From 0 Pull-ups to 100 Pull-ups in a single session

In March this year, I achieved 100 Pull-ups in a single session. This is my PB (Personal Best). I was very excited that day having achieved this feat considering the fact that till 2010, I used to do mainly Chin-ups and found it really difficult to do even a single pull-up with correct form. Let me first talk about a little on what my practice session comprised of that day.

100 Pull-ups Practice Session

I wasn’t actually planning to do 100 Pull-ups that day but as the session progressed, I gathered momentum and decided that I should go for achieving the elusive 100 Pull-up mark. My daily workouts since India went into it’s very first Corona Lockdown has mainly included my favourite tool, “Kettlebell”. I did Double Kettlebell Cleans, Double Kettlebell Presses, Double Kettlebell Front Squats and Farmers Walk apart from Pull-ups. In fact, you can get an idea of that session by checking out the video below from my YouTube Channel.

How did I reached this stage of being able to perform 100 Pull-ups in a single session

Consistency in Strength Training

As in any field of life, in-order to achieve a significant milestone, one has to be very diligent, consistent and practice their particular skill mindfully. I believe, I too have been doing the same. Ever since India went into it’s very first lockdown in 2020 due to Covid Pandemic, I made it a point not to miss even a single day of practicing strength training with kettlebells at home. Practicing kettlebells daily does a magic for your grip strength, for your core strength, for your posterior chain ( muscles of the back), your glute strength and so much more.

Around June end 2020, my brother, who shifted to New Delhi due to Covid guidelines and being able to carry his office work under “Work from Home”, joined me in training with Kettlebells. During this time, we started using our Pull-up bar installed in our balcony more in each of our sessions. Sometime back, we have asked our Welder to install this Pull-up bar just in case, if need be we could do home practice and not be dependent on a commercial Gym setup.

When we started doing Pull-ups last year, we could barely manage 10-15 Pull-ups in the whole session but over a period of time, with regular focus on this very important exercise, our Strength in lats muscles, arms and core improved so much that now we average 40-50 Pull-ups in each session.

Also, a note on Kettlebells, which is such a important tool or equipment to train with that it should form a part of your home gym. If you want to read more on benefits of Kettlebells, please check my earlier blog here.

I believe this training helped me achieve this personal milestone of 100 pull-ups.

Consistency in Sleep

Although many of us ignore this area, but Sleep has been recognised to play a very important role in muscle recovery and growth. Before the lockdown last year, I was in a partnership business and we were planning for the next growth phase of the business expansion. We had recently shifted our centre to a central location in the main market and often we used to have late night team meetings resulting in my reaching home late in the night, eating dinner very late and then going to bed very late. Often, I would have a disturbed sleep due to eating late and starting gaining a lot of fat around my midsection. But after the lockdown started in March 2020, I made it a point to go to bed early in the night around 10.30pm or sometimes earlier.

Consistency in eating on time and home cooked nutritious food

When I was in business of running a Fitness Centre, often our Group Classes would end late and sometimes we used to do team discussion in dinner outside in some restaurant and as we are aware that most of the time, these outside food is not very healthy and often disrupts the digestion. A good digestive system is a must for a strong immune system and for a healthier body and fat loss.

Lockdown due to Covid meant that I also became more conscious and consistent in my meal timings. Home cooked healthier meals comprising mainly of fruits, vegetables, lentils, salads meant a better working digestive system and a stronger Immune System.

A major problem in most Indian households is that of eating late night dinners which causes indigestion, gas, bloating, weight gain, etc. I made it a point to eat my dinner around Sunset as much as possible and this gave me enough gap between bedtime and dinner.

Enjoying and observing Nature more

We are blessed to have beautiful parks and a city forest near our home. Also, we have some good amount of Greenery with trees and plants around our balcony (training area). I began to observe different species of the birds which frequented this Green cover when the lockdown began and even during my training sessions. It provides a soothing effect to the mind and heart and helps release any form of stress. Stress in different forms over a long period of time can result in deterioration in one’s physical and mental health. Nature Immersion (observing and spending time in Nature) is very therapeutic to one’s physical and mental health.

Final thoughts

I intentionally chose not to go into technicalities of what Pull-ups are, what muscles they work, how to perform them etc but instead chose to cover the Big Rocks (areas of utmost importance) through my personal life experience and changes I have made and then seen good results. It’s important to take daily steps no matter how small they might seem as these add up over a period of time and may result in your accomplishment of 100 Pull-ups too.

If you need help with learning the proper way of performing Hardstyle Kettlebell movements, Pull-ups and other exercises with TRX, dumbbells, bodyweight etc., please email me at [email protected]. I look forward to supporting you in your journey to become your “Strongest Version of Yourself”.