You will not see a weak person doing a full range, properly executed pull-up. You can hand a weak person an empty bar and do bench press, overhead press, squat, and deadlift, and teach them to do it with perfect form.
Some strong individuals may not have developed the neuromuscular coordination necessary for executing pull-ups. Injury or Mobility Issues: Previous injuries or mobility restrictions in the shoulders, elbows, or wrists can limit a person's ability to perform pull-ups, even if they are strong overall.
Pull-ups require not just upper body strength but also coordination, stability, and flexibility. If you're finding pull-ups difficult now, don't worry--you're not alone. The good news is that with consistent training, anyone can build the necessary strength to master this movement. Here's how!
According to various sources, on average: A man can do at least 8 pull-ups. A woman can do 1 to 3 pull-ups.
Another reason why you can't do more pull-ups is lack of grip strength. Even if you have the strength to do a few pull-ups, but it fails because you can't hold onto the bar, you won't make progress because you're not reaching your potential. This means you need to work on your grip strength.
That means that instead of pulling yourself up and then going down, you just jump to the top position and then let you go down slowly. This way, you eliminate the hardest part (pulling yourself up) but by going down slowly, you prepare your muscles to withstand the load.
They require good amount of strength in order to be done properly. In short they can be sometimes too hard for beginners. There's nothing wrong with you if you struggle to do even one pull-up. All it means is that those you need to strengthen some areas and muscles of your body better.
There are no definitive guidelines, but the number of pull-ups that are generally considered strong is 12+ for men and 8+ for women. If you can do this many, you're considered an advanced athlete. However, you are still considered an above-average athlete if you can do more than 8 (for men) or more than 3 (for women).
The muscles of your upper trunk, your arms and back, have less mass. It takes a ton of effort to generate enough power against gravity to move all that posterior chain weight through space using only your upper body. Basically, you're heavy.
Achieving your first pull up is a challenging feat for anybody, even those who are well trained will likely admit that pull ups are amongst the most difficult of exercises.
Bodyweight exercises become more difficult the taller you get because muscle power tends to increase linearly, while mass increases exponentially. Basically, the bigger you are, the less efficient your power output is. Absolute power does increase with your size (obviously), but it does so with diminishing returns.
If you have orthopaedic issues with your shoulders or elbow joints, you should not do pull-ups every day. These body structures need sufficient regeneration time after every workout. And besides this, you should rather consider doing a less demanding exercise (e.g. ring rows).
Medical Conditions: A number of health conditions, including arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and nerve injuries, can result in weakened grip strength.
“The hardest exercise to master regardless of fitness level, in my opinion, would be an exercise called the clean and jerk,” says personal trainer Mandy Wong Oultram. “It's tough because there are so many components to it and each part connects to the next. If you get one part wrong, the whole exercise can break down.”
Are push ups or pull ups harder? Pull ups are typically considered to be harder than push ups, this is due to three reasons, which include (1) the amount of weight you must lift (2) grip strength (3) and range of motion.
The pull-up can be painful for some people due to limited mobility, shoulder stability, exercise technique, etc. You may feel shoulder, tricep, bicep, elbow or forearm pain or soreness when doing pull-ups.
Average Pull Up Counts for Different Fitness Levels
Those at an intermediate level can do around 14 pull-ups, showing good technique and strength. Advanced lifters can do about 25 pull-ups, and elite lifters can do 37 or more. These numbers help people know their level and set realistic goals for getting better.
The main issue why most people can't do pull-ups is the lack of general pulling mechanics. The pull-up requires you to pull around 95% of your body weight. Let's say you weigh 100kg, you need to pull an estimate of 95kg using your body.
Lack of specific training: Pull-ups require a certain level of strength and muscular endurance in the upper body, particularly in the back, arms, and shoulders. If a bodybuilder has not specifically trained these muscles or practiced pull-ups regularly, they may find it challenging to perform them.