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Why I Did Pull-Ups Every Day for a Year (As a Guitarist)
Watch the full story below
Why I Did Pull-Ups Every Day for a Year (As a Guitarist)
If you’re a guitarist who’s ever struggled with back or posture issues, this video may resonate.
Last year, instead of doing Dry January, I committed to a simple daily habit — not as a fitness challenge, but as a way of staying pain-free and being able to keep playing guitar long-term.
I tracked every single pull-up I did for an entire year, and what started as a small January experiment turned into a surprisingly powerful lesson about consistency, prevention, and guitar longevity.
Below, I’ve written a little more context around the video for anyone who prefers to read, or wants to revisit the key ideas.
From “Dry January” to a Daily Habit
On the 1st of January last year, a lot of people were doing Dry January.
I decided to do something different.
I committed to doing pull-ups every day for the whole of January.
I finished January… and then I just kept going.
By the 31st of December, I hit my personal best: 60 pull-ups in one day, split into three sets of twenty. More importantly, I had tracked every single pull-up I did throughout the year.
When I added it all up, the total came to 13,465 pull-ups.
That number isn’t important on its own — but what it represents definitely is.
This Wasn’t About Fitness
I’m not interested in chasing fitness trends or training for anything in particular.
I’m a working guitarist.
I teach in schools, perform regularly, carry gear, stand for long periods, and spend hours holding a guitar in front of me every day. Like many guitarists, I’ve dealt with back problems in the past — something that’s surprisingly common among musicians.
During lockdown, I had a moment that really changed how I thought about this.
The Back Problem That Changed Everything
One morning during lockdown, I got out of bed and could barely move.
My back had completely gone.
I fixed the immediate problem through online physiotherapy, but the bigger lesson was this: reacting to injuries isn’t enough.
If I wanted to keep playing guitar long-term, I needed to start thinking about prevention, not just recovery.
A Very Humbling Starting Point
I’ve actually owned a pull-up bar for many years.
The first time I used it properly, I completely overdid it. I ached for days… and I managed one pull-up.
Just one.
So this wasn’t a natural strength story. Quite the opposite. It was about consistency, patience, and doing something manageable every day.
Why Pull-Ups Help Guitarists
Guitar playing is incredibly one-sided physically.
We tend to round our shoulders forward, collapse slightly through the upper back, and spend long hours in positions that aren’t particularly natural for the spine.
Pull-ups do the opposite.
They strengthen the upper back, the lats, and the muscles that help pull the body upright. Combined with other activities like walking, running, and push-ups, they help balance the body rather than reinforce poor posture.
This isn’t about building muscle for its own sake — it’s about supporting the mechanics of playing guitar.
Small Daily Habits Add Up
Another important change for me has been how I teach and practise day to day.
I stand properly and use a guitar stand — specifically the König & Meyer Guitar Performer Stand — rather than collapsing into poor posture for hours on end.
On its own, that doesn’t fix anything.
But combined with daily movement and simple strength work, these small habits compound over time. That’s where the real difference comes from.
The Real Takeaway
I’m not saying every guitarist should do pull-ups every day.
What I am saying is that if you want to play guitar for decades — pain-free, comfortably, and consistently — your body has to support that goal.
For me, this one daily habit has helped keep back problems at bay and allowed me to focus on music rather than managing injuries.
That, ultimately, is the real win.
Watch the Full Video
I talk through the full story, including the spreadsheet tracking and how this fits into my day-to-day life as a working guitarist, in this video:
If you’re a guitarist who’s struggled with back or posture issues, you’re certainly not alone — and small, sustainable changes really can make a difference over time.
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