pull-ups

Definition

An upper-body strength exercise performed by hanging from a horizontal bar and pulling oneself upward until the chin clears the bar, then lowering back down. A standard fitness measure in schools and the military.

Example Usage

The gym teacher made us do as many pull-ups as possible for the fitness assessment.

Origin

Ancient calisthenics exercise; formalized as a fitness test in military and institutional settings.

Fun Fact

Pull-ups remain one of the most challenging bodyweight exercises for many people, and their difficulty varies significantly based on age, body composition, and muscle development.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

Related Terms

Intermediate

anabolic window

The supposedly critical 30-60 minute period after training when protein synthesis is maximized. The fitness industry's most profitable myth that spawned a thousand protein shake sales.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Advanced

Going cheese

In hockey, scoring a goal by firing the puck into the top corner of the net with such precision and speed that the goalie never saw it coming. The 'cheese' refers to easy targets, which technically isn't where this shot goes, but hockey players have always had loose relationships with logic.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Intermediate

the girls

A collection of classic CrossFit benchmark workouts given women's names (Fran, Helen, Diane, etc.), each designed to humble you in specific, memorable ways. They're all terrible; you just pick your preferred flavor of suffering.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Intermediate

Crossfit open

The annual worldwide online competition that serves as the first qualifying stage for the CrossFit Games. Where regular people discover that they're neither as fit as they thought nor immune to existential crisis via burpee box jump-overs.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Advanced

sarcoplasmic hypertrophy

Muscle growth from increasing the volume of sarcoplasm (the fluid and energy substrates in muscle cells) rather than contractile proteins. It's the type of growth that makes you look bigger without proportional strength gains, beloved by bodybuilders and Instagram.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Intermediate

giant set

Four or more exercises performed consecutively without rest, targeting the same or different muscle groups. A superset that went to graduate school and got ambitious.

⚽ Sports / Fitness

Translate This Term

See “pull-ups” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

default judgment

A binding judgment in favor of the plaintiff when the defendant fails to respond or appear, essentially winning by forfe...