Which Special Forces Have the Toughest Pull-Up Standards?

Pull-ups are one of the most effective exercises, engaging the back muscles, biceps, forearms, and core. Along with push-ups and dips, they are widely used as an indicator of upper-body strength.

In combat situations, military personnel often need strong grip and pulling power—whether it’s fast-roping from helicopters, climbing onto ships from boats, overcoming rugged terrain with ropes, or carrying wounded comrades. Given these demands, it’s no surprise that pull-ups are a common fitness test component in military units worldwide.

Image Source

This led me to ask an intriguing question:

Which country’s special forces have the most demanding pull-up standards?

So, I scoured the internet for answers, gathering the most reliable information available. (The information provided by ChatGPT was often inaccurate.) 

Here’s what I found:

I’ve included any regular military units with pull-up standards in the table, even if they are not special forces.

Country	Unit Name	Minimum Required	Notes
🇫🇷 France	G.I.G.N.	25	-
🇷🇺 Russia	Spetsnaz	20	-
🇵🇱 Poland	JW GROM	18	-
🇮🇳 India	Para SF	14	Underhand grip (Chin-ups)
🇰🇷 South Korea	UDT/SEAL	10	Performed within a fixed tempo
🇨🇦 Canada	JTF2	9	-
🇮🇱 Israel	IDF	7	+7kg weighted
🇫🇷 France	French Foreign Legion	7	-
🇩🇪 Germany	KSK	7	-
🇺🇸 USA	Navy SEALs	6	-
🇺🇸 USA	Green Berets	6	-
🇺🇸 USA	75th Ranger Regiment	6	-
🇬🇧 UK	Royal Marines Special Forces	5	Performed within a fixed tempo
🇿🇦 South Africa	Special Task Force	5	-
🇬🇧 UK	Royal Marines	3	Strict tempo requirements
🇺🇸 USA	US Marine Corps	3	Male standard
🇮🇱 Israel	Sayeret Matkal	3	+15kg weighted
🇯🇵 Japan	SDF	3	-
🇰🇷 South Korea	ROK Army Special Forces	3	-

Key Takeaways

The top-ranking unit is France’s G.I.G.N., with a staggering 25 pull-ups required just to pass. In most special forces, 20+ pull-ups would be considered a highly competitive score, often exceeding the maximum standard—yet in G.I.G.N., it’s merely the minimum.

Training footage of the French special forces G.I.G.N. Photo Source

Other notable units include Russia’s Spetsnaz (20 pull-ups) and Poland’s Jednostka Wojskowa Grom (18 pull-ups). Achieving 20+ pull-ups is a significant feat in any unit, but for these forces, it’s simply the baseline.

Footage of Poland’s Jednostka Wojskowa Grom Image Source

Do you want to achieve more than 20 pull-ups? Check out this article!

One surprising entry is Israel’s IDF, which, despite being a regular military force rather than a special forces unit, sets a relatively high standard of 11 pull-ups. In many other countries, this requirement would apply only to elite soldiers, but in Israel, it extends to regular troops.

IDF (Israel Defense Forces) unit training image source

Some units conduct their pull-up tests with strict tempo requirements, making them even more challenging. Notably, South Korea’s UDT/SEAL and the UK’s Royal Marines follow this method, increasing the endurance demand by forcing soldiers to hold themselves at the top of each rep.

At the lower end of the table, the ROK Army Special Forces, Japan’s SDF, and the US Marine Corps have the lowest minimum standards at just 3 pull-ups. Given that the SDF and USMC are conventional forces, this isn’t surprising. However, It’s a bit surprising that the ROK Army Special Forces have a lower pull-up standard than the regular military forces of other countries.

Royal Marines training image. source: https://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk/

Does Pull-Up Performance Equal Combat Effectiveness?

One crucial point to remember: pull-up standards do not directly correlate with a unit’s combat effectiveness. I actually hope people don't misunderstand the purpose of this article. This is just for fun!

Just because one unit has a higher pull-up requirement doesn’t mean it’s necessarily “stronger” or “better” than another. For example, world-renowned special forces like the Navy SEALs and the 75th Ranger Regiment have relatively moderate pull-up standards, yet they are among the most elite military units in the world.

A photo of training with the U.S. Army Rangers 75th Regiment. from U.S. federal government,

Each special forces unit tailors its selection process to fit its operational needs, and strength alone is just one aspect of a soldier’s overall capability. Tactical skills, endurance, mental resilience, and teamwork often outweigh pure physical strength.

So, How Do You Stack Up?

Which of these pull-up standards can you meet? Let me know in the comments!

And if I’ve missed any special forces or military units, feel free to share their requirements below. I’d love to expand this list with more information. Until next time!