be able to do pull-ups

I’m back to where I once was – I can knock out 5-10 without locking my elbows. I never could do any from a dead hang so I’m going to just say this is done and keep monitoring the pull-ups / 100 push-ups progress on my handstand push-ups goal.

It feels good to get back on the horse.

I’m seeing amazing results after just Day Two of the 100 push-ups program. I may not have the strength yet, but I’m back to the point where it is just a matter of time and no longer a matter of pushing past the extreme discomfort. Like when you weight-lift and you know that you’re only benching 30lbs now but you know you’ll easily do 50-60lbs in a matter of weeks (or days). I’m tempted to check it off already since the challenge was really about me getting to this point, but I don’t want to celebrate prematurely. I guess I’ll see how it’s going on Friday and decide whether there is more success or room for improvement going on.

I started the 100 push-ups program on Saturday and have been hitting the bar at least once a day for the last week. I’m past the I-want-to-throw-up hump, but still only going less than halfway down. Did I mention that the last few progress reports have been about chin-ups and that pull-ups still eluded me even as reverse negatives? Well, I’ve gotten past a sort of hump there too. The hard part for me with those is the bottom AND the top, so I’ve been standing with my arms slightly bent and pulling myself as I as I can. I’m at the point where I am pulling up approximately the equivalent of halfway, though I can’t really get any up and down going on because at the top my pathetic back muscles give up the goat and I lose ALL support because my arms aren’t in charge anymore. I need to figure out some back-specific exercises, though push-ups have helped somewhat.

I took off the stupid hand protectors this weekend since the velcro strips are bulky and dig into my hands anyway. The result? I want to be on that thing ALL THE TIME. I should have known all I’d need would be to have something shiny to look at… I am, after all, as easily amused as a five-year-old. But in all seriousness, those foam grips were really killing the process. They spread out just far enough for you to feel like you have to use them, but then they aren’t really placed at a natural width (at least not for my comfort). Sure I’d like to be able to do these with my hands shoulder-width apart but really I keep them a touch closer for chin-ups and totally wide for pull-ups (I struggle with those more, puny back muscles and all).

This morning I did 5 reverse negatives when I got out of bed and yesterday I did 10 (but only after some warming up). I’m only going about a third of the way down though, and that first third is always the easiest. The rest of it will be added in very small increments, but I’m going to make sure I’m always doing 5-10 before I come down. I may work up to 20 to build more endurance before dipping lower.

I’ve been making a point to put the bar up every day for a few minutes since I turned on the daily 43T email reminder, but I’m not too happy with the way things are going. My place is just sort of too small and low and dark. I can’t just leave the bar up because it blocks the door, so I have to do this deliberately and that is what really slows the progress. When I had one up all the time, I would make it a habit to hang off of it or try one or two as I walked through the door – every time I had to use the bathroom or go to the kitchen. Now that it’s this ordeal to put up and I hang too low and I have to be in this smelly corner by the front door I have been making minimal progress: as in I hang there for a while (definitely less than 30 seconds) and kind of squiggle around, unable to decide if I want to work on L-sits or reverse negatives. I end up half-assing both. Then I kind of just try to spin around on the bar while hanging at the bottom (to help with my trapeze goal too) but then I am in such a cramped space that I can’t do very much of that and I get bummed and put the bar away again.

I guess it’s time to just focus on one of those things, huh? Since this goal is about pull-ups and I only have about 2 weeks left on the challenge, maybe I can just worry about L-sits and the state of my abs later. Or you know, do crunches the regular old way. I just have to remember not to let myself get carried away by the awesomeness of hanging off of a bar. It’s such a huge reminder of how NOT strong I am when I am starting to feel too smug about my physical progress, but it also makes me feel overly ambitious, which sets me up for low morale and failure.

So that’s it, I guess. No more bar play (temporarily) – only pull-ups, chin-ups and flexed arm hangs (plus supplementary push-ups and dips) until August 1st and we’ll see if I can’t succeed at this goal despite the crappy environmental cues.

I’m really not making enough progress on this. I only remember to put up my pull-up bar maybe once a week and I just sort of dangle there for a few seconds attempting some terrible L-sits and doing a flexed arm hang for hardly 10 seconds. I think it’s time for a personal (public) challenge.

I have never been able to do pull-ups. Even in grade school when we had to do them for the presidential thing – I couldn’t do it. I would like to be able to do at least 5 pull-ups at the same time with no help.