I hope you appreciate my artistic selective focus on this photo aka not being so thrilled about this beautiful pain face of mine.
Last night was a big night for me, folks. Not only did I finally break the triple-digit barrier with my clean & jerk and PR with 100 lbs, but, after MONTHS of working on my pull-ups in every way I could possible come up with, I FINALLY got a strict pull-up! BAM! And, just in time for The Open (which, in case you are living under a rock and need to be reminded, starts TODAY!).
I showed up at the box a few minutes early, which is pretty uncharacteristic for me as we usually show up a few minutes late (Sorry, TJ!), and everyone from the class before me was in the middle of their WOD. The WOD was 3 clean & jerks at 65% of your 1RM + 3 burpee tuck jumps EMOM for 10 minutes (for a total of 11 rounds). Instead of just standing around to watch everyone suffer, an activity which is usually only good for getting my stress levels up, I decided to go work on my pull-ups. I hopped up, wrapped my fingers around the bar, and just… did a pull-up. Like I’d been doing pull-ups all along.
I dropped from the bar and let out a yell. Several concerned faces turned toward me, thinking I’d just been hit with a barbell. “I JUST GOT A PULL-UP!” I shouted, jumping up and down and punching the air. A few seconds later I hopped back up and did another one. A few minutes later, a third. Brandon showed up, walking in from a late class, and I managed a fourth. After the WOD I did two more. What the heck changed between Monday night, when I stopped short with my nose at the bar, and last night? I have no idea. But ladies and gentlemen, this girl officially has strict pull-ups. And I could not be happier.
In case you are new here, I have been working to get strict pull-ups for MONTHS. And I mean months. When I started CrossFit (almost exactly a year ago! what!?) I could literally not move an inch on the pull-up bar. I would just dangle, flexing my wrists and pulling back on my shoulder blades. I made pull-ups into my new project back in September, and at the beginning of the new year, after I’d started being able to link a handful of kipping pull-ups at a time, I started to focus on getting the elusive strict pull-up. And I have experimented with everything. Jumping pull-ups, negative pull-ups, partner assist pull-ups, every combination of bands imaginable. I have stayed late almost every night for weeks, soliciting advice from anyone and everyone. And last night, it finally payed off!
I think that this feeling is one of the cornerstones of CrossFit. Starting from zero, sticking with it, pushing through the frustration and the thoughts of, “Screw it, it’s never going to happen,” until finally, you get there. You do it. You lift the weight or run the distance or finally get your chin above that damn bar. And really what else is there to say?
Right now I am pretty much feeling like I could do just about anything. Bring it on, Open. I am so ready.
