How long did it actually take you to get your first pull up/set of 10?

36 replies

• jbmgh·Aug 2, 3:16 PM

  Took me a few weeks to get my first, then quickly up to 7/8 and I’ve been stuck there for 18 months! 46m

• original_position693·Aug 3, 6:26 AM

  I’m at 6. Started at 2 been training about 4 months. I know when I get to 10 I’ll be walking around all confident for weeks 😂 congrats on the 10!

• easy_pride7452·Aug 5, 3:35 PM

  ngl the jump from "one ugly rep" to a clean set feels way longer than people make it sound. What helped me most was treating pullups like skill practice: lots of submax sets, stop before form gets weird, and add slow negatives or dead hangs on days where full reps are cooked. 10 usually shows up after the boring consistency phase, not after one magic cue.

• shinkai2008·Aug 6, 2:03 PM

  Started last year with my first attempt being an ugly one rep and actually pulled something around my biceps/forearm. Spent 2-3 weeks doing only inverted rows(didn't feel any pain doing this) to build more back and biceps strength. It took me around 9 months to finally get to 10. I'm at 11 or 12 reps right now trying to work my way to 15 as a goal.

• fabthierry·Aug 6, 4:59 PM

  seems to depend a lot on bodyweight though. I did them when i was super young like 7/8 for sure as we trained it also during greek wrestling training. Not sure how i started them but i remember beeing light and most of us could just do them due to grappling training :) But i see very strong dudes in my gym with 10-15kgs more than me and not getting the reps i get with 25kg extra with currently 80kgs kg. I feel a good muscle-mind connection helps a ton to get your first ones in and the timing of using right muscles in the right moment during each phase of a pull up

• first_length6323·Aug 11, 2:40 AM

  27 pull ups... trying to reach 30 this year... or next? Ten years on and off training but the last three consistently twice a week.

• zestyclosebattle2387·Aug 11, 6:53 AM

  It took me longer than I expected. Consistency made the biggest difference, not any single breakthrough.

• glove_right_2·Aug 11, 8:24 AM

  When i tried pull ups for the first time i was doing 12 in a row. That was after 5-6 months of bouldering without any other training or workout experience.

• not_psycho_paul_1·Aug 11, 8:44 AM

  Not all that long, actually. I went from 0 to 10 within a few months. However, I also lost more than 10 kg during that time period, so every pull-up got easier.

• cyberhobbit70·Aug 12, 2:20 AM

  I’ve been following Pavel’s Fighter Pull Up program for a few weeks and I am now starting the ladder at 7 reps

• cactuswrenaz·Aug 14, 4:24 AM

  I naturally have about 4 and it took about 6 months to get to 10. Felt great since I was the guy in middle school who could barely eke out one. 160 lbs

• shade_study_break·Aug 18, 12:25 PM

  Being perfectly honest, I did them terribly for years so I can't say.

• sorry4thedank·Aug 25, 6:59 AM

  Ive always been able to do 10 but I started gymnastics when I was 3.

• tenderlylonertrot·Aug 25, 9:28 AM

  assume you are saying each set is 27+? Just be careful of repetitive motion on your shoulders. My personal rule (which may not be grounded in physiology) is once I get well over 10-rep (11-13) sets, I start adding weight to get back down to 7-10, rinse and repeat. I've got a 25# vest right now, and now just edging into the range (11+ reps) where I need to think about uping the weight. However, I've had shoulder issues before and now, some I think from doing too many pullups in my youth (I'm 60 now).

• michaevon·Aug 25, 9:53 AM

  First good one, not sure, pretty long time but dumbass like I am I didn’t research how to do the progression. After that I reckon a couple of years to get to 10, maybe 18 months. I’m in my early 50s though. And sure wish I’d tried earlier!

• such_anywhere1735·Aug 25, 10:03 AM

  If you mean a truly clean one, it took me about 4 months.

• fuertebrazos·Aug 25, 12:00 PM

  Took me about a year. I was 64. Losing weight was a big part of it. Then I had a bike accident, broke my collarbone and a couple of ribs. Couldn't do even one for several years. I am 73 now and I've been working to get back to 10 for the last six years. Just hit 10 again. But I can't do it consistently. Usually eight. I may never get back to 10 on a consistent basis. It's fine. Age is a bitch.

• responsible_bid_3820·Aug 25, 2:25 PM

  like 4 months

• usernamesmeannothing·Aug 25, 2:37 PM

  9 months and I'm still at 0. I'm also over 50 and overweight. I'm getting there, but slowly. I am close. I could probably eek one out in an emergency, but I would definitely injure myself and spend the next few weeks nursing the injury.

• emp_from_osc·Aug 28, 12:58 PM

  Some jelly person downvoted you lol. My first ever I did 4 having absolutely no idea what would happen. Maybe swimming I dunno.

• theriverinyou·Aug 28, 1:08 PM

  I don't remember,  I was a kid when I did my first 10 in a row.

• theshadowofwar·Aug 29, 1:01 PM

  Still haven't gotten my first one yet, honestly I just gave it my first real attempt yesterday. I just started going to the gym a week ago though, and I've heard much about the great equalizer. Looking forward to achieving my first 😁💪

• shankyouverymuch·Aug 29, 3:33 PM

  Do ring pullups. Nothing inherently dangerous about going over 10 reps for most people

• thedayscomeandgone·Aug 30, 6:27 AM

  Got from 4 chin-ups or to 7 pull-ups pretty quickly (a few months). Then plateaued. Then got up to 10 or so with weights. Then had biceps tendonitis. Then had ulnar nerve impingement (cubital tunnel syndrome). Then had shoulder impingement. Now I’m at 10 or so.

• pale_jicama_6855·Aug 30, 6:33 AM

  33F, I haven’t been able to get past 7x in the last 15 years

• first_length6323_2·Aug 30, 7:02 AM

  Thanks. Yeah first set is 27, second falls off a cliff and is around 20. I use a belt and chain for weighted pullups when I do. Going for 30 so... I will have to keep doing high reps

• commercial_bed_2396·Aug 30, 8:52 AM

  Used to be able to do 11 when I was in 4th grade. Now I'm restarting and can only do 4, still 40 lbs overweight. Sad, but working my way back.

• santinimi·Aug 30, 10:27 AM

  Never got more than eight, but I weight 100kg

• fit_nectarine5047·Sep 4, 10:20 PM

  I’m with you 😭

• broad_olive9945·Sep 7, 2:44 AM

  Getting that first pull up took me like four months of failing, but the jump from one to ten took almost another year. Don't stress the timeline because once you cross that threshold, your back size catches up pretty fast.

• bindersfullofwomen·Sep 7, 2:47 AM

  Biggest thing that got the ball rolling on my pull ups was buying an over the door pull up bar and greasing the groove every time I went through that door.

• strict_fishing_236_3·Sep 7, 3:27 AM

  the jump from 7 to 10 is so rude. three reps should not feel like a whole second job.

• lolz14·Sep 7, 3:46 AM

  So I mostly workout at home/outdoor parks. Back in October/November I couldn't do a full pullup, I could do a chinup (maybe not a full one though). Then during Winter I mostly worked out at home with dumbells+bands, and back in February/March started trying out pull ups again. I think I hit my first full motion pullup early March, and now I can do a couple of regular pull ups (4 or 5), and can do sets of neutral grip pull ups (2-3x4-5). So, since 1st pull up, it took me 2 months of going from just 1 set to multiple sets. What helped me the most in getting real pull ups were elastic bands more than negative reps, and I waited too long to get going with them. I still throw in couple of sets later in workout when I feel like I can't rack sets of normal ones anymore. I think one other thing that helps a lot, and one I didn't do during Winter really is horizontal rows - I felt my lats firing like crazy in first few weeks/months, even now it's tough to get 3 full sets of 10 (I'm constant

• plastic_stock8666·Sep 8, 5:40 AM

  Do you ever add a bit of weight?

• mid_lift_crisis·Sep 8, 5:58 AM

  Sounds to me like you made age your bitch

• scoo_by_2·Sep 8, 6:40 AM

  Still working on getting the first. Tbh, I was a completely overweight sedentary guy for last 10 years, so I've to build up the muscle first then the skill unlocks itself.