You Never Forget Your First
Yesterday, on a day when I felt lackluster to begin with, uninspired to work out, a little tired, and a little overwhelmed at work - I managed my first unassisted pull up. My first ever. EVER, people!
To be clear, it wasn't my first pull up in general - I've done hundreds of them assisted, probably thousands since I started Crossfit last March. In the beginning, as my friend Yariv is apt to remind me, I could only stand on a raised platform gripping the pull up bar and jumping up and down. It hardly seemed like a workout. At some point in the next month I found the confidence to put my feet in a giant black rubber band the width of a baseball that wrapped around the pull up bar and around my feet, bouncing me back up over the bar each time I lowered myself down. As the months progressed I started to get the kipping motion and I switched to a smaller band the width of a billiard; and then a smaller band the width of a golf ball; and finally, to the smallest cherry-colored band the width of a silver dollar. All this over some 10 months.
I'd tried 2 times before to pull myself up unassisted but each time I only made it halfway to the bar before shrieking in girlish surprise at how far I still had to go. And so it started on this day. My first attempt got me halfway up again and nothing more. I did it half-heartedly and was ready to join the rest of the group for the day's workout when Saul said to give it another go.
I grabbed the bar and swung my hips forward and back, trying to mimic the kipping movement I'd seen a million times, and then launched myself upwards towards the bar. Halfway again and my body was still, there was no movement to propel me. But this time through a reservoir of strength and determination, I muscled my way up until my chin reached over the bar, hanging there for just a second longer, reveling in the accomplishment, before I dropped back down.
That was it. My first unassisted pull up. It felt awesome. Not graceful, not smooth, but awesome all the same.
Thank you Saul and Yariv for your encouragement and faith in my ability to eventually pull it off.
For those of you wondering, today marked my SECOND unassisted pull up.
To be clear, it wasn't my first pull up in general - I've done hundreds of them assisted, probably thousands since I started Crossfit last March. In the beginning, as my friend Yariv is apt to remind me, I could only stand on a raised platform gripping the pull up bar and jumping up and down. It hardly seemed like a workout. At some point in the next month I found the confidence to put my feet in a giant black rubber band the width of a baseball that wrapped around the pull up bar and around my feet, bouncing me back up over the bar each time I lowered myself down. As the months progressed I started to get the kipping motion and I switched to a smaller band the width of a billiard; and then a smaller band the width of a golf ball; and finally, to the smallest cherry-colored band the width of a silver dollar. All this over some 10 months.
I'd tried 2 times before to pull myself up unassisted but each time I only made it halfway to the bar before shrieking in girlish surprise at how far I still had to go. And so it started on this day. My first attempt got me halfway up again and nothing more. I did it half-heartedly and was ready to join the rest of the group for the day's workout when Saul said to give it another go.
I grabbed the bar and swung my hips forward and back, trying to mimic the kipping movement I'd seen a million times, and then launched myself upwards towards the bar. Halfway again and my body was still, there was no movement to propel me. But this time through a reservoir of strength and determination, I muscled my way up until my chin reached over the bar, hanging there for just a second longer, reveling in the accomplishment, before I dropped back down.
That was it. My first unassisted pull up. It felt awesome. Not graceful, not smooth, but awesome all the same.
Thank you Saul and Yariv for your encouragement and faith in my ability to eventually pull it off.
For those of you wondering, today marked my SECOND unassisted pull up.
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