Pull-ups are a fantastic exercise for 70-year-olds for lots of reasons.
Not only are they safe and effective, but they can help keep your joints and muscles strong, which is especially important for people as they age.
If you are 70, then you may be wondering how many pull-ups you should be able to do.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to answer today.
How Many Pull-Ups Should A 70 Year Old Do? (Short Answer)
A 70-year-old man should be able to do 1 – 3 pull-ups per set. Whereas a 70-year-old woman should be able to do 1 – 2 pull-ups per set.
This is a very rough range though and I’m now going to cover why.
How Many Pull-Ups Should A 70 Year Old Do? (Long Answer)
Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the number of pull-ups a 70-year-old can do.
There are many factors to consider which we’ll now cover in more detail.
Your Bodyweight
During pull-ups, you lift nearly all your total bodyweight.
So, the heavier you are, the more weight you lift during pull-ups, and the harder pull-ups will be.
If you’re a heavy 70-year-old, then you’ll probably be able to do less pull-ups than someone who’s lighter.
Your Arm Length
The longer your arms, the further distance you have to lift your bodyweight with each pull-up.
This explains why pull-ups are harder for people with long arms.
So, a 70-year-old with long arms will likely be able to do less pull-ups than a 70-year-old with shorter arms.
How Fast You Do Pull-Ups
Another important factor is the tempo of your pull-ups.
The slower you do pull-ups, the harder they’ll be, and the less reps you’ll be able to do.
(Since your muscles are under tension for longer per pull-up.)
Whereas the faster you do pull-ups, the easier they’ll be.
How Often You Do Pull-Ups
The saying “practise makes perfect” is true, even when it comes to pull-ups.
The more often you do pull-ups, the stronger your muscles get and the more you’re able to do over time.
So, if you practise pull-ups many times a week, you’ll find that you can do more pull-ups than someone who only does them once a week.
Your Gender
Males typically have more upper body strength than females.
I’m sorry if this offends you women, but it’s true.
This means a 70-year-old man will usually be able to do more pull-ups than a 70-year-old woman.
Your Strength
Some folks are naturally stronger than others.
If you’re a naturally strong person, then you’ll probably be able to do more pull-ups than someone who’s naturally weaker.
The Type of Pull-Up
There are lots of variations of pull-ups, and some of them, like negative pull-ups and assisted pull-ups, are easier than others.
Harder pull-ups variations include ring pull-ups and wide grip pull-ups.
The harder the variation, he less reps you’re able to do.
How Many Pull-Ups Should A 70 Year Old Do A Day?
As covered earlier, a 70-year-old should be able to do 1-3 pull-ups per set depending on whether they’re a man or a woman.
If you’re a man, you should be able to do 1-2 sets of 1-3 pull-ups per day, giving a total of 1-6 pull-ups.
Whereas if you’re a woman, you should be able to do 1 set of 1-2 pull-ups in a day.
Sources
I’ve been in the fitness and strength training industry for nearly a decade. In that time, I’ve gained 30 pounds of muscle, written hundreds of articles, and reviewed dozens of fitness supplements. As for my educational background, I’m a currently studying for my Active IQ Level 3 Diploma in Personal Training.