Pavels Fighter Pull Up workout program

When you look at a fighter like Mike Tyson throwing a punch, you can see the power start in his back and explode through his fist. That raw torque comes from the latissimus dorsi — your lats — the big muscles under your armpits that connect your arms to your core.

These muscles are the power link between your upper body and everything else. When they’re weak or not firing, you’ve got no chain of power — your punch loses weight, your shoulder takes the hit, and you open the door for injury. The fix? You train the lats hard. And the pull-up is your weapon of choice.

Bodybuilders will tell you to open your chest, look up, and squeeze your shoulder blades on top. That’s fine for posing — but fighters and warriors move differently. In combat or in the field, you live in what gymnasts call the “hollow position.” Your chest is slightly caved, your scapula flared.

That’s your combat stance — tight, strong, and ready. Train your pull-ups that way. Look straight ahead, bring your neck or upper chest to the bar, and finish each rep with purpose. Don’t swing or cheat. Lower under control, full extension, pause, and then hit the next rep. This builds real-world pulling strength — the kind you use climbing, rucking, and fighting fatigue.

Now, if you want to crank your pull-ups up to elite levels, it’s time to go Russian. The Russian Pull-Up Program is simple, brutal, and effective — designed to turn a 5-rep max into 12, 15, or more in one month. You start with your max effort, then taper each set down. Every day, you build a little — adding one rep to the tail end until you climb the ladder.

You’ll work hard five days, rest on the sixth, then come back sharper. This plan scales up whether you can do 3, 5, 15, or 25 pull-ups — all the way up to beast level. Add weight if needed. Stick to the mission. And by the end, expect your numbers to jump by 2.5–3x.

If you stall, back off a week and rebuild. No ego, no shortcuts. If you want real strength, hang a kettlebell or plate off your waist and work the lower-rep version. If you’re just starting out, use the 3-rep template and climb from there. Advanced athletes? Tackle the 15 or 25-rep variation and watch your upper body armor up fast.

Here is a powerful Russian pullup program adaptable to any level of ability.

The 5RM Russian Pullup Program

Day 1

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Day 2

5, 4, 3, 2, 2

Day 3

5, 4, 3, 3, 2

Day 4

5, 4, 4, 3, 2

Day 5

5, 5, 4, 3, 2

Day 6

off

Day 7

6, 5, 4, 3, 2

Day 8

6, 5, 4, 3, 3

Day 9

6, 5, 4, 4, 3

Day 10

6, 5, 5, 4, 3

Day 11

6, 6, 5, 4, 3

Day 12

off

Day 13

7, 6, 5, 4, 3

Day 14

7, 6, 5, 4, 4

Day 15

7, 6, 5, 5, 4

Day 16

7, 6, 6, 5, 4

Day 17

7, 7, 6, 5, 4

Day 18

off

Day 19

8, 7, 6, 5, 4

Day 20

8, 7, 6, 5, 5

Day 21

8, 7, 6, 6, 5

Day 22

8, 7, 7, 6, 5

Day 23

8, 8, 7, 6, 5

Day 24

off

Day 25

9, 8, 7, 6, 5

Day 26

9, 8, 7, 6, 6

Day 27

9, 8, 7, 7, 6

Day 28

9, 8, 8, 7, 6

Day 29

9, 9, 8, 7, 6

Day 30

off day/deload workout

You start with an all-out set and then cut a rep in each consecutive set for a total of five sets.

The next day add a rep to the last set. Then a rep to the set before that, etc. The system is

intended to be used for four weeks. In the end of the month take two or three days off and

then test yourself. It is not unusual to up the reps 2.5-3 times.

In other words, you are likely to end up cranking out 12-15 reps if you started with 5. If you can already do between 6 and 12 reps start the program with the first day your PR shows up. For instance, if your max is 6pullups start with Day 7; if your max is 8 start with Day 19. If you run into a snag with this routine, back off a week and build up again. If you hit the wall again switch to another routine.

Here is how the program applies to those who currently max at three pullups. The below is also excellent for anyone whose goal is pure strength rather than reps; just hang a kettlebell or a barbell plate on your waist to bring the reps down to three.

The 3RM Russian Pullup Program

Day 1

3, 2, 1, 1

Day 2

3, 2, 1, 1

Day 3

3, 2, 2, 1

Day 4

3, 3, 2, 1

Day 5

4, 3, 2, 1

Day 6

off

Day 7

4, 3, 2, 1, 1

Day 8

4, 3, 2, 2, 1

Day 9

4, 3, 3, 2, 1

Day 10

4, 4, 3, 2, 1

Day 11

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Day 12
off day

Now you are ready to move up to the 5RM program.

For a fighter capable of 15 pullups the routine would look like this:

The 15 RM Russian Fighter Pullup Program

Day 1

15RMx12, 10, 8, 6, 4

Day 2

15RMx12, 10, 8, 6, 6

Day 3

15RMx12, 10, 8, 8, 6

Day 4

15RMx12, 10, 10, 8, 6

Day 5

15RMx12, 12, 10, 8, 6

Day 6

off

Day 7

15RMx14, etc.

A stud athlete with a 25-pullup max would do it slightly differently:

The 25RM Russian Pullup Program

Day 1

25RMx20, 16, 12, 8, 4

Day 2

25RMx20, 16, 12, 8, 8

Day 3

25RMx20, 16, 12, 12, 8

Day 4

25RMx20, 16, 16, 12, 8

Day 5

25RMx20, 20, 16, 12, 8

Day 6

off day

Day 7

25RMx22, etc.

You can see that the higher the RM, the quicker the reps drop off. The reason is simple. You

should have no problem doing four reps a few minutes after 5RMx5. But x24 is not going to

happen after an all-out set of 25. The higher the reps, the greater the fatigue.

Therefore you need to start more reps down from your rep-max and cut the reps more between sets. Experiment. An extra day of rest here and there is also in order; the recovery from sets of fifteen or twenty is not nearly as quick as from fives and triples.

Take a look at Yakov Zobnin, heavyweight world champion in Kyokushin Karate — 6’6”, 220 pounds, and still knocking out 25 strict pull-ups. That’s a fighter’s strength: no excuses, no wasted movement, just raw power built from disciplined reps. So ask yourself — if a Siberian warrior can do it with full-contact training on top — what’s stopping you?
Bottom line: you want to punch harder, climb stronger, and dominate your workouts? Master the pull-up. Build your lats like your life depends on it — because in the fight, it just might. Hooyah.

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