym, local playgrounds or exercise parks, scaffolding, railings or other architectural features. Keep your eyes open, there’s potential pull-up bars all over the place. But if you’re going to do them regularly, you’ll either need to go to the gym, or have a pull-up bar at home. They’re affordable and take up very little space, so if you’re serious about pullups, and regularity is key, you should really get your own.
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Pull-ups are one of the most challenging and effective resistance exercises in existence. Certainly one of the most difficult types of calisthenics (bodyweight only exercises). A true compound movement, pull-ups will work about half of your upper body muscle mass. While their muscle building effects on the back, biceps, and forearms, is extremely effective, obviously pull-ups do not do anything for the lower body, or the antagonistic upper body muscle groups. So, you can gain some serious muscle mass from just doing pull-ups, but you will not have a complete, balanced physique.
How Many Squats A Day Will Make A Difference?
While nearly any number of squats will make some difference, the higher the number you do, the greater the results. This carries true until you get to really high rep numbers, i.e. over 200 squats. If you are out of shape, even 10-20 squats per day will have a significant impact on the strength of your legs, back, and on your energy levels. It is difficult to overtrain with bodyweight squats, so do plenty of them. 100+ squats a day is a great level to be at. If you want more muscular legs, try to work your way up to at least 50 per day, every other day and you will not regret it!
