Jeff Cavaliere’s Athlean-X Pull-Up Challenge (ALL LEVELS!)
Want to take a shot at Jeff Cavaliere’s pullup challenge? It doesn’t matter if you can knock out more than 15 reps in a single set of …
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March 28, 2026
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"Harmony in Every Heartbeat
Want to take a shot at Jeff Cavaliere’s pullup challenge? It doesn’t matter if you can knock out more than 15 reps in a single set of …
source
NOTIFICATION SQUAD GIVEAWAY – It’s back!! Alright guys, I’m giving away a complete 30 Day Workout program to 100 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 100, but those randomly selected within the first hour the video is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached!
https://giveaway.athleanx.com/ytg/pull-up-challenge
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I think i will be solid if i do this. want to go to elite tho'
I'm really impressed with Jesse , that man doesn't give up
Jeff also is a true Mentor
1. 17
2. 13
3. 12
4. GOAL
Jeff I absolutely love the pull up contest. I got to tell you this means a lot to me to watch you guys do this … because when I was 59 years old in 2007 ( I'm 75 now) I set my goal to be able to do 60 pull-ups in my 60th year and 3 months into my 60th year I hit 68 pullups. I gave myself a few more minutes between sets of 10 maybe I gave myself 5 minutes and then maybe near the end I gave myself maybe 20 minutes but after that it didn't really matter cuz I was done. Now I'm 75 years old and my goal is to do 75 pull-ups and I got to tell you this s*** is really hard at this age but I'm up to 30 pull-ups I just started in January this year. And I'm going to the New York State Fair I'm going to the recruiters for the Marines, Army, Air Force Reserve, Navy and the Coast Guard where they have a pullup challenge. I'm going to do pull-ups for those guys and I'm going to walk away with really good t-shirts so that's my motivation. I love your channel I tell everybody at the YMCA about it that they got to watch you. you know exactly what you're doing you are the best coach. you explain stuff and you do a really good job. you really helped me and motivate me. so thank you!
My first attempt, I'll do it better https://youtu.be/F2S9qrkjUlo
Didn’t catch the video where Jessie beat Jeff for $100. How did that happen?
Do At Least 15 Of These With Strict Form with the pause at the bottom
You’ve made the minimum for DEVGRU Standards!
Do at least 30 of them, that's maxing DEVGRU's Pull Up Requirements!
I did 50 pull-ups in 5 sets
I doubled up on this challenge. First I built up to 100 pull ups in 3 sets (50+30+20) with only one minute rest in between. Then, I found with more rest between sets (4 minutes) I could do almost as many in the second set. So now I am doing 100 pull ups in just 2 sets (51+49, or 52+48, for example). I am 60 years old and specialize in high rep calisthenics every other day and hill repeat bicycling on the "off" days. High rep pull ups become limited by VO2max, cardiac output, deep breathing, oxygenation, and blood flow. I am hyperventilating during the final 25% of each set (as evident with tingling in my toes) to prolong the aerobic phase as long as possible. Interestingly, when I ran out of my beet chews and found out that they do have a significant effect in delaying fatigue due to improving blood flow from to the nitric oxide vasodilatation effect (a Nobel Prize winning discovery). Without beet chews I struggled to get to 100 and a few times came up a few reps short, but after beet chews (2 chews about 45-60 minutes before the workout) I got to 100 much more consistently and even hit a few personal bests (such as 53 pull ups in a row and 51+35+30=116 one minute rest total). Jeff Cavaliere seems to be ignoring me, maybe because he cannot believe someone could possibly be better at pull ups than him? But the world record is 651 continuous pull ups, so my numbers would only be that dude's warm up routine.
This morning I did 52 pull ups in a row, 4 minute rest, and 48 pull ups in a row for 100 pull ups in 2 sets. The last 2 reps in each set were not very pretty because I am pushing past mere pain and going to complete failure, but I got it done. I am thinking two sets with more rest and more reps will break me out of my fitness plateau (stuck in the low 50's in one set) and soon the 100 pull ups in two sets will come easier with more in the first set. Recent personal bests have been 53 pull ups in a row and 51+35+30=116 pull ups in 3 sets with 1 minute rest. 1 minute rest allows my breathing to come back down to normal but my heart rate is still high. The 4 minute rest allows fatigue metabolites to clear and allows for my breathing and HR to return to normal. The added rest idle time makes the workout take longer, but might be better for time under tension and fitness gains.
So I set a new challenge of 100 pull ups in two sets. The world record is 651 continuous pull ups, so 100 in two sets is attainable and wouldn't even be that dude's warmup.
I propose an improvement over the Body Mass Index scale which does not account for body composition, visceral fat, strength, or lean muscle mass. Longevity correlates with low visceral fat, lean muscle mass, and VO2 max physical fitness.
Proposed Formula:
(BMI x jeans waist size) / pull ups
Lower number is better
There are female Cross Fit athletes who can do very high pull up numbers using kipping technique which uses rhythmic torso/hip momentum timing assistance. So we will allow kipping for females but men must use strict pull up form (as I am using).
Before I started working out last year, my BMI was 25, 33W, 4 pull ups in a row.
After exercising everyday for a year, my BMI got below 23, 30W, 50 pull ups in a row. (My personal best is 53 pull ups in one set, but do 50 most workout days)
Out of shape:
(25 x 33) / 4 = 206
In shape:
(23 x 30) / 50 = 14
Obese American:
(30 x 38) / 1 = 1140
Competitive bodybuilder:
(30 x 32) / 20 = 48
So what is your number, and how do you self rank your physical fitness and longevity potential?
14 years old- 6 sets
I think that in a month i can get 5 because i was pretty close
7 sets for 50 im 14 yrs old
14 yrs old 7 sets
Both Jeff and Jesse are holding their breath when doing pull ups. They will never get to a competitive level of continuous pull ups unless they BREATHE deeply and loudly. They probably aren't doing half of the intense cardio I train with. The trick is to stay aerobic as long as possible which means high cardio output and deep breathing. My personal bests are 53 pull ups in a row and 116 in 3 sets.
New personal best for me of 53 continuous pull ups. Caveats per my other comments. Using a padded neutral grip, full extension, but no pause at the bottom. Pull up competitors don't pause at the bottom, but rather use reflex tension to "bounce" off the bottom.
I looked up Jeff's BMI stats to compare to mine. BMI, cardio, VO2Max, mitochondria, and slow twitch muscle conditioning are the keys to high rep pull ups. I am doing 100 pull ups in 3 sets every other day.
From the Internet Jeff C.:
5'8", 195 lbs, 29.6 BMI, which is at the high end of over weight and nearing obese (points out the flaws in BMI alone as it doesn't account for body fat % or composition).
My stats (age 60):
5'10", 158 lbs, 22.7 BMI, which is well into the "normal" range, and much lower than Jeff.
Jeff is pulling up 37 extra lbs with every pull up compared to me. I would have to wear a 37 lb weighted vest to equal his pull up muscle load. Jeff is NOT the ideal body type for pull ups. All of the muscle mass below the navel is not assisting the pull up. My glutes, quads, and calves are very toned and well-defined from bicycling, but not body builder massive.
I have doubled the 50 pull up challenge. My every other day routine is 50 pull ups (continuous, in a row), 1 min rest, 30 pull ups, 1 min rest, 20 pull ups = 100 pull ups in 3 sets. My recent personal best is 51 + 35 + 30 = 116 pull ups in 3 sets, but kinda masochistic to be honest. See my other post describing my technique (not exactly the same way Jeff is doing them). I am training for maximum mitochondrial energy, fatigue resistance, HIIT cardio, and not primarily hypertrophy (although there is a good amount). The world record is 651 continuous pull ups. 100 would be that dude's warm up.
I am all about pull ups and push ups for my strength training. I am currently at 50 pull ups in a row at age 60 (1 set), with the goal of getting to 60 in a row to match my age. My advice is remove all extra clothing, gear, boots/shoes; cushioned grips to prevent skin tearing and calluses; look up the whole time instead of extending the neck at the top; neutral (perpendicular) grip to spread pull between the biceps, pecs, and lats; arch chest up to engage pecs more; also train with foot raised push ups and plank ring pulls for more pecs and scapular muscle engagement; intense cardio training (hill repeat bicycling for me) because it becomes cardio/blood flow limiting at high reps, lower BMI to 23 or lower (excess body fat and over developed glutes and quads are a hindrance); hyperventilate before; deep breath and hyperventilate with each pull up; two sets to failure training with one minute rest (I am currently at 50 and 30 reps); strength train every other day and intense cardio on the off days (i.e. don't over train and avoid tendonitis); add an extra day of rest before personal record attemps or competition; high quality protein; gelatin (Jell-O) for joints, tendons, creatine synthesis, and improved sleep; pre-workout beet juice or beet chews for nitrous oxide blood flow endurance.
I understand if people are skeptical, but this is my narrow strength training specialty. I don't do any weight lifting due to a lumbar spine problem so my dead lift and squat muscles are underdeveloped (over developing these muscles wouldn't help pull ups and would actually add more body weight to lift). Most strength training guys don't do nearly as much intense cardio as me. I do hill repeat bicycling every other day where I attack hills out of the saddle to near failure at hill crest (complete failure would be falling over and injuring myself). I may have a slightly higher pain threshold tolerance which helps me push through the pain and get to failure when I exercise. At 30 pullups it becomes uncomfortable, at 40 painful, and at 49/50 very painful and heart is pounding and out of breath. One thing that happens when I achieve my peak fitness is that I can recover more rapidly (fast lactate clearance) which is why cycling is so good because the gyroscopic effect helps keep you up whereas running you fall over from body weight much sooner. It really becomes more cardio and blood flow limiting at high reps and not so much brute strength. I am not doing the pause at the bottom, but instead do the pull ups as fast as possible which means bouncing at the bottom (fully extended), so perhaps not fulfilling the requirement of this particular challenge but still good form and complete range of motion. I do not dead hang rest, I just try to get to my failure reps as fast as possible. I use a $30 doorway pull up bar with factory installed cushioned neutral perpendicular grips, so not the straight uncushioned bar used in this video (I don't want the training setback of tearing my skin, but you might consider cushioned grips a cheat). I take supplements to boost my mitochondria: fish oil, olive oil, coQ10, daily vitamin, B complex vitamins, PQQ, and NAD+. I have never taken steroids or hormone replacements. Pre-workout beet chews may help blood flow to muscles. I follow a high protein intermittent fasting diet which dropped my BMI from 25 (borderline overweight) to 22.8 over a one year period. I eat a lot of cheese and use whey protein in my smoothies. I eat a lot of JELL-O which adds amino acids important for connective tissue, hair, skin, nails, joints, tendons, and muscle creatine synthesis. I do not supplement with creatine. Jeff doesn't mention deep breathing which is KEY to oxygenation and staying aerobic as long as possible. I am an MD who wrote an academic level mitochondrial-based fitness book with champion cyclist Greg LeMond. The key to high rep pull ups is NOT brute strength. It is all about staying aerobic and using the Krebs cycle which is 35 times more energy efficient than anaerobic glycolysis. To delay anaerobic fatigue as much as possible, one needs high cardiac output, lung capacity, deep breathing, good blood flow to muscles, dedicated HIIT training, and a low BMI. Body builders who have a lot of overall muscle mass, core muscle mass, glute/thigh muscle mass, and high dead lift and bench press numbers are the WRONG body type for high rep pull ups. All of those muscles below your navel are a hindrance rather than a benefit. I have good quad and calf muscle definition from bicycling but not big body builder legs. I am lean with proportionally bigger upper body muscles, which is the best body type for pull ups. I also do archery and train my archery back muscles with crossed ring plank rows. My back muscles are toned and fatigue resistant but not massive. Lastly, the world record for continuous pull ups is 651, so my continuous 50 pull up personal best is barely that guy's warm up. 50 or 60 in one set should not be considered unobtainable.
Jesse's hat, beard & tattoos weigh so much that it's harder for him to do pull ups
I can do this in 3 sets
I can only do 3 at a time, it would take 17 sets to reach 50.
Jeff is so nice, why he have so many haters🤦😸
Jeff showing Jessie who the real daddy o is
I do a strong 2 sets of 10, but that 3rd and 4th get a little questionable
Sir I know you are a great coach. But this sets count is I think base less for example I do 24 pull-ups in 4 sets. In my max set I can do 7-9 pull-ups. Depending on that I should be able toh reach 30 pull-ups in around 6 sets . That means I'm elite. BUT Actually that's not true. I'm still beginner in this pull-up space. Yes I've gained a lot of upper body strength but still I'm on the newby stage
turned into more of a neck workout for Jesse