Before this challenge, I could only manage a handful of pull-ups. So, when our editor asked me if I fancied a month’s worth of bodyweight workouts that would require me to do up to 50 daily, I was hesitant.

Luckily for him, I didn’t take much convincing and, before I knew it, a free-standing pull-up bar was on its way to my flat, along with a set of resistance bands, gymnastics rings and parallel bars.

The challenge was simple: complete a bodyweight workout every day, without fail, and to track my progress. After a benchmark test on day one, day two would start with 20 pull-ups and 40 push-ups. Then, every five days, I’d incorporate more reps and more challenging variations until I was competent, confident and, with any luck, jacked. To give the latter any chance of materialising, I would also have a protein shake and 7g of creatine immediately after every workout.

Day one was tough: 25 pull-ups, 50 dips and 75 push-ups were programmed to test where I was at, but as it turned out, I was not anywhere good. I managed just five unassisted pull-ups before completing the next 20 reps in ones and twos, mercilessly pulling myself up over the bar in agonisingly slow fashion. Dips continued in the same vein and the fatigue that quickly built in my upper arms meant that push-ups were even tougher.

I reported back to Men’s Health fitness director Andrew Tracey (AT), who told me to trust the process and to commit to chipping away at the reps for as long as necessary, with good form and without the aid of resistance bands wherever possible, even if I had to do one rep at a time.

So that’s how the next six days continued: long, fractured workouts that felt like an age to complete. But I kept at it and, by the end of the first week, I was not only beginning to see small changes in the mirror, but I was building competence, too: by day eight, I could do three sets of five pull-ups with no assistance. That was the first turning point.

Week two saw the reintroduction of dips, along with ring push-ups – two obstacles I’d need to work hard to master. Ring push-ups engage your stabiliser muscles, so they’re harder to execute and give you a deeper stretch at the bottom of the movement. But I resorted back to chipping away at reps and, gradually, the results began to show.

By week three, my spirits were high. I could now progress through each workout in structured rounds – no single reps necessary – and, heading into week four, I confidently asked AT to ‘ramp it up’ as the challenge drew to a close, having all but ditched the resistance bands bar the latter rounds.

With 50 pull-ups, 75 dips and 100 push-ups now on the cards, I headed for an outdoor gym near the Men’s Health office and, training alongside a few guys doing calisthenics, I split the reps up into 10 rounds, using a resistance band only for the last four. I felt great. I was, finally, mixing it with the big boys.

Then, the bubble burst. After picking up a shoulder niggle, I was barely able to take the weight of a push-up, let alone attempt a dip, for the next four days. However, I recovered quickly, and eased myself back into 30 pull-ups and 60 push-ups for the final five days to see out the remainder of the experiment.

Heading into this challenge, I asked myself: ‘What do I actually want to get out of this?’

AT told me to measure the circumference of my chest and upper arms. That way, I’d have evidence of my progress. By the end, I had added 2cm around my chest and 1cm around each arm. AT tells me this is equivalent to adding 5lb of solid muscle. Not bad at all.

But despite my T-shirts feeling tighter, I was concerned my motivation to hit the bar would wane once the novelty of a daily pump passed. It was only during the days I was nursing the shoulder injury, itching to get back, that it dawned on me. On day one, I couldn’t do any more than five unassisted strict pull-ups, but now, I can comfortably do 30 unassisted reps in sets of five. It’s also a win that I have the confidence to train in public parks and that I’m now googling nearby outdoor gyms so I can get in a free workout. That’s a mindset shift that I hadn’t anticipated. Am I jacked? Not yet. But despite this challenge being over, I come out of it with an entirely different appreciation for bodyweight training and a set of skills that I was well overdue learning.

Although on the surface this challenge was about doing as many reps as possible, it’s the quality of those reps that will ultimately make the difference.

Get familiar with what a full range of motion looks like for each movement. Moving from a full stretch in the working body part (chest, lats, triceps, biceps) into a full extension – and big squeeze of the muscle at the top of each rep – will ramp up muscle-building tension and keep you honest. Control the lowering portion of each rep, put powerful intent into each push or pull and hold yourself to high standards.

Track your progress carefully and push for marginal improvements – even if it’s just a single rep – as often as possible. But remember, muscle isn’t built on how many reps you can do, but how many reps you can own.

If there’s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it’s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in – all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.

Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men’s Health app.