What's your max? Man approaches strangers at Sentosa beach with a rewarding pull-up challenge

Pull-up is an exercise familiar to most Singaporeans, considering that pull-up bars are a common fixture at the neighbourhood fitness corners.

Working several major muscles at once, pull-ups has established a place in almost everyone's workout regime. 

So, with a microphone in hand, Samuel Kwan walked up to strangers at Tanjong Beach Club in Sentosa asking one simple question.

"How many pull-ups can you do?"

He'd then ask them to prove it as they find a nearby pull-up bar.

One might wonder why a stranger would agree to partake in his challenge. What's in it for them?

Samuel's promise was that he'd give participants $1 for every completed pull-up.

Last Sunday (Oct 15), he posted a 55-second long clip on TikTok of an attempt by an Officer Cadet School (OCS) cadet who goes by Ethan.

@samuelkwxn internet do your thing and find ethan’s @ for the ladies 🥵 #samuelkwan #samuelkwanchallenge #fyp ♬ original sound - Kouli Fitness - Samuel Kwan

Ethan claimed he could do 10 pull-ups but Samuel was having none of it. He had a feeling that Ethan could probably do a few more.

Samuel then upped the ante, saying: "I'll buy any girl here a drink of your choice if you can do more than 20 pull-ups."

This offer didn't interest Ethan and he opted for the cash reward instead.

At the pull-up bar, it didn't take long to realise that Ethan was indeed being modest at the start.

He breezed through 10 pull-ups easily, even conversing with Samuel while attempting the challenge.

"Oh my god, I'm going broke. I'm not even looking, I trust his form," Samuel admitted.

While many might have overstated their pull-up count, Ethan did the exact opposite when he completed 23 pull-ups.

In a more recent TikTok video, Samuel ran into a Muay Thai fighter by the name of Angus.

Samuel initially asked a group of beachgoers who suggested their friend Angus to try out the challenge.

Walking up to the pull-up bar, Samuel learned of Angus' impressive 8-0 record as a Muay Thai fighter (six of those being knockouts).

The duo joked that if Samuel doesn't pay up, he'd get knocked out too.

With a group of fans cheering him on, Angus managed to complete 21 pull-ups. That's impressive as he claimed to be someone who "don't usually do pull-ups".

Improving your pull-up game

If you're feeling a little deflated from seeing how "easy" pull-ups can seem for some, fret not.

This strengthening exercise is no mean feat. After all, you are vertically lifting your entire body weight against gravity. 

Digital publication Men's Health suggests doing these few exercises, three times a week and your pull-up game will improve in time.

The static hold is simple enough. All you have to do is jump to the starting position of a pull-up and hold it there for as long as you can. 

Aim for 20-second holds and don't forget to squeeze those back muscles.

You can also try a negative pull-up. It works in a similar fashion, jump up to the starting position but this time, slowly lower yourself.

Three sets of five and you're good.

No promises that you'll hit pull-up numbers like Ethan or Angus but it doesn't matter right? Everyone's on their own fitness journey.

ALSO READ: 'I struggled with my self-esteem': Woman shares her pull-up journey, inspiring others to stay on the grind

amierul@asiaone.com

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