Pull ups are the classic back exercise. You probably learned to do them as a kid, but they’re a useful addition to a workout routine at any stage of life. They’re challenging, require minimal equipment, and are awesome for developing muscle and strength. You’ve surely seen trends of “100 Pull Ups Every Day For A Month” or similar. If you really enjoy this movement and see great results from it, you might be wondering what would happen if you tried doing pull ups every day.
There are some real pros and cons to doing, well, any movement each and every single day. This is particularly true of an exercise as intense and challenging as pull ups.
Let’s say you decided to do 50 pull ups every day for three months. Here are some results you could expect to see. Some are good. Some…not so much.
You’ll Get (Way, Way) Better At Pull Ups
Pull ups are hard. Many people can’t even do a single one. At the start of your pull up challenge, you may only be able to complete five or so at a time. But, if you dedicate yourself to doing pull ups every day, you’ll quickly start seeing improvements. You may even get to a point where you can do all 50 in a row. That’s bound to feel good.
Your Back Will Gain Some Impressive Lean Muscle
This movement mostly targets your lats. Therefore, doing pull ups every day will have an amazing effect on these muscles. When they’re well developed, great lats make the waist look small and the shoulders look big. Lats are also crucial for keeping your back in a healthy position when you’re doing deadlifts, squats and bench presses.
Although, Your Gains May Not Be Proportional
Yes, your lats (and probably your biceps) will look awesome. But while they’ll be looking great, you can’t neglect your other muscles. You need to do other exercises to even out your legs, chest, and the rest of your arms and back. Having an underdeveloped lower back, traps and rear deltoids but massive lats is a slightly strange look, to say the least.
Doing Pull Ups Every Day Will Boost Your Grip Strength
Supporting your body weight for one pull up, let alone 50, requires some serious grip strength. It will be challenging at first, but within a week or two you’re likely to start seeing some major improvements. Many people find that their grip strength negatively impacts their pull exercises such as deadlifts, rows, and flies. So, your daily pull ups will help you in other areas of your fitness. And pretty soon, you’ll be the go-to jar opener among your friends and family.
You’ll Develop Great Muscular Endurance
When you commit to doing pull ups every day, your muscular endurance will skyrocket. This will also be helpful in other areas of your workouts, such as cardio and high intensity training. Your hard earned endurance will help you power through almost any other workout, which is super helpful.
But, You Won’t Be Resting Enough
Doing the same movement every day can take a major physical toll. If you get injured, you won’t be able to keep doing pull ups every day. As an athlete, it’s responsible to take rest days. Otherwise, you risk painful inflammation or torn and strained muscles.
Research shows that it’s best to allow muscle groups 24-48 hours to properly recover between workouts. You should absolutely not push through injury.
And You’ll Get Real Sick Of Doing Pull Ups Every Day
You won’t just be tired physically. You’ll feel some mental strain too. Most people who have committed to daily pull up challenges report really struggling with the mental side of it. Dragging yourself to the gym to do the same gruelling exercise over and over again is tough – especially when you’re overtrained and sore.
On the other hand, pushing through the pain may suit your personality type. You may find it really empowering to force yourself to get into the gym and do those pull ups every day for 3 months. At the end of those months, you’ll feel like a beast. One thing’s for certain though – doing pull ups every day is going to be tough. Consider the pros and cons carefully before diving into any daily exercise challenge.
