Nothing screams ‘It’s my birthday’ quite like attempting 10 strict wide-grip pull-ups – at least according to TV presenter and former Men’s Health cover star Paddy McGuinness.
At the beginning of the week, McGuinness revealed that he’d set himself the challenge of hitting 10 reps by his birthday today (14 August). Every day since, he’s uploaded a video of himself attempting as many as possible, taking on advice from followers along the way.
And in the final video uploaded today, he hit his target, knocking out 10 strict wide-grip pull-ups with relative ease.
Considering the wide-grip variation can be more challenging than a conventional pull-up, particularly because it places your arms in a less mechanically advantageous position, McGuinness’ achievement is seriously impressive.
According to Men’s Health Fitness Director Andrew Tracey’s guide to the pull-up benchmarks men should be aiming for by age, 10 conventional reps would put McGuinness firmly in the intermediate category for his age.
How Many Pull-Ups Should Men Be Able to Do in Their 50s?
For men aged 45-60, an average result is around four to eight reps, according to benchmarks compiled from multiple fitness-testing resources and population surveys. An intermediate score sits at around seven to 12 reps, while anything above 12 is considered excellent.
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However, those benchmarks are based on strict, dead-hang pull-ups rather than the wide-grip variation McGuinness performed, making direct comparisons difficult. It's entirely possible he'd manage more reps using a conventional grip.
It’s also worth remembering that these numbers tend to reflect active individuals. Plenty of adult men in the general population will struggle to perform many – or any – strict pull-ups.
Your performance also depends on factors including your bodyweight, arm length and training history, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re nowhere near Paddy’s number. If you'd rather assess your performance while taking your bodyweight into account, you can check out the benchmarks by bodyweight here.
Rather than obsessing over whether you're ‘below average’ against any particular metric, Tracey suggests using some simple age-related targets.
Aim for:
- Double digits before 40
- Around eight to 10 into your 50s
- Comfortably managing five or more into your 60s
And if you can't manage a single pull-up yet, that doesn't mean the target is out of reach. Pull-ups are a skill as much as a test of strength, and getting better at them requires practice alongside building your lats, biceps, grip and upper back.
McGuinness' week of focused practice certainly didn't hurt. Pick your own target, train towards it consistently and you might surprise yourself with how quickly those reps start adding up.
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