How Many Pull Ups Should I Be Able to Do? Standards
How many pull ups should you be able to do? About 7 strict reps is novice and 12–14 intermediate for men. See pull up standards by bodyweight and check yours.
Pull-up reps stuck for weeks? Find out what is holding them.
Standards scale with bodyweight.
Dead hang to chin over the bar, no kipping.
Enter your bodyweight and your best set of strict pull-ups to see your level.
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How many pull ups should you be able to do? For a man who has trained regularly for about six months, around 7 strict reps; after two years, 12–14 at most bodyweights; advanced lifters do about 20. For women, about 6 strict reps is intermediate. Enter your best set above to see your level at your bodyweight.
How many pull-ups should you be able to do?
These are Strength Level's pull-up standards for men, counted as strict reps from a dead hang to chin over the bar (Strength Level):
| Bodyweight | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 140 lb | 7 | 14 | 23 | 32 |
| 160 lb | 7 | 14 | 22 | 30 |
| 180 lb | 7 | 13 | 21 | 28 |
| 200 lb | 7 | 12 | 19 | 27 |
| 220 lb | 6 | 11 | 18 | 25 |
For women at 120–160 lb, intermediate is 5–6 reps and advanced 11–13. Novice means about six months of regular training and intermediate about two years. These are people who log the lift, so they are fitter than average.
How many pull-ups can the average man do?
It depends entirely on who is tested. No study has measured a representative sample of men, but several large groups have been:
| Group | Average strict pull-ups |
|---|---|
| 7,107 male students at a Chinese university | 7.4 |
| Norwegian male conscripts, 2020 | 8.0 |
| Men who log pull-ups on Strength Level | 13 |
| 19,678 active-duty US Marines | 18.0 |
The conscript average was 8.8 in 1923 (Aandstad, 2023); student data from Feng et al., 2022; Marine data from Keefer & DeBeliso, 2020. The student spread was huge, a standard deviation of 7.2 reps, so many did close to zero.
What percent of men can do a pull-up?
Nobody knows for men in general. Every dataset is selected: conscripts are screened for fitness and Marines train for the test. What is clear: men who train the movement typically reach about 7 reps within six months, while the wide spread in untested, untrained groups means many men cannot do several.
How do you get more pull-ups?
Practice them often and add reps gradually. Two or three sessions a week of several sets stopped a rep or two short of failure works for most lifters; if you cannot do one yet, use slow negatives and band-assisted reps. More weekly volume reliably builds muscle: each extra weekly set adds about 0.37% to growth on average (Schoenfeld et al., 2017).
What if your pull-ups are stuck?
If your best set has not moved in six weeks of regular practice, check bodyweight gain, how often you train the movement, and whether sets end far from failure. Find out what is holding your reps back.
FAQ
Is 10 pull-ups good?
Yes. For men it sits between novice and intermediate at most bodyweights, and for women it is close to advanced.
How many pull-ups can the average man do?
Somewhere between about 7 and 13 strict reps in groups that train or are tested regularly; untrained men typically do fewer.
How many pull-ups should a 200 lb man be able to do?
About 7 to reach novice and 12 for intermediate on Strength Level's standards.
Written and maintained by LiftDecode. Training and nutrition education for healthy adults, not medical advice — if you have a health condition or an injury, talk to a professional who can examine you.