#58

In the spring of 2020 Joe told me I could learn how to do a pull-up in a month, but he amended it to three months when he saw what my actual upper-body strength situation was like in May 2020. I lost momentum with home workouts, though. I reached the point where I could do the two halves of a pull-up separately (from dead hang to 90° elbow bend, from 90° to the top of the bar -- I just couldn't stitch them together), and then I developed a repetitive strain injury in my right elbow.

In May of this year Joe asked me if I'd be interested in lifting with him, and I said yes. I have all but stopped knitting, because I think the combination of lifting and knitting last summer sparked the repetitive strain issue. I have tried to strike a good balance between pushing myself and listening to my middle-aged body. I have asked Joe a kazillion questions, and he has responded with patience and encouragement.

And guess what? Today was chin-up day!

It was kind of accidental. I was using the platform-assisted pull-up machine, and it was slightly broken. I set the pin at 10, meaning it was supposed to offset ten pounds of my weight and I would lift up the rest. But that's not how it worked-- instead the platform lagged down below my knees, offering me zero support. I got to the top, unsupported, and thought, "Did I really just do that?"

Trying to chin myself on a pull-up bar has been frustrating, but today showed me two of the reasons why. With all of my bar attempts I have had too much swing from stepping forward off the box. I can't lift myself and stabilize myself at the same time. The platform-assisted pull-up machine lets me focus on the lifting. There's no swing to worry about.

It also feels easier to do the move with bent knees than with straight legs. I don't know if that makes sense mechanically, but that's how it feels.

So it turns out that I could not do a pull-up after one month, and I could not do a pull-up after three months. I have lifted weights and practiced pull-ups three times a week for NINETEEN WEEKS. On the one hand, I'm proud of that. The weight room hasn't felt like a welcoming space, and I've stuck it out anyway. I went back after the day I left the gym crying. I've learned some of the form pointers and some of the jargon, and I've made gains across the board. But on the other hand, I've been a little frustrated with the fact that I've been trying to do a pull-up for NINETEEN WEEKS. That's a long time! That's 57 pull-up-focused workouts! But today, day 1 of week 20, workout #58-- today I did it.