Pull-up standards and calculator
How many pull-ups should I be able to do?
One strict pull-up is a real milestone. Five is a useful training base. Ten is a strong recreational set. Fifteen or more is high-rep territory. Those are training landmarks, not population percentiles. Age, bodyweight, sex, practice, and the way you count a rep all affect the answer.
Pull-up calculator
Put your set in context
This gives you two separate answers: a practical training stage and a comparison with the official U.S. Marine Corps pull-up table. The military comparison is not an average for the public.
Your training stage
Solid base
You have enough clean reps for productive submaximal sets.
Official comparison: The men's Marine table for ages 26-30 runs from 5 reps for minimum event points to 23 reps for maximum event points.
At 175 lb, bodyweight matters because every rep moves your body. It does not change your training-stage label.
Is 10 pull-ups good?
Yes, if all 10 use the same strict standard. Ten clean repetitions means you can repeatedly move your full body through a long range of motion. It is also enough to make your next goal a choice rather than a requirement: you can build toward 15 reps, begin light weighted pull-ups, or simply maintain what you have.
Ten half-reps are not the same test. Neither are 10 kipping reps, 10 chin-ups, or 10 repetitions that begin with bent elbows. Those can all be useful exercises, but comparison only works when the movement is consistent.
What counts as one strict pull-up?
- Start still. Hang from the bar with straight elbows and no jump into the first rep.
- Pull without a kick. Keep your legs quiet enough that momentum is not driving you upward.
- Clear the bar. Your chin passes the height of the bar without craning your neck to finish.
- Return under control. Lower until the elbows are straight again before the next rep.
If your shoulders do not tolerate a relaxed dead hang, do not force the position to win a comparison. Use a comfortable consistent range and treat the number as your own training measure. If the movement hurts, stop and use the pull-up pain location guide to describe what happened.
Pull-up standards by age and sex
The table below reproduces the minimum and maximum-event-point pull-up counts in the official Marine Corps hybrid pull-up and push-up scoring table. It is one public, age-banded standard with separate men's and women's tables. It describes a military fitness test, not the average person and not a medical target.
| Age | Men's table | Women's table | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| 17-20 | 4 | 20 | 1 | 7 |
| 21-25 | 5 | 23 | 3 | 11 |
| 26-30 | 5 | 23 | 4 | 12 |
| 31-35 | 5 | 23 | 3 | 11 |
| 36-40 | 5 | 21 | 3 | 10 |
| 41-45 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 8 |
| 46-50 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 6 |
| 51+ | 3 | 18 | 2 | 4 |
"Minimum" means enough repetitions for the event's minimum points, not enough to pass the whole fitness test. "Maximum" means enough for maximum pull-up points. The wider test has other events and scoring rules.
Pull-up standards by bodyweight
Bodyweight matters, but a clean bodyweight-adjusted rep table would promise more precision than the evidence supports. In one study of 25 trained men, body mass had a negative relationship with maximum pull-up repetitions. A study of 28 elite women swimmers found a similar negative pattern. Both samples were small and athletic, so neither can supply an average for all adults.
If two people complete the same strict reps at different bodyweights, they performed different physical tasks. That does not make one result morally better, and it does not justify adding a made-up bonus to the heavier person's count. Track reps and bodyweight separately, then compare your own tests over time.
The calculator asks for bodyweight so the result can name that context. It deliberately does not turn bodyweight into a percentile.
What should you train next?
Zero strict reps
Practice the same movement with a band, machine, or foot support. Add controlled lowering only when you can own the descent. Use the first pull-up guide.
One to four
Keep strict singles or doubles fresh, then use assistance to collect more clean practice without turning every set into a test.
Five to nine
Most working sets can stop one or two repetitions before failure. Add total clean reps gradually across the week.
Ten or more
Choose your goal. Build endurance with more bodyweight reps, or add a small external load while keeping bodyweight work in the week.
Pull-up standard questions
How many pull-ups should I be able to do?
There is no universal number for every adult. One strict rep is already a real strength skill. Five gives you a useful training base, 10 is a strong recreational milestone, and 15 or more is a high-rep set. Your age, body mass, training history, and rep standard all change the comparison.
Is 10 pull-ups good?
Yes. Ten strict pull-ups from a dead hang is a strong set for a recreational trainee. It also gives you enough capacity to choose between building more repetitions and beginning light weighted work.
Does bodyweight affect pull-ups?
Yes. A pull-up moves almost your whole body, and studies in trained men and women have found body mass is related to repetition performance. Body composition, limb lengths, technique, and specific practice also matter, so bodyweight alone cannot produce a fair percentile.
Are these average pull-ups by age?
No. Reliable population averages using the same strict technique are not available across every adult age and bodyweight. The age and sex table here is the official Marine Corps fitness-test range, shown as a demanding reference rather than a general-population average.
Sources and limits
- U.S. Marine Corps pull-up scoring table.
- Pull-up performance and anthropometry in trained men.
- Pull-ups, lat-pull strength, and anthropometry in elite women swimmers.
Reviewed September 2026. The training stages are PullUp Pilot's practical coaching landmarks. They are not research percentiles, military scores, or health requirements.