How Many Pull-Ups Should A 12 Year Old Do? (Solved!)

Pull-ups are an epic exercise for 12-year-olds.

Why?

Well, for starters, you don’t need a gym membership to do them.

(Most gyms won’t actually allow 12-year-olds to train!)

If you are 12, then you may be wondering how many pull-ups you should be able to do.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to cover today.

How Many Pull-Ups Should A 12 Year Old Do? (Short Answer)

If you’re a 12-year-old boy, then you should be able to do between 1 – 3 pull-ups per set. Whereas if you’re a 12-year-old girl, you should be able to do 1 – 2 pull-ups per set.

This is a very rough range though. Let’s find out why.

How Many Pull-Ups Should A 12 Year Old Do? (Long Answer)

Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to the amount of pull-ups a 12-year-old can do.

There are lots of things to consider which we’re now going to explore in more detail.

The Pull-Up Variation

There are many types if pull-ups, and some of them, like wide grip pull-ups and one-arm pull-ups, are harder than others.

Easier variations include assisted pull-ups and negative pull-ups.

The easier the variation, the more pull-ups you’re able to do.

Your Bodyweight

Another key factor is how heavy you are.

When doing pull-ups, you’re lifting nearly all your bodyweight.

So, the heavier your are, the more weight you have to lift during pull-ups.

If you’re a heavy 12-year-old, you’ll probably be able to do less pull-ups than someone who’s lighter.

The Tempo of Pull-Ups

How fast you do your pull-ups also plays an important role.

The faster you do pull-ups, the easier they’ll be and there more you’ll be able to do.

(This is because your muscles are under tension for less time per rep.)

Whereas the slower you do pull-ups, the harder they’ll be and the less reps you can do.

How Often You Do Pull-Ups

The saying “practise makes perfect” is true – even when it comes to pull-ups.

The more often you practise pull-ups, the stronger you get and the more you’re able to do.

If you’re someone who does pull-ups multiple times a week, then you’ll likely be able to do more pull-ups than someone who only does them once a week.

Your Strength

Now for a more obvious factor – your strength!

Some people are naturally stronger than others.

If you’re lucky enough to be a naturally strong person, you should be able to do more pull-ups than someone who’s naturally weaker.

Your Arm Length

Pull-ups are harder if you have long arms.

This is because you have to move your body a greater distance to complete each rep.

If you have long arms, you’ll probably be able to do less pull-ups than someone with shorter arms.

Your Gender

On average, males have more upper body strength than females.

I’m sorry if that offends you girls, but it’s a fact.

So, a 12-year-old boy will typically be able to do more pull-ups than a 12-year-old girl.

How Many Pull-Ups Should A 12 Year Old Do A Day?

As covered earlier, a 12-year-old should be able to do 1-3 pull-ups per set depending on whether they’re a boy or a girl.

If you’re a boy, you should be able to do 1-2 sets of 1-3 pull-ups in a day. So, a total of 1-6 pull-ups.

Whereas if you’re a girl, you should be able to do 1 set of 1-2 pull-ups in a day.

Conclusion

In summary, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to the number of pull-ups a 12 year old should do as there are many factors at play.

That’s all for this article, but how many pull-ups can a 14 year old do? Or how many pull ups should a 15 year old do?

Hope this helped!

Sources

Men Are Stronger Than Women