jyl

That reminds me. About a year ago I was visiting a pretty hardcore gym here - all old school, I call it the Church of Iron - and a girl, excuse me, a young woman, walked up to the bar and knocked out ten no-cheat pull-ups. That was damn impressive.

009jim

I'm over 55 and on training nights I do 8 real good ones (start with arms dead straight and end with bar in line with my collar bones). I'm skinny which some might argue is an advantage.

Sixty Fiver

Being lighter helps... and I am still a curmudgeon in training at 48, curb out at 150, and health issues actually keep me pretty active in trying to remain active. My daughters tell me I am pretty fit for a gimp.

Just finished a 6 week round of physio and was doing 20 pull ups (2 x 10) and 20 dips (2x10), lat rows were 150 pounds (my weight) and could do these one handed if my back was cooperative, and I can do pushups until my back gives out at what is usually no more than 20.

Exercise that engage my lower back or loads that up with weight is really difficult... exercises like pull ups and dips are something I have been doing for years as they ease back pain while I can't do squats very well at all.

I also do planks to work my core and these are most effective.

With all that I have people telling me how buff I look but I often have issues lifting 20 pounds off the floor and can't carry a lot of weight and walking triggers a fair amount of pain since the left leg does not work right and I have chronic low back and hip pain.

steph615

25, male. 15 on a great day.

DnvrFox

Hey - you are not only in the wrong pew, but the wrong church!! But, welcome, anyway. Nice to know that the younger folks are doing some exercising.

Black Beer

When I was in jr. high and high school and it came time for the Presidents Physical Fitness Award, I was always the top one or two. I did have a mechanical advantage, being short and lightweight.

Now I'm 54, 5' 4" and weigh 146. A year ago I was hit by a car on my bike. Broke all kinds of things, the worst being my shoulder. Next week will be 1 year since my shoulder surgery. Bones are all healed up but having my left shoulder and back immobilized for 4 months really screwed up my left arm strength and range of motion. Part of my rehab has been climbing kind of a ladder to grab a bar that would be the top of a pull up. I then slowly let myself down and hang for a while.

I haven't done a proper pull up in over a year so, reading this, I thought I'd give it a try.

9.......I wanted to do at least 10, just couldn't. Hope this doesn't skew your results. Ask me again next year.

Walter S

Age 53. I do 8 "honest" pull ups (hands pointed away). But I think a pure number has limited value. I can "cheat" by going too fast and get to more like 12-15. But this does not honestly work all the muscles involved since it makes use of body momentum to skip some of the more difficult parts of the lift.

I do these regularly. If I layoff for a while I'll slip back into the 4-6 range until I build up to 8 again.

NMHillclimber

Wow...pretty impressive. I'm fit. 135 lbs. I did 5 good ones and then 3 today. Push ups are better/ A set of 20, a set of 10

tssummers50

I am 53 and I can do 12

Phil_gretz

...last night. The chest and back routine includes push ups, pull ups and rows, as well as crazy hard ab work. So it was two times through, three sets of each: wide grip, then close grip pull ups, then close grip chin ups. But I only do 6 reps each for the first time through and 5 reps for the second time through.

I'm 54, and weigh 171 lbs.

Dan Burkhart 

Age 60, haven't weight myself in a while, but pretty sure I've crept up to about 260. Last time I tried pullups was this past summer, was only able to manage 2.
I can still do pushups in sets of 5 without grunting too loud.

NOS88

I haven't a clue as to how many I can do. I've not tried since high school (I'll be 62 in a bit over a month). I do resistance training on a regular basis, but I guess I've never seen the utility of pull-ups for my daily or even recreational activities. I guess if I were a rock climber, I might think differently. With the arthritis in my hands, I suspect it may be difficult for me to grip tight enough to do any. It is annoying to be relatively fit but unable to perform some tasks because of a physical condition. This thread is making me consider the concept of "relatively fit" in different ways.

jdon

I haven't done a regular chin up or pull up in years. I found them to be too hard on connective tissue and caused injuries. Now I do TRX pull ups so I can alter the weight as the shoulders and back permit. On a good day, 3 reps of 15 vertical lifts. Age 54.

I normally do this progression.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcLrHqRO8U0

BigAura

I'm 60, 160 lbs, and can do 16 palm-facing-chin-ups, and 13 palms-away-pullups.

To Note: I have been including body-weight exercises as part of my fitness routines for the last 6 months or so.

Zinger

No kidding. I think I did myself some tendon damage just doing those half distance pullups the other day.

That's what I get for doing stupid pullups on my 63rd birthday instead of something fun and stupid.

But I am going to embark on a dumbell and pushups routine which I should have started before pulling my deadweight up to the ceiling for the first time in decades.

Roosterbird

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 6"]Chin Ups
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 50%, colspan: 3"]Fitness Category
[/TD]
[TD="width: 50%, colspan: 3"]Age Category
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"]Level
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]20-29
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%, colspan: 2"]30-39
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]40-49
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]50+
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"]Excellent
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]11
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%, colspan: 2"]10
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]8
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]5
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"]Good
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]9-10
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%, colspan: 2"]8-9
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]6-7
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]3-4
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"]Fair
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]7-8
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%, colspan: 2"]6-7
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]4-5
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]2
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"]Poor
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]5-6
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%, colspan: 2"]3-5
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]2-3
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]1
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"]Very Poor
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]4
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%, colspan: 2"]2
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]1
[/TD]
[TD="width: 20%"]0
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

DnvrFox

and 75+ ??

jdon

You are good if you make a daily appearance on the green side of the grass.

OldTryGuy

Boy, that big fat 0 for this 63yo, 5' 8", 136lb sure don't look too good.

DnvrFox

Well, not quite 75+ yet, but just planning for next year's goal!!

billydonn

The number of pull-ups a person can do has to do with specificity of training to do pull-ups and isn't necessarily related at all to cardiovascular fitness. I'll bet pro cyclists can do very few of them.

sorry if other people have already said this... I didn't read all responses.

leob1

We are cyclist, we aren't supposed to have any upper body strength. Haven't done pullups since the Nixon adminstration.

Cougrrcj

I'm good with 12-oz curls!

HAMMER MAN

i can do 10 either way. palms in or out. i figure that is enough. i am 62 and weight 183. I really don't do them often as they really bother my arthritis in my neck and shoulders. i still do weight lifiting at east 1-2 days a week. But even some of that has tapered off due to more cycling during t he week as i am retired now. i usually lift heavy and have a tendency to really bulk up and i find with cycling it seems to hinder my agility

fietsbob

I do reps with full Pint Pounder glasses, in this Fishing town.

I'm leaving the pushups per touchdown thing to the U-of-Oregon Duck Mascot .

.. tapered off on needing to do those as the season progressed.