Pull ups and press ups: how many can you do?

Pull ups and press ups: how many can you do?

Author
Discussion

ORD

Original Poster:

18,086 posts

126 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Totally unscientific, but can you guys let me know the number of proper pull-ups (or chins) and press ups you can do with proper form along with your bodyweight and age?

I have been looking at some standards for these (to set targets), and they vary wildly. Some of them seem utterly unrealistic (e.g. 25 pull ups being the minimum to be classed as anything more than "good"), so it would be good to know what the PH crew can manage.

I have not once in my life seen a man who weighs more than about 70kg do 20 or more pull ups, so I am very sceptical about the numbers that I see floated around.

ORD

Original Poster:

18,086 posts

126 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
For reference, last time I tried, I could do 14 neutral grip dead hang pull ups. And that was after a few weeks training them quite often. Pathetic if there are really loads of otherwise not very strong men doing 20+!

Not sure about press ups - more than 40, I would guess. I think press ups require mental effort as much as anything - it is really unpleasant after about 45 seconds. When I were a lad (22), I could do 80 press ups in a minute, which included a 10 second rest after 60. I think 50 would be a good target.

34 years old and 82kg.

Jamie VTS

1,238 posts

146 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Age 25. Bw 72kg

Pull ups 13.

Push ups (chest to floor) 35.

BigMon

4,155 posts

128 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
I'm 6ft 6, 16 stone and 44 years old. Long levers!

Max pull ups I can do after warming up is about 16. It tails off very quickly in the next few sets though (like 12, 10, 6, etc).

Most push ups I can do after warming up is probably low thirties.

Heathwood

2,523 posts

201 months

Monday 24th April 2017
quotequote all
Despite having a pull up bar in my garage gym, I don't particular enjoy them so don't practice them as much as I should. Nevertheless, I can do around 15 strict chins, maybe a couple less using overhand pull Pretty crap I suspect.

Push-ups I also rarely do but don't seem to have too much difficulty reaching 50. Fighting lactic acid and a bit of mental willpower may see a few more, but I doubt I'd get 60, if that.

BW is 70kg

Edited to add age, which is 42.

mazdajason

1,113 posts

171 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Fresh in my mind as I did this last night!
M / 29 / 94kg /6'5"

Weighted chin ups (with a 5kg weight): 3x8 then 1x6 with a 60 second rest in-between. In one go I reckon I might be able to do 12-14.
Press ups: 9x10 with a 60 second rest in-between. I reckon in one go I could do between 25-30

ORD

Original Poster:

18,086 posts

126 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Thanks, guys.

Interesting to see people clustered around the mid-teens for pull ups. I suspected that was more realistic than 20.

FredClogs

14,041 posts

160 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
I set myself a challenge to get to 100 press ups before x-mas (last) I got to about 75 with a little break I could go on to 100, I was pretty dedicated to it for about 4 months though, including nipping to the work disabled toilet to do 50 press ups 3 times a day, latterly I'm back down to doing a comfortable 40 twice a day. I do have a knackered shoulder though but I think that's more to do with redoing the patio over the last few weeks or trying to keep up with my kid on the climbing wall.

Pull ups... not so good. I can do a comfortable 10 long arm, shoulder width pull ups, I can do more under hand ones engaging more biceps and if I start doing daft crosstraining type kips I can do 20 or more but not at the moment with this shoulder... I'm 40, 73Kg.

BRR

1,845 posts

171 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
I can do about 13 decent overhand pull ups and mid 40's (on a good day) chest to ground press ups
age = 34
BW = 82kg

didelydoo

5,528 posts

209 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Think I could hit 20, but not tried- have done 10 with +30kg before- may give it a go a report back. BW 107kg.
No idea with push ups!

LordGrover

33,531 posts

211 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
I may, or may not report back.

I've done no exercise or training for about a year; 54 years old, 6 '1", 75kgs. A year or two ago I could do maybe 10-12 pull-ups (at more like 85-90kgs), never really done push-ups.

Really ought to start some kind of exercise as some of my weight loss has been muscle/LBM, so may start a few bodyweight exercises. Would be interesting to see whether I am still able to do even one pull-up. hehe

J4CKO

41,284 posts

199 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Not really tried pull ups but can do 5 chin ups, was going to try pull ups last night but chest still too sore, however, couldn't do any this time last year so is progress I guess, i suspect a lot of the population cant do any based on a lack of power and a surfeit of weight.

Am thinking Pull Ups are harder than chin ups ?

Will try tonight if my chest stops aching and report back.

ORD

Original Poster:

18,086 posts

126 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
People generally find pull ups slightly harder, but that is partly because they generally take a wider grip on pull ups. Much wider than shoulder width makes pull ups quite a lot harder (but better for strengthening the back, supposedly).

Chin ups and pull ups activate the same muscles (if done at the same width) and to an almost identical extent. For that reason, the usual advice is to do whichever is most comfortable for your shoulders.

I find neutral grip slightly more comfortable than supinated (chins) and vastly more comfortable than overhand (pull ups). But I think I can probably do more chins than neutral grip (by 1 or 2 reps). Pull ups are much worse because my shoulders seem to get in their own way (minor impingement, maybe).

In my experience, it's hard to predict what pull-up training will work for you. 'Greasing the groove' works for me only to the extent of making it much easier to do a few pull ups; it doesn't seem to increase my max much.

RobM77

35,349 posts

233 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
The problem with this thread is that this forum has never been a typical cross section of people in general, or even people who like to keep fit. There's always been an emphasis on weight training over and above general fitness or cv based sports. The probability of someone posting if they're proud of their results is also higher than the probability of them posting if they're not!

I'll update tonight when I've had a go, but I think what's below is right for me. I've assumed we're talking non-stop with no breaks. For a standard fitness test I've done 45 press ups in a minute, but that was with breaks. I've included my weekly activity, because I see this as highly relevant!! A few years ago someone posted a '100 press ups' challenge, and with a change in weekly activity like many others I got near this, but my weight went up to 78kg in the process and I felt awful, so I stopped and re-addressed the balance in my activity.

Age: 40
Weight: 70kg
Chin Ups: 5 (starting hanging on straight arms, chin over bar at end)
Press Ups: 30
Weekly Activity: 5 x 6km walk, 2 x 25km bike, 3 x 5km run, 3 hours windsurfing, 1 hour SUP. Resistance/weights: 2 x 45min upper body and neck, 1 x 20 mins core.

ORD

Original Poster:

18,086 posts

126 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
I think that's true, Rob. But there are also dozens of people posting about their running programmes. If, like me, you think running is a waste of time, it's nice to have threads about other exercises!

The thing about weight training is that it takes time - months to build a decent base level of strength. It also stays around for quite a while if you train less. My experience of running is that improvements come quickly but that the fitness it brings goes just as quickly if you stop running for a while. It took me only a few weeks to get to a 21 minute 5k, whereas it has taken me months to get to decentish deadlift and squat numbers.

It is good to be balanced. I see bodyweight exercises as giving a fairly good indication of overall fitness. If you can 10 pull ups, you're probably not a fat mess or a weakling. It is hard to think of many other things that provide that much of an overall assessment.

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
There was a pull up competition at my gym. I was going to enter but decided not to bother as one of the PTers hit 32 (he's about 6' tall and has more muscle than me so assume he weighs more than 70kg). Last time I did pull ups, I managed about 25 (untimed, resting at deadhang position, weigh just over 70kg). Got tennis elbow (from tennis) so am avoiding pull ups.

joshcowin

6,775 posts

175 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
age: 25
pullups: 8 on a good day
pushups: 50 nonstop

Rob - what neck exercises are you doing and why? just curious.

J4CKO

41,284 posts

199 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Press Up wise, will give that a try, her cousin videoed himself on Facebook doing some pressup challenge but the form was atrocious, barely moving and I showed her so rather than agree she said "bet you cant do any", so obviously, being a male, who has been called out, I dropped and dip 30 or so and she told me to stop saying I had made my point biggrin

I think I am going to do more bodyweight stuff, very easy to get wrapped up in exercise gear, he says as yet more weights wait at home having been delivered, as otherwise I dont tend to do anything unless I have a fully fitted gym available and that is daft, people manage with furniture and a coupel of Kettlebells.

chris watton

22,477 posts

259 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
Age 50 and can do around 80 Push Ups non-stop and I have done 18 wide grip pull ups (neck to bar)

So

26,271 posts

221 months

Tuesday 25th April 2017
quotequote all
chris watton said:
Age 50 and can do around 80 Push Ups non-stop and I have done 18 wide grip pull ups (neck to bar)
Are you very skinny?