Pull-Up Progression: Over 15 Reps
The over-15 pull-up bracket is the top tier of the NSW pull-up progression, for candidates whose strict max set exceeds 15 reps. That places the candidate inside the competitive PST range of 15-20 or more. The guide prescribes 3-4 sets of 10-12 reps, for 30-48 total reps per session.
What This Bracket Means
More than 15 strict pull-ups is a competitive PST score, and the guide's final bracket exists to hold and slowly extend that capacity. Sets of 10-12 reps performed 3-4 times per session build a total of 30 to 48 reps, and there is no higher bracket. Candidates here have done the hard part. The remaining work is protecting the elbows and shoulders under a weekly load that can approach 200 strict reps, keeping form honest, and deciding how much further to push an event that already scores well against the rest of the PST.
The Daily Workout
Do 3-4 sets of 10-12 pull-ups, 4-5 days per week, resting 1-2 minutes between sets, for a session total of 30 to 48 reps. Every rep starts at a full dead hang and ends with the chin clearly over the bar, with a controlled descent on training reps. At this volume the guide's grip variations do real work: rotate narrow, wide, supinated, and commando grips across the week so no single tissue takes all the stress. Keep upper body lifting on a separate day from the calisthenics block, and treat a set of 12 strict pull-ups as the demanding effort it is.
Maintaining and Reallocating
The weekly max set now confirms the number is holding rather than gating a promotion. If it stays above 15 with clean reps, the pull-up program is doing its job. Beyond that, the guide's advice to work on the weakest area takes over. A candidate with 18 pull-ups and a 500-yard swim near the 12:30 minimum should be in the pool, not on the bar. Pull-up capacity at this level tends to persist with the prescribed volume, while chasing 25 or 30 reps adds injury risk without changing how a competitive PST score reads.
Daily prescription for this bracket
| Sets | Reps per set | Total reps |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | 10-12 | 30-48 |
Rope climbs and the obstacle course at BUD/S reward exactly this kind of pulling strength. Keep it, but do not let it steal time from the swim.
Related Terms
The 13-to-15 pull-up bracket covers candidates whose max set sits between 13 and 15 strict reps, above the PST minimum of 10 and at the edge of the competitive range that begins around 15. The NSW guide prescribes 3-4 sets of 8-10 reps, for 24-40 total reps per session.
Pull-ups are an upper-body calisthenics exercise and one of the five scored events in the Physical Screening Test (PST). Unlike push-ups and sit-ups which are timed, PST pull-ups are performed as a single max-effort set with no time limit, testing absolute upper-body pulling strength and endurance.
PST standards define two thresholds for each of the five Physical Screening Test events: a minimum score that qualifies a candidate to enter the Naval Special Warfare pipeline, and a competitive score that reflects the level successful candidates actually arrive with. The gap between the two is the target of the 26-week preparation program.
The 500-yard swim is the first event of the Physical Screening Test (PST) and measures a candidate's aquatic endurance. Performed using either the combat sidestroke (CSS) or breaststroke, it tests the sustained swimming capacity required for BUD/S water-based evolutions.
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