Pullups Every Day: Pros and Cons

The only equipment you need to begin a pullup workout is a pullup bar for your doorway (and perhaps a pullup assist band, if you're a beginner), and the resolve to get started.

Pullups are an amazing exercise for building upper body and arm strength.

While they are not a full-body workout, pull ups do sculpt your back muscles and tone your upper arms to give a more chiseled physique.

There are many benefits to adding pullups to your regular workout. From being easy on the joints, to creating the attractive V-shaped physique, pullups will give you great results over time. But be careful not to overdo it! Overworking your muscles, and focusing too much on one area of the body can diminish the health benefits of your workout.

While the benefits of pullups are many and varied, performing the exercises correctly and at healthy intervals is important for your body. Pay attention to your form, and be sure to not continue pullup repetitions until you reach the point of muscle fatigue.

Can you do pullups every day?

You can do pullups every day. The real question is Should You?

There are pros and cons to attempting pullups every day. Professional athletes who work out several times a day can easily sustain pullup workouts every day. For those more amateur athletes among us, a more cautious approach would probably be best.

Avoiding muscle and joint fatigue is extremely important for a beginner. Knowing your body, and what it can sustain each day, is key to successful workouts. Overworking muscles can cause injury and strain, and no one wants to deal with that.

Being aware of your body, and your fitness level will help you decide if you can safely perform a pullup workout every day.

Basic Pros and Cons of performing pullup workouts every day

Pros

Build strength quickly - Pullups work your upper body as a system, instead of isolating specific muscles. This means your muscles will work together more efficiently and increase your overall strength and endurance.

Speed up your workout - Because pullups are a full upper body workout, you don't need to do as many moves to work the upper body muscles. Saving time with your workouts means you can get on with the rest of your day sooner.

Less strain on muscles and joints than working out with weights - Using heavy weights for upper body workouts puts a lot of stress and tension on your joints and muscles. Replacing some weight training with pullups can reduce the chance of overdoing your workout or overextending your joints.

Cons

Inhibits muscle growth - Muscles need recovery time. Rest is required to build up muscle mass, and performing a pullup workout every day does not allow enough resting time to restore your muscles. More advanced fitness levels will have quicker recovery time, but for a beginner, resting between workouts is very important.

Uneven muscle tone - Pull up exercises target the upper back and shoulders. Your back is made up of more muscles than just those targetted by pullups. In order to avoid uneven muscle tone and weakness in other areas, it's important to vary your workouts.

Overwork - Beginners should allow about 48 hours of rest time between pullup sessions. Muscle regeneration is important for building strength and endurance. Joint and muscle stiffness will reduce your range of motion, and should be gone before you repeat the workout.

So how many days a week should you do pullups? 

Pull up workouts can safely be done with a 24-48 hour rest period between them, depending on your fitness level. Two to three sessions each week will keep you in good form and continuously build your upper back muscles.

Should you feel fit enough to perform pullups more often, be sure you are using proper form throughout your workouts. Varying your grip will reduce fatigue in your hands and change the tension in your lower arms.

Even for the most advanced athlete, workouts should target different areas of the body in each session. Concentrating on only one area will cause uneven muscle tone, and perhaps even weakness in under-worked areas.

How many pull ups a day are safe?

This is a very individual question. Safety is determined by how clean your form is, your muscle recovery time, and your overall fitness level.

You can use pullups in your warm-ups for every workout, once you are comfortable doing about 20 reps for each set. Never perform pullups until your muscles fail.

You can also increase the number of pull ups you are able to safely do by using a tool such as a pull up assist band. A resistance band will counter your body weight and relieve some of the strain on your muscles.

If you are taking a day of rest between your upper back workouts, you can do as many reps of pullups as you are comfortable with. When you being to feel you can't complete another pullup with good form, stop.

Can you get ripped just doing pull ups?

Your upper body can look amazing if you do only pullup workouts. But pull ups will not give you a great full-body physique.

Pull up results will be the attractive V-shape of your upper back and shoulder muscles. Without supporting your lower back muscles through exercise, your waistline may not be as beautifully toned, and your upper back muscles may overcompensate, taking on the slack of weaker muscles in the low back area.

Working all your muscle groups consistently is the only way to get your whole body ripped. Adding pull ups to your regular routine will shape your back beautifully, but it will not tone your low back or lower body. Working all your muscle groups with a varied collection of exercises will get you ripped much more efficiently than performing only pull ups.

Take away: Pull ups are amazing exercises as part of a full-body fitness routine.

Performing pull ups every day is not recommended for beginner fitness levels. Rest and recovery time is needed to ensure you avoid stress and strain on your joints and muscles.

Add pull ups to your regular fitness routine, and perform them every two to three days to see the most benefit. You will work many muscles with a single exercise, and be rewarded with a tight and toned upper back and arms. Your strength will increase, and you will be on your way to having that eye-catching V-shaped physique.