Doing 100 pull-ups is very tough, to say the least – and the idea of doing 100 pull-ups every day for 30 days sounds deeply unpleasant. Still, YouTubers, ‘Buttery Bros’, Heber Cannon, Julian Marquez and Marston Sawyers, decided to take the challenge on. What's more, they recorded the process.

All in all, they hit 3,000 pull-ups. Throughout the 30 days, the trio tracked gains, muscle growth and consistency. Thankfully for them, the daily 100 reps could be broken up however they liked.

Day 1

Each participant went for a max set of pull-ups and measured their biceps:

  • Cannon: 14-inch biceps, 18 max pull-ups
  • Marquez: 16.5-inch biceps, 12 max pull-ups
  • Sawyers: 15.5-inch biceps, 20 max pull-ups

Day 7

As you might expect, it all began to take a toll on the group – especially from a logistical standpoint. "One of the harder things with this challenge compared to the push-up challenge is you’re not always around a pull-up bar," Cannon admits. "I can’t just break it up in sets of 10 across the day unless I’m conveniently filming at a gym all day.'

When Cannon manages to squeeze in reps before a long-haul flight, he says: 'I’m about to go catch a flight to London. I need to get them in before we go on the flight because it’s a 12-hour flight and I’ll miss my day.' Sawyers even had to complete 80 reps before midnight on one occasion to stay on track.

person performing pullups in an airport corridor
@butterybros1//YouTube

Day 17

By this point, the progress is clear. "Getting better pull-ups. I definitely think they feel better," says Sawyers. Cannon is seeing less progress on his muscle, though. "I don’t know about growth. I haven’t had enough sleep or food to have big growth."

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Day 30

By the end of the challenge, strength gains had been made across the board:

  • Cannon: Lost 0.75 inches from his biceps, 25 max pull-ups (+7 reps)
  • Marquez: 19 max pull-ups (+7 reps)
  • Sawyers: No biceps growth, 25 max pull-ups (+5 reps)

Marquez says that while "you can do push-ups anywhere. Pull-ups are a little more tricky," making room for pull-ups will see "real gain after as little as 30 days." It wasn't particularly fun, though. "I was sore throughout the entirety of the process," he admits.

sidebyside comparison of physical transformation over 30 days
@butterybros1//YouTube

For Sawyers, the real test was consistency. "Deciding to do something for 30 days and sticking to it and actually following through, it’s not a very easy feat."

Across the 30 day challenge, all three improved their max reps, honed their technique and delivered good results – but nonetheless, there are much easier routes to muscle growth.