Long considered an important milestone in one’s fitness journey, pull-ups build upper body strength and look impressive in the gym
T
he pull-up has long been seen as an important fitness metric. From 1966 to 2013, public middle and high school students in the US were required to do pull-ups as part of the presidential fitness test (an evaluation Donald Trump has considered reinstating). US Marine Corps were long required to perform pull-ups as part of their regular physical fitness test, and prospective UK Royal Marines must complete a minimum of three to four pull-ups before they are eligible to join.
There is no definitive data on how many adults can perform a proper pull-up, but two things are clear: they are very difficult and look extremely cool.
“When a new client comes to see me, the most common exercise they say they’d like to be able to do is the pull-up,” says Emily Schofield, a certified personal trainer at the training company Ultimate Performance. “Achieving that first proper rep is one of the most satisfying milestones you can reach in the gym, because it’s a genuine, hard-earned display of strength, coordination and control.”
