Should You Do Pull Ups And Push-Ups Every Day?

Should you do pull ups and push-ups every day?

Today, I’m gonna show you the insane benefits of doing that daily practice. And why you should start incorporating some form of it into your daily routine.

Make sure to read until the end because I’m gonna show you a strategy on how to do just that. This could be a complete changer for you. 

Should You Do Pull Ups And Push-Ups Every Day?

One of the biggest problems for the average person living in North America, and really most western countries where the average person gets just over 4000 steps a day. Literally the definition of a sedentary lifestyle is that; a lack of activity.

For context, the Hadza in Tanzania who still live a hunter/gather way of life walk 4-7 miles a day. Or, 6-11 kms. And they don’t suffer from modern western diseases like obesity, diabetes, cancer, or cardiovascular disease.

If you don’t know how those numbers translate, the Hadza get more activity in a day than the standard American gets in a week. That’s according to Herman Pontzer who did that study.

A sedentary lifestyle is our baseline

In the US, 75% of people are overweight. Experts are predicting that number to go up to 90% by 2030.

That’s the norm. That’s the average person. If you’re living a sedentary lifestyle where you’re sitting for at least 8 hours a day, don’t worry. It’s not all doom and gloom.

The crazy part is even if you’re already working out, you’ll still benefit from what I’m gonna show you today.

Back when I was a young buck, I would’ve never given this advice. But I’m always learning. I’m a truth seeker. And I think this is just part of getting older and wiser as I learn more about fitness and nutrition.

These days, I’m really popular for telling people to not go to the gym. Even though I go to the gym every day. 

Because I can’t expect the average person to do that. You can really only expect the average person to the gym twice a week.

Micro workouts is the way to go

So now, I just remove that part completely and I make it optional.

Instead, I ask my coaching clients to do micro workouts. I also like to call them exercise snacks.

My protocol these days is to get my coaching clients to anchor a micro workout at various times during the day where they don’t even have to think about it. They just do it. It’s as automatic as brushing their teeth. 

It’s a much better approach and the benefits are insane. 

No, you’re not gonna set world records for the heaviest squat or bench press by using this approach. But, who cares? 

If I can get the average Jane or Joe to increase their activity without overloading their rate of perceived exertion. Then, I’m doing my job.

The INSANE benefits if you do pull ups and push-ups every day

Because treating bodyweight movements like push-ups, pull-ups, and squats as part of your every day routine has insane life changing benefits ranging from: 

• Improving insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control
• Building and maintaining muscle which is how you get that tight and toned look
• It burns extra calories as a byproduct because muscle is a very active tissue to build and maintain
• Stronger bones
• Strengthens your heart
• Improves immune function
• Elevates your mood
• Improves brain function because it spurs the production of BDNF which is Miracle Grow for the brain,
• Activates autophagy which is a cleanse on a cellular level,
• Triggers the production of glutathione which is the body’s main antioxidant,
• Triggers anti-aging effects because you’re triggering the production of testosterone and GH, and so much more

That’s why I’ve always said that if the benefits of exercise could be put in a pill, it would be the greatest blockbuster medication of all time. If I could do extra workouts and transfer the benefits to my parents, I would.

You get access to all those benefits for free. I think a lot of people know those benefits in some, way, shape, or from. Or, maybe you don’t. That’s okay. But going to the gym and exercising in general can be such a huge barrier.

The efficacy of micro workouts

What I’m advocating for these days is to help my coaching clients practice and build better habits and behaviours that they can do for the rest of their life.

It’s infinitely easier to get in the habit of doing push ups and pull ups every day for the rest of your life. Rather than finding the time to make it to the gym 5, 6, 7 days a week. It ain’t gonna happen. That’s just the reality of it. I’ve been doing this for a decade.

What’s surprising is how effective this approach is. And this is coming from a guy who used to compete in a sport where the goal is to lift as much weight as possible overhead. 

I’m telling you to just move your own bodyweight and the results can be just as amazing when it comes to your health and weight loss goals.

Because you get to incorporate exercise into your daily routine and you’re practicing it every day which has so much more value.

Remember, nothing shuts down your fat burning metabolism faster than prolonged periods where you’re completely sedentary.

The answer is to do micro workouts.

How to get better at pull ups

A common question I get asked when it comes to exercise is how do I get better at pull ups? My record is 52 butterfly pull ups by the way, for all the doubters out there. 

I gotta admit, pull ups can be hard for some people. It’s definitely a nice feather on your hat if you can do one. It’s also a very functional movement.

I can still vividly remember when I first went to the gym and I couldn’t do a single pull-up. Then, I look to my right and I saw this older Asian lady banging out sets of 5.

What I tell my coaching clients is to get one of those pull up bars that you can hang at your door and practice doing a pull up every day. Baby steps. Start by just doing negatives. 

Get a chair or something to elevate yourself, get your chin over the bar, and slowly lower yourself down.

Do that every time you walk by that pull up bar if you want. Give it a few weeks and see what happens.

The strength gains that happens when you practice push ups and pull ups on a daily basis are insane. 

People see me do muscle ups which is obviously a more advanced pull up and push gymnastics technique and they ask me how to do it. 

I tell them to start by doing push ups and negatives on a pull up bar and practice it every day. 

I’ve been practicing those movements since I was 18. I didn’t just wake up one day and decided I was gonna do muscle ups. No, I started from zero just like everyone else.

Bodyweight exercises isn’t anything new

The concept of doing these bodyweight exercises every day isn’t anything new. Herschel Walker is probably one of the most recognizable names and faces in North America. 

He was known for doing 1000 push ups and 1000 sit ups every day. Up to this day, he’s an absolute unit in his mid 50’s. But we’re not even talking about 1000 push ups or even 100.

You can even just look at people that do manual labour. You know, blue collar workers. 

Look at the forearms of a carpenter. They’re massive. Same thing with construction workers, mechanics, and farmers. That’s also where the term farmer strength comes from.  

I’m not saying they’re beacons of health. They might even be rocking a Dad bod. But look at the body part that they use for work every day which is their fore arms. They’re jacked. 

It’s obviously in their job description to do some manual labour. But that daily practice of using their body to move an object obviously has tremendous value to their physique.

NEVER go to failure

The key is to not go crazy. You don’t see a carpenter go to failure when they’re swinging a hammer. Or, you don’t see farmers going to failures throwing hay bails. They’ll get injured.

For example, if 20 consecutive push ups is your max where you literally can’t do another one if you tried. That’s not what you’re gonna do for one set. No. Do 5-10 push ups. Then do it two to three times a day. 

If you can’t do a regular push-up, again take baby steps. Do the push-ups off your counter or on your knees and go from there. It should take you no time to do it if you use the right progression. 

Anchor that practice before your meals. If you eat three times a day, that’s 30 push-ups. 10 over your max. That’s how you slowly build up your skill and strength. 

More importantly, your rate of perceived exertion is also half of you max. You’re nowhere near close to failure. Which means you’re more likely to do it more. Instead of going to failure at 20.

Do that practice every single day and you’re gonna be shocked how many more push ups you can do. You’re gonna destroy your max of 20 push ups in no time. 

And then watch what happens to your triceps, shoulders, and pecs after just a few months. It’s gonna blow your mind. 

Your baseline fitness in which you can launch all future fitness and life endeavours is also gonna way higher. You’re gonna be a more functional and badass human being.

Number don’t lie

Think about it this way. Let’s do some simple math because numbers don’t lie. If you do 30 push-ups every day, that’s around 900 push ups a month, resulting in a mind blowing 10,950 push ups in a year. 

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to deduce that if you perform a movement for almost 11,000 reps, something’s gonna happen. It’s gonna change your life.

And you’re not even breaking a sweat because you’re doing it faster than most commercials.

If you add in some pull ups, even if you’re just doing negatives to start, and some bodyweight squats. Now we’re talking about a full body workout that will take your health and fitness to the next level. It’s gonna change your life.

Again, still without breaking a sweat. I can’t stress enough the importance of associating positive feelings towards exercise. It’s really the key to this strategy. It has the same importance to your success as having a good relationship with food.

Why increasing activity is more important than going to the gym

I personally think that this daily practice approach is way more valuable for the average person than going to the gym. Again, this is coming from a former competitive exerciser. 

Because the barrier of entry is almost non existent. You can do push ups and bodyweight squats anytime and anywhere.

Doing it this way is also already proven to be way more effective. If you’ve ever read Atomic Habits by James Clear because we’re advantage of something called habit stacking. 

If you anchor a habit that you wanna establish to a pre-existing habit, you’re way more likely to succeed.

Again, it doesn’t need to be an hour long. It can just be two to five minutes a few times a day. If you’re completely brand new, start with one set or one rep. I don’t care. We all have to start somewhere. But, that’s it. 

If you can’t spare 2 minutes, you’ve got big problems. 

But the cumulative volume of these micro workouts will translate to a full workout if you do it every day.

It’s all about building habits

If you can turn micro workouts into a habit like brushing your teeth, your life will change in ways you can’t even imagine. 

The carryover benefits when it comes to improving your health, improving your quality of life, and longevity is unquantifiable. 

I’ve done many consultations over the last year couple of years specifically, and by the way if you wanna work with me, you can book a free consultation HERE.

But one of the most common things I hear from people is they’ve fallen off their exercise routine because their gyms were shut down. 

They’re blown away when I introduce them to this concept of micro workouts and treating exercise like a daily practice.

Personally, I do two sessions of these 5 minute micro workouts and I’m constantly blown away with what it does to me. Even though I’ve been training for almost two decades now. I still get value from it.

For starters, I’m increasing my activity. It’s 10 minutes more activity than what I was doing before. 

The invaluable muscle building and maintaining signal I’m sending to my body can’t be overstated. Again, think about carpenters and mechanics practicing their manual labour skill every day. 

My baseline fitness is also higher which makes me better at Muay Thai which is what I do for play.

The benefits of exercise for brain health

The energy boost and mood elevation that you get from doing this is insane. I feel 10 times better afterwards whenever I move my body. That boost in mood and energy is easily the most underrated benefit of all of this. 

I’ve heard of multiple experts and scientists that you actually wanna exercise for the brain. 

I personally know a few people struggle with mental health problems. I’m constantly blown away that they just get prescribed pills as an intervention. That’s it. 

No mention about making dietary changes which has A LOT to do with neurochemistry. Or the cognitive benefits of movement, exercise, getting vitamin D from the sun, and the healing effects of spending time in nature. It’s really frustrating.

A lot of people don’t think about exercise in that sense especially when people do these crazy intense group fitness classes where it’s a NDE every time they do it. 

By the way, I’m not saying you should never elevate your heart rate. There’s a time and place for it. It just can’t be the norm. You also should’t feel really sore after a workout. That means you overdid it. 

But pay attention to how you feel after moving your body for just 2 minutes. Especially if you’re feeling sluggish. You get an instant boost in energy.

One of the things I had to do when I lived in Mexico was shift my workouts in the morning because you can’t workout at noon. Especially because my gym was on the beach. It was way too hot. 

I’ve always trained at noon or mid afternoon for as long as I can remember.

So I had to workout at 8 in the morning. But after that morning workout, I felt like a million bucks.

Which then carries over to everything I do afterwards. I’m way more productive because I have all this energy and I feel amazing.

Again, those are the things that’s hard to measure. But the benefits are undeniable.

And think about it this way for practicality. This is really my biggest selling point. It’s a lot easier to fit in 2-5 minutes of exercise into your daily schedule. Rather than trying to find an hour to go to your Spin class. 

Add in the time to drive to the gym, get changed, drive back home, and you’re looking more at 1.5 hours.

Instead of having to pull off a Houdini trick of trying to find time to get to the gym. Do a 2-5 minute micro workout wherever you are. It’s infinitely easier to integrate into your routine and it’s just as effective. 

In fact, it’s even more effective because you’re actually gonna do it. This is the secret sauce to exercise to get amazing results without having to go to the gym. You should do push ups, pull ups, and bodyweight squats every day. You’re welcome.

As always, if this was helpful, share it with a friend who could benefit from it as well!

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