# Strict pull up contest

> Most strict pull ups in one set, from a dead hang, with your chin over the bar on every rep. Film one unbroken take in the app and it is ranked on your gym, city, country and world boards at once.

URL: https://opencontest.app/contests/pull-ups/  
Updated: 2026-11-12

Contest: Strict pull ups. Winner: most reps in one go.

## What counts

- Start each rep from a dead hang, with your arms fully straight.
- Pull until your chin is clearly above the bar.
- Any grip width, palms facing away from you.
- You can pause in the hang between reps, as long as you don't let go.

## What doesn’t count

- Kipping, swinging or a leg drive to get up.
- Reps where your chin only reaches the bar.
- Reps that start with bent arms.
- Anything after your feet touch the floor or a box.

## How to film it

- Film from the side, with the bar and your whole body in view.
- Prop the phone up; don't hand it to someone who follows you.
- Start recording in the hang so the first rep is in the take.

The strict pull up is the oldest strength test there is, and the easiest to argue about. Was the chin over? Were the arms straight? Did the legs help? This contest settles it with one rule set and one camera.

## How it works

Open the contest in the app, read the checklist and prop your phone up side-on to the bar. Start recording, step up into a dead hang and do as many reps as you can. The app counts each rep as you go and flags any that don't count, so you know your number before you stop the take.

Your result goes on every board you qualify for at once: your gym, your city, your country and the world, plus your age group and weight class. Someone doing 9 reps can be first at their gym on the same day someone else does 30 for a city record.

## Who checks the reps

Every take gets an automatic check for an unbroken video and a rep count. Anyone can flag a take they think is wrong. When a take lands in a top 10, or sets a record, a referee watches it frame by frame and recounts it. If a rep is taken away you see the timestamp and the reason, and you can appeal to a second referee.

## Getting your number up

Most people add reps fastest by training more total pull ups across the week, not by testing their max every day. Spread the reps out, stop each set one or two short of failure, and test again after three or four weeks.

To interpret a maximum set, read [the pull-up benchmark guide](/guides/how-many-pull-ups/). It compares published figures with their source populations and shows how to record a result under a consistent rule.

## Questions

### Do chin ups count?

Not in this contest. Your palms must face away from you on every rep.

### Can I wear straps or gloves?

Chalk and gloves are fine. Straps and hooks are not, because they take grip out of the test.

### What happens if my take is in the top 10?

A referee watches it frame by frame and recounts every rep before it is verified. The app tells you when to expect the result and sends a notification when it is in.