After my pull ups tonight, I really needed these pull ups.This one will be a shorty because I can barely type. “Why?” you ask? Oh, I dunno, maybe it’s because my forearms are rocks and my hands are barely functional because the workout tonight included A MILLION PULL-UPS. Or 48. In sets of 12. In between other things like jerks and skydivers and squats and oh my lord, I am hurt to death.
Now, if I have a nemesis in an exercise, it’s pull-ups. Everyone who knows me knows this. There are things that hurt me more and things that gas me faster, but nothing, NOTHING gets me to muscle fatigue and the futile feeling and staring helplessly at the bar like mother fucking pull-ups. I have never done pull-ups without serious profanity flowing forth. So tonight by round three I was reduced to doing my pull-ups, oh, one at a time. Sometimes it took me more than one try.
But it is of course good to do what we are bad at. I know this. And just because it isn’t my shining moment in the workout doesn’t mean I can’t improve. In fact, if you knew where I started from and where I am now, you’d know I have already gotten much, much better. It’s just that there’s a long road from “sucky” to “less sucky” and I see “only moderately sucky” somewhere in the distance yonder. Maybe that’s why pull-up stuff has been catching my eye lately. I really like the pull-up posts lately on Survival of the Fittest, and I think I’m gonna give this strategy a test run. (BTW, Stumptuous has the most-cited and helpful-est thing ever on how to get yer first pull-up.)
Crabby tackled pull-ups and push-ups too. She makes a good point—it ain’t that women can’t do them, but are they a fair benchmark of fitness for the ladies? You know, I could also say that it’s hard to find any standard that’s really fair. Most people have different strengths and weaknesses, and really, any measurements ought to include a range of stuff. But no one should actually feel bad about this stuff if you are trying and improving and progressing. Squats and sit-ups rock too, ya know. But I am, as always, still hoping to get good all-around. So pull-ups it is. Just line those puppies up on the bar, and I’ll slam em, one at a time…
pullups are totally my nemesis as well…I HATE how weak they make me feel so, for a while, I ENTIRELY avoided them.
thanks for the post as I hath purchased a pull up bar which is still resting on the kitchen table (thats how much I cook)—-my new goal is to go from WHOLLY SUCKY to practicallyWHOLLY sucking.
oh that I were jesting,
M.
MizFit
May 9th, 2008
I got the bug to do pull-ups when I was 47. It took me about a year of consistent work on the Gravitron before I could do my first unassisted pull-up. (I weighed 130 and used 90-lbs of counterweight to start.) Now, at age 49, I can do a set of 9 on a good day.
PERSEVERE, ladies, and you can do it!
naomi w.
May 9th, 2008
I thought this was going to be about incontinence during exercise.
I hate pull-ups too. I can do a handful of kipping ones. But deadhang? I am completely wholly unbelievably sucky. I really really want to get just one so I will only be wholly unbelievably sucky. I need to read those articles and get back to the bar.
Ettamommy
May 9th, 2008
I’ve been battling off and on with pushups the past few years and finally can do some, if not many. Now you’ve put this pullup notion in my head. I’ma check out those links.
Belinda
May 9th, 2008
i heart me a pull up. as i am opposite-ly balanced than kelly, they came rather naturally to me. the other shit? the squats i would have died right there.
d-e-d spells ded
juliet
May 9th, 2008
I love me some pull ups. I. will. get. there. Its possible! yay.
Mallory
May 9th, 2008
I still can’t do ONE unassisted pull-up! But it’s one of the goals on my 101 Things list that I have to accomplish before Oct ‘09, so I’ll have to be able to do it at some point.
Zandria
May 10th, 2008
I love me some watching others, especially women, doing pull ups. Inspired by Kelly, Tracy, Eric and Ivy, I bought a pull up bar a few weeks ago. The part I am stuck on now is
puttin’ it up. I didn’t know I had to screw it into the door frame…hmmm… I now hate me some tire dragging…
mary
May 11th, 2008
Hey, nice to hear you are trying though. I’m an amateur bodybuilder myself, and still remember the days when I couldn’t even get a single pullup. Keep at it though, its a great upper body exercise in the sense that it works the shoulders,arm,and back pretty good. Plus, you never know when you will be hanging off the edge of a cliff!!
If you are interested more in bodybuilding, please feel free to check out my new blog at http://www.hardgainersguide.com!
Jason
May 12th, 2008
Yeah, I complain about the unfairness of pull-ups but I REALLY want to be able to do them.
Naomi–very inspiring! I’m 47 and pretty much exactly where you were when you took it on–so thanks for the encouraging words!
Crabby McSlacker
May 12th, 2008
They aren’t easy, but it’s a great feeling to get that first one. And even though I can do a few, I still can’t figure out how to do kipping p/u.
Mary, they make bars that require no screwing in; I have one that at least helps keep me at my 3 dead-hang pull-up plateau. The most fun, though, is jumping for the bar in the gym and then cranking out a few. The looks of surprise are endless.
Alex
May 12th, 2008
You’re welcome, Crabby. By the way, I just discovered your blog via FF, so as soon as I finish working my way through all of Kelly’s archives (I’m up to July 2007) I’ll be hitting yours.
naomi w.
May 12th, 2008
I made a goal to be able to do pull-ups before Christmas unassisted (which I met!) for the very reason that I never know when I’ll be hanging over the edge of a bridge and Sly will have better things to do than rescue me. However, once I met my goal of 2 unassisted chin-ups, I quit and moved on. I may need to revisit that…
Randi
May 12th, 2008
Mary, I’ll hang your pull-up bar for you honey.
Ettamommy
May 12th, 2008
omfg 48 pullups!! that’s amazing!
monica
May 13th, 2008