The king of challenges is back. After the success of his 200 press-ups a day challenge, Stan Browney wanted to see what happens when you do 100 pull-ups every day for 30 days.
In typical Browney fashion, he sprung a surprise on his friends, roping in the unsuspecting Arjen, Johannes and Jorg to take on the challenge.
So, what happened? Were the results worth it? Or was it the worst decision of their life? Let’s find out.
For the challenge, Browney wanted to pick participants of varying skill levels. First up was Browney regular Arjen — it wouldn’t be a Browney video without him, would it? — who, unsurprisingly, is a pull-up pro. In the intermediate corner was Jorg, Stan’s brother. And representing beginners was Johannes the cameraman.
As usual at the start of a challenge, Stan took all the relevant measurements to see how the participants sized up at the beginning and end.
Measurements day one
[su_table]
Day 1 measurements (Johannes)
Back
99cm
Lats
38cm
Left arm
36cm
Right arm
36cm
Left forearm
29cm
Right forearm
29cm
Belly
84cm
Weight
82.2kg
[/su_table]
[su_table]
Day 1 measurements (Jorg)
Back
106cm
Lats
43cm
Left arm
37.5cm
Right arm
38cm
Left forearm
30cm
Right forearm
31cm
Belly
95cm
Weight
90.7kg
[/su_table]
[su_table]
Day 1 measurements (Arjen)
Back
103cm
Lats
42cm
Left arm
37cm
Right arm
38cm
Left forearm
29cm
Right forearm
30cm
Belly
82cm
Weight
74.7kg
[/su_table]
Pull-up test (day one)
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Maximum number of pull-ups (day one)
Johannes
11
Jorg
14
Arjen
30
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Time taken for 100 reps (day one)
Johannes
27 minutes
Jorg
45 minutes
Arjen
9 minutes
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The rules were simple. Each participant had to complete 100 pull-ups every single day for 30 days. They didn’t have to be completed all at once — as long as each participant completed 100 a day, they were OK.
Unsurprisingly, some participants found the challenge difficult at first. Jorg was feeling intense DOMS in his forearms and biceps by day two. He was so sore he couldn’t extend his arms, and skipped the first four days of the challenge before coming clean to Stan.
Stan gave him some light exercises and stretches for him to complete, and by day 9, he was completing the full hundred every day.
But both Arjen and Johannes powered through the initial pain. Johannes even managed to fit in his pull-ups during an eight-hour road trip.
Sidenote: Stan’s challenges are never easy, and this one was no exception. Stan worked with the participants to ensure they were eating their maintenance calories, and plenty of calories to fuel their body for the gruelling work.
Just like that, they were 15 days in, and half of the challenge was done. That meant it was time for the half-time check-in.
[su_table]
Maximum number of pull-ups (day one)
Maximum number of pull-ups (day 15)
Johannes
11
13
Jorg
14
8
Arjen
30
32
[/su_table]
[su_table]
Time taken for 100 reps (day one)
Time taken for 100 reps (day 15)
Johannes
27 minutes
20 minutes
Jorg
45 minutes
Unable to finish
Arjen
9 minutes
8:20 minutes
[/su_table]
While Arjen and Johannes were seeing improvements in their performance, Jorg wasn’t. This left him feeling defeated. Jorg did one of transformations a while back but his fitness since then has lapsed. Halfway in, he was really struggling, but he wasn’t giving up.
On the other hand, Arjen’s enthusiasm for the challenge was unwavering, no matter where he was. In a hotel room, without a pull-up bar, he completed 100 of the lesser-seen floor pull-ups. Yes, you heard that right... Sometimes you have to get creative to make the most of a bad situation.
Floor pull-ups
- Lie on the floor on your front
- Roll up a towel and hold one end in each hand
- Your grip should be shoulder width-apart
- Then bring the towel into your chest while lifting your chest off the floor slightly
- In the final week of the challenge Arjen and Johannes fell sick. But that didn’t stop them. Stan offered them rest days, but they both declined. The challenge came before everything else.
After 30 days, they all headed back to the studio for the final results. The overwhelming consensus was they would not repeat the challenge. But if they broke their records, it would have been worth it.
[instagram url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Co7U5K-JHaY/]
Measurements day 30
[su_table]
Day one measurements (Johannes)
Day 30
Back
99cm
101cm
Lats
38cm
40cm
Left arm
36cm
36cm
Right arm
36cm
36cm
Left forearm
29cm
29cm
Right forearm
29cm
30cm
Belly
84cm
83cm
Weight
82.2kg
80.9kg
[/su_table]
[su_table]
Day one measurements (Jorg)
Day 30
Back
106cm
106cm
Lats
43cm
43cm
Left arm
37.5cm
37.5cm
Right arm
38cm
38cm
Left forearm
30cm
30cm
Right forearm
31cm
31cm
Belly
95cm
95cm
Weight
90.7kg
901.2kg
[/su_table]
[su_table]
Day one measurements (Arjen)
Day 30
Back
103cm
104cm
Lats
42cm
43cm
Left arm
37cm
37cm
Right arm
38cm
38cm
Left forearm
29cm
29cm
Right forearm
30cm
30cm
Belly
82cm
81.5cm
Weight
74.7kg
73.6kg
[/su_table]
Overall, Johannes made the most gains, which was expected given he was a newbie. While the measurements suggest that Jorg didn’t see much improvement, it’s possible he lost some body fat and gained muscle in its place. And even Arjen, the seasoned pro, looked more toned at the end.
Pull-up test (day 30)
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Maximum number of pull-ups (day one)
Maximum number of pull-ups (day 15)
Maximum number of pull-ups (day 30)
Johannes
11
13
15
Jorg
14
8
15
Arjen
30
32
36
[/su_table]
[su_table]
Time taken for 100 reps (day one)
Time taken for 100 reps (day 15)
Time taken for 100 reps (day 30)
Johannes
27 minutes
20 minutes
18 minutes
Jorg
45 minutes
Unable to finish
23.50 minutes
Arjen
9 minutes
8:20 minutes
7 minutes
[/su_table]
Take Home Message
Even though the challenge was difficult to complete, all participants made some impressive pull-up progress by day 30. And their reward was more than strength and size gains. Stan gave them $300 to share between them for all their hard work. Sweet.
Want more challenges from Browney?
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Originally from South London, Monica graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Philosophy. After discovering a love for the gym whilst studying, Monica was drawn to weight training which helped her hugely through stressful times as a student. From writing for a popular student site, Monica developed her skills as an author, writing trending feature pieces regularly. She is thrilled to be able to combine her love for writing with her passion for the gym. In her spare time Monica loves to cook, try out new restaurants with friends and explore new walking trails.
