Even one pull-up is a win. Log it in 2 seconds. Watch the streak grow. StreakUp is the free pull-up app for anyone working toward — or maintaining — strict bodyweight pulls.
A pull-up is a vertical pulling exercise: hang from a bar with an overhand (pronated) grip, hands roughly shoulder-width apart, then pull your chin over the bar. It works the lats, mid-back, rear delts, and biceps. The hardest bodyweight movement to master — and the most satisfying.
Most people quit pull-ups before they even start, because they can't do one yet. StreakUp lets you log negatives, band-assisted reps, or hanging time — anything counts as a daily check-in. The streak protects you from skipping until you're 'ready'.
Strength research suggests that frequent, low-volume practice builds skill movements like pull-ups faster than 1–2 heavy sessions per week. 3 pull-ups a day for 30 days beats 15 pull-ups once a week in real-world progression.
Most pull-up plateaus are training-density problems, not strength problems. By logging daily — even just one rep — you keep the neural pattern fresh and stack micro-improvements that hidden under weekly programs.
Start with dead hangs (30–60 seconds), scapular pulls, and band-assisted pull-ups. Add negatives: jump to the top, lower for 5 seconds. Daily practice gets you to your first rep in 4–8 weeks.
You can do 1 clean pull-up. Now goal: 5. Practice singles throughout the day — one rep, rest, one rep. Frequency beats grinding. Add 1 rep per week.
Add tempo work (3-second negatives), chest-to-bar variations, and grip variations (close, wide). This is where bigger lats start to show up.
Move to weighted pull-ups (vest, dip belt), L-sit pull-ups, archer pull-ups, or one-arm progressions. Bodyweight alone won't keep building strength once you're past 15 strict reps.
Swinging the legs to generate momentum is fine in CrossFit-style training but it isn't a strict pull-up. If your back muscles are doing less than half the work, you're cheating the streak. Pause for half a second at the bottom — dead hang start, controlled pull.
Half-reps build ego, not lats. The chin must go over the bar (not just touch it). If you can't get there, do negatives or band-assisted reps to build the top range — don't fake the rep.
Dropping from the top wastes the eccentric portion — which is where most muscle growth happens. Lower yourself for at least 2 seconds. Slow descents (negatives) are how people get their first pull-up.
At the bottom of every rep, depress the shoulder blades — pull them down before pulling up. Shrugging makes the upper traps do work the lats should do, and stresses the neck.
Daily exposure. Don't grind to failure.
Spread across the day if needed.
Strict form: dead hang start, chin over.
You've earned the streak. Keep it alive.
Yes — fully free on Android and iOS. No paywall, no premium plan, no subscription. The full app, including pull-up tracking with separate streak and stats, is yours from day one.
Tap the pull-up exercise, enter the reps you just did, and confirm. Total flow is around 2 seconds. Multiple sets per day all sum into your daily total — useful for grease-the-groove style training.
Yes. StreakUp counts whatever you log — band-assisted reps, jumping negatives, partial reps all count toward the daily streak. The point is showing up. As you get stronger, you'll naturally log stricter reps.
For most healthy adults doing daily exposure (negatives, dead hangs, band-assisted reps), the first strict pull-up arrives in 4–12 weeks. The streak format helps because frequency matters more than session intensity for skill-strength movements.
Yes — at low volume. Daily exposure of 1–5 reps is well within recovery for most adults and actually accelerates progression compared to twice-weekly heavy sessions. If a workout leaves you sore for 48+ hours, reduce volume but keep the daily check-in.
Pull-ups use an overhand (pronated) grip — palms facing away. Chin-ups use an underhand (supinated) grip — palms facing you. Pull-ups emphasize the lats and rear delts; chin-ups shift more work to the biceps. StreakUp tracks them as separate exercises with independent streaks.
Whether you do 5 reps or 50, the goal is the same: keep showing up. Free on Android and iOS.