How many pull-ups should I be able to do?
A 179 lb man aged 18-29 needs 2 pull-ups to beat half of men his age, 9 pull-ups for the 75th percentile and 14 pull-ups for the 90th. Only about 8% of women that age can do one strict pull-up, so a single rep puts a woman at the 92nd percentile.
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StrengthLifts, pulling and grip
Dead hang to chin over the bar, no kip. Enter added weight (0 for bodyweight) and reps. We score your estimated one-rep max — bodyweight plus added weight, scaled up for reps — so 15 bodyweight reps at 157 lb counts as roughly a 230 lb single.
These are strict, dead-hang, bodyweight pull-ups ranked against all adults of that sex and age at the US median bodyweight (179 lb for men, 153 lb for women), including the many who never train. Enter 0 added weight and your reps above to rank yourself at your own age and weight. Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat every number here as an informed estimate, not a measurement. Modeled from pull-up studies in students, soldiers, recruits and firefighters. The share of adults who can do one strict pull-up (about 60% of young men, 8% of young women) is an informed assumption.
How many pull ups should I be able to do for my age?
Strict pull-ups needed to reach each percentile among all men in the age band, at 179 lb. "Can do one" is the share of men that age who can do at least one; "None" means men at that percentile cannot do a full rep.
| Age | Can do one | 50th | 75th | 90th | 95th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 60% | 2 | 9 | 14 | 16 |
| 30-39 | 55% | 2 | 7 | 12 | 15 |
| 40-49 | 44% | None | 5 | 10 | 12 |
| 50-59 | 29% | None | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| 60-69 | 12% | None | None | 2 | 3 |
How many pull ups can the average man do?
The median man aged 18-29 reaches 2 pull-ups, and at 30-39 it is 2 pull-ups. By 40-49 the median man cannot do one: from that decade on, more than half of men cannot do a strict pull-up. Reaching the 90th percentile takes 14 pull-ups at 18-29 and 6 pull-ups at 50-59. To move up, see how to get better at pull ups.
How many pull ups should a woman be able to do?
Most women cannot do a strict pull-up, so the table starts at the 75th percentile. One rep reaches the 92nd percentile at 18-29 and the 97th percentile at 40-49. Strict pull-ups needed at 153 lb:
| Age | Can do one | 75th | 90th | 95th | 99th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 8% | None | None | 2 | 9 |
| 30-39 | 6% | None | None | 2 | 7 |
| 40-49 | 3% | None | None | None | 5 |
| 50-59 | 1% | None | None | None | 2 |
| 60-69 | <1% | None | None | None | None |
Pull up standards by age: what your reps are worth
The other direction: the percentile a given number of strict pull-ups reaches among all adults of that sex and age, at the median bodyweight.
Men
| Age | 1 rep | 5 reps | 10 reps | 15 reps | 20 reps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 40th | 64th | 82nd | 94th | 98th |
| 30-39 | 45th | 68th | 86th | 95th | 99th |
| 40-49 | 56th | 77th | 92nd | 98th | 99th |
| 50-59 | 71st | 90th | 97th | 99th | 99+ |
| 60-69 | 88th | 97th | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ |
Women
| Age | 1 rep | 5 reps | 10 reps | 15 reps | 20 reps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-29 | 92nd | 98th | 99th | 99+ | 99+ |
| 30-39 | 94th | 98th | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ |
| 40-49 | 97th | 99th | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ |
| 50-59 | 99th | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ |
| 60-69 | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ | 99+ |
How bodyweight changes the answer
A pull-up lifts your whole body, so a heavier person moves more total load on every rep. The calculator scores pull-ups on that total load and adjusts strength for body size, which means a heavier person reaches the same percentile in fewer reps. At 18-29, the 90th percentile takes 16 pull-ups for a 150 lb man and 9 pull-ups for a 210 lb man.
Men, ages 18-29
Strict pull-ups needed to reach each percentile among all men aged 18-29.
| Bodyweight | 50th | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 lb | 4 | 11 | 16 |
| 180 lb | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| 210 lb | None | 5 | 9 |
Women, ages 18-29
Strict pull-ups needed to reach each percentile among all women aged 18-29.
| Bodyweight | 90th | 95th |
|---|---|---|
| 120 lb | 2 | 5 |
| 150 lb | None | 3 |
| 180 lb | None | None |
How many pull ups do D1 athletes do?
Against the pooled NCAA Division I estimate, a 179 lb man needs 16 pull-ups to reach the D1 median, which is the 95th percentile among all men aged 18-29. A 153 lb woman needs 3 pull-ups to reach the D1 women's median, the 96th percentile among all women aged 18-29. Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat every number here as an informed estimate, not a measurement. The D1 comparison is not adjusted for age or bodyweight.
How these numbers are calculated
Each rep count goes through the same path as the calculator above. One strict rep counts as a one-rep max equal to your bodyweight. More reps count as bodyweight × (1 + 0.032 × reps), and the calculator stops crediting reps past 30. That total is then ranked against the weighted pull-up model for your age and sex. Converting reps to a one-rep max is an estimate, so treat the high-rep cells as rough, and the share of adults who can do one pull-up is the most assumption-driven number on this page. The weighted pull-up percentile page has the full standards in pounds and the methodology has the sources.
Questions
How many pull ups should I be able to do?
For a man aged 18-29 at 179 lb, 2 pull-ups reaches the median, 9 pull-ups the 75th percentile and 14 pull-ups the 90th. For a woman the same age at 153 lb, one strict pull-up is already the 92nd percentile, and 2 pull-ups reaches the 95th.
How many pull ups can the average person do?
Fewer than most people expect. About 60% of men aged 18-29 can do one strict pull-up, and about 8% of women. The median man that age reaches the middle with 2 pull-ups; the median woman cannot do one. The share who can do one falls with age, to about 29% of men in their 50s.
How many pull ups can the average man do?
At the US median bodyweight of 179 lb, 2 pull-ups reaches the median at 18-29, and 2 pull-ups at 30-39. From 40-49 on, the median man cannot do one: more than half of men that age cannot do a strict pull-up.
How many pull ups should a woman be able to do?
One strict pull-up is a strong result. Only about 8% of women aged 18-29 can do a strict pull-up, so a single rep is the 92nd percentile for that age, and 2 pull-ups reaches the 95th percentile. Five reps is the 98th percentile.
Is 10 pull ups good?
Yes. For a 179 lb man aged 18-29, 10 strict pull-ups is the 82nd percentile; at 40-49 it is the 92nd percentile. For a woman aged 18-29 it is the 99th percentile.
How accurate are these pull-up standards?
Modeled — estimated from indirect evidence; treat every number here as an informed estimate, not a measurement. Modeled from pull-up studies in students, soldiers, recruits and firefighters. The share of adults who can do one strict pull-up (about 60% of young men, 8% of young women) is an informed assumption. Rep counts are converted to an estimated one-rep max, so treat the high-rep numbers as rough.
Pull-ups are one of fifteen tests. Get your overall athleticism rank across strength, power, agility and endurance.