Beginning in November 2025, the FBI will require special agent candidates to perform pull-ups as part of their graded physical fitness exam. Throughout the military, pull-ups are a tested exercise in many branches of service. Marines are tested in pull-ups as well as the special ops members of the Navy, Army and Air Force.
Now, federal law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, have added pull-ups to the special agent candidate fitness test. Along with many military branches, the FBI has also removed situps from its fitness test. Here is a workout I recommend for those trying to do their first pull-up or improve their single-digit pull-up max into the double-digit range (10+):
This pull-up workout is mixed with running, as you will have to combine pull-ups, pushups, a sprint and a 1.5-mile run for the FBI fitness test. Any fitness test that includes pull-ups will be paired with running and/or swimming, so getting used to doing both types of activities in a workout will be helpful.
The pull-up is the heavy-lifting exercise of the calisthenics world. It requires a person to lift their entire body weight, whereas the pushup requires only 40% of it. Both are difficult to do if you do not do them as part of your weekly training. Both are entirely possible if you practice them consistently. That’s the key. Try this pulling workout two to three times a week. It’s fine to add other upper-body exercises, such as pushups, to these workouts, but this one is specifically for the pulling section of the common split routine: Push – Pull – Leg.
Run with Pull-ups, Rows and Curls
The following workout section is a run that involves practicing keeping your goal mile pace for the tested distance, but only for a 400-meter or 800-meter section. For instance, if you want to run a 7-minute-mile pace; or a 1.5-mile run in 10 minutes, 30 seconds; or a 14-minute 2-mile run, you will do these 400 meters (quarter miles) at a 1:45 time. Once you recover, do the remaining pulling circuit without rest:
Repeat 6 times
- Run 400-meter goal mile pace
- Pull-ups max (10)
- Barbell or Dumbbell rows (5-10)
- Dumbbell bicep curl (10)
Pull-ups require a strong grip, bicep/arm muscles and rear shoulder/back muscles. This circuit starts with the hardest exercise and reduces difficulty with subsequent pulling exercises. Do as many pull-ups as you can, but do 10 reps of a version of the pull-up. This means do assisted pull-ups with a band, pulldowns, or negatives once you fail at pull-ups. Regardless of whether it is your first attempt at pull-ups or you can do five, you owe the remainder of 10 reps of difficult pulling in the form of assisted pull-ups, pulldown machine, or getting yourself over the bar and slowly letting yourself down (5 seconds) with a negative rep. Then, do the barbell or dumbbell bent-over row for five to 10 reps and dumbbell bicep curls. Go moderately heavy so five to 10 reps is not easy, but you are not failing, either.
Reverse Pyramid Cooldown with Running in Between
If you can do a few reps, whatever your maximum is, shoot for it. Say you get seven pullups. Now, you owe six more sets done in a reverse pyramid fashion that look like this: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps. Jog 100-200m, or bike 1 minute each set, as part of the cooldown mode of this workout.
Continue the cooldown by jogging 1-2 miles, or 10-20 minutes bike, and stretch.
The goal with pull-ups is to first get stronger with your pulling muscles. If you are overweight, you may need to lose weight to make pull-ups easier. That is another reason we like to add cardio workouts alongside the pull-up workouts. Then, as you get stronger and can do your first pull-up, you need to improve your muscle endurance to do more repetitions. Your first pull-up is a strength exercise. Your fifth, 10th, or 2 is 0tha muscle-stamina exercise.
Save this workout to test your strength and muscle-stamina progress. Try it a few times a week, with an upper-body rest day between sessions. If you’re looking for more muscle-stamina workouts and endurance exercises like this one, visit the Military.com Fitness Section for hundreds of workout articles to help.
Related Articles:
Getting Your First Pull-up
Circuit to Improve Pull-ups
Military 5 Day Split Routine
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