SGPT Interviews Bar-Master Mark Cunanan

Lock in. Today we sit down with one of our own: Bar Master Mark Cunanan. He’s the athlete who doesn’t just hang on the bar—he owns it. He puts in the time, sweat, and grit to set a standard in strength we all strive for. In our group, we demand more than muscles—we demand mindset, discipline, and the will to rise when everyone else quits. Mark lives that every rep, every set, every day.

In the following interview you’re going to hear how Mark got started, how he overcame obstacles, and how he approaches training when the bar feels heavier than ever. Whether you’re just getting your first strict pull-up or you’re crushing a weighted muscle-up, you’ll walk away with a lesson you can apply today.

SGPT: Tell us about yourself?

MC: I am a Born-again Baptist Christian. I work for Faithful Ambassadors Bible Baptist Academy a ministry of Bible Baptist Church as a Christian School Principal and a teacher in Physics, Chemistry, Precalculus, Algebra 2, and Geometry

SGPT: Were you an athlete growing up?

MC: Growing up I did bboying (aka break dancing) from 11 years old to 22 years old. I was in Army JROTC in high school where I started doing push ups in 1994.

SGPT: How did you get interested in bar work?

MC: When Faithful Ambassadors Bible Baptist Academy had a drill program, they went to compete in a drill competition in Long Beach, California in 2009. There was a Marine Corps pull up booth giving out prizes for doing pull ups. That day I only 13 reps. After that day, I would search up pull up videos on YouTube to get tips and motivation to get 20 pull ups. However, after I was able to 20 pull ups, I never was able to find a Marine Corps pull up bar again.

SGPT: What does a week look like for you in terms of training?

MC: I alternate days between pushing and pull ups. For example, on Monday, I do two to three max set pull ups, Tuesday, I do 1 max set of push ups, Wednesday, I do 1 max set of squats with 20 pounds, Thursday, I do 1-2 max set of pull ups or chin ups, Friday, I do one max set of muscle ups, Saturday, I do 135 reps of parallel bar dips, Sunday, rest day or 2 max sets of chest to bar pull ups or chin ups

SGPT: You won a recent pull-up competition. Tell about that effort and how you trained?

MC: My training to win the pullupclub.com I just did my normal workout routine

SGPT: Tell us about your backyard gym set up. It looks very minimalistic which is what I like.

MC: In 2013, my brother help me build the outdoor pull up set up based on Steve Proto’s YouTube video

SGPT: You just broke your pullup record of 59! Wow; I watched the film and really proud of you to hit that goal.

MC: Through hard work and dedication I hit my personal record (PR). Consistency is the key to unlocking your limits is my motto!

SGPT: I noticed that you wear crocks for most of your workouts and record breaking?

MC: I prefer Crocs because they are lightweight and comfortable

SGPT: What book or podcast/audio book are you reading/ or listening to?

MC: I am reading the King James Version Bible

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Here are tips that I used to achieve 50 pull ups unbroken: https://youtu.be/t-ftPxwmBXA

This method works for those who are able to do at least 13 full range of motion pull ups.

The first time I did pull ups since my third year of college was about 9 years later, and I managed to do 13. It was for a Marine Corps pull up booth. After that day, I determined to get over twenty pull ups.

What did I have to do to reach that goal of 20? Basically, I did one max set of pull ups everyday for 3 months.

Once I was able to do 30 strict full range of motion pull ups I determined to do over 40. The steps that I took to get over 40 pull ups in one month were:

Do one max set in the morning and one max set after work for 5 days a week. When I say max set I mean do as many as you can till you physically can’t do any more, this being per set. This is the basis to building up your Pull up endurance.

-Use chalk. Chalk significantly helps with your grip and will enable you to bang out more pull ups.

-Wrap your thumb around the bar.

-Do weighted pull ups one week (at least 10 pounds), and do unweighted pull ups the next week.

-Do two max set of full range of motion push ups on the two rest days.

Below is my playlist from 30 to 44 pull ups in one month:

I achieved 50 pull ups by doing max sets 2-3 times a week and 100+ push ups the other days. You can find my progression for 40 to 50 pull ups on my playlists below “40+ consecutive pull ups as one set”