“I Never Knew I Was Coming Home To Sell Pull Ups”

Interview with Giant

Pistol Pete sits down with Giant, also known as John, to hear how a man who once expected to return to his old habits after prison instead built a life around pull-ups and community fitness.

From Prison to a New Future

Giant traces his story from growing up between the Lower East Side and Harlem to becoming involved in the drug trade as a teenager. After losing a trial in 1989, he received a sentence of four to 12 years.

Rikers was a shock, but going upstate became a turning point. There, Giant encountered mentors, began taking his Muslim faith more seriously, and was encouraged by an older prisoner to keep working toward his GED—even after failing the test the first time. He says the experience helped him see a different future.

Building a Movement Around Pull-Ups

Released in 1993, Giant returned to the parks and made pull-ups his calling card. When women joked that watching him work the bar made them “drunk,” he responded with workout-and-bar puns, including “Don’t wind up behind the wrong bars” and “push up past negativity.”

The jokes landed, and, as Giant tells it, the idea of turning pull-ups into a business and a movement began to take shape. He describes the unexpected path this way: he never knew he was coming home to “sell pull-ups.”

Stories About Styles P and Jack LaLanne

Giant recalls being skeptical when Styles P called, thinking the call was a prank. After the rapper showed up in person and invited him to join D-Block, Giant joked that he was already committed to “Bartendaz for life.”

In another mix-up, Giant initially thought Jack LaLanne’s call was from someone named “Jacqueline.” Once he recognized the fitness pioneer, he enthusiastically accepted an invitation to LaLanne’s book signing.

Working with Incarcerated People

Giant describes challenging inmates to beat him on the bar, then using the moment to encourage them to join his gang-prevention program. That work grew into a long-running program at Rikers, where he says he teaches in the yard and uses exercise and information to help people rebuild their lives.

Pistol Pete shares memories of visiting people inside and offers to join Giant on future trips, praising his impact on the community.

People Mentioned

• Pistol Pete: Host
• Giant/John: Guest
• Styles P and Jack LaLanne: Mentioned in Giant’s stories; they do not appear in the interview.