Still Pulling Myself Up
I want to do 5 pull ups. Strict or kipping, it doesn’t matter to me, I just want to see what is over the top of the bar without the giant rubber band obstructing my view. I committed this goal to my soul in Jan 2021, with a date of achieving it by Christmas 2021. I am a confident and enthusiastic person who will not let injuries, or a pandemic get in the way of achieving personal greatness! Our own greatness is a personal journey, and we define what that means for each of us. Five pull ups might seem simple for many people but for someone who’s last pull up achievement was three, in 2018, and hasn’t been able to do one since, it can seem like a daunting mountain to climb.
I set my goal after my first workout of 2021. I spent the last six weeks of 2020 on the sofa recovering from a hysterectomy. Recovery after surgery was fine. Fine enough when you have had your abdominal muscles sliced open and insides rearranged. I freely allowed myself to sleep, binge watch tv and eat whatever my heart desired.
Six weeks of recovery ended, and I was now permitted to lift more than 10lbs and sneezing no longer felt like my intestines were going to pour out of my body. I made a goal to do 25 Loft classes before I moved downstairs to Ground Zero. I spent this time navigating my new body. Planks were extremely challenging as well as supine activities where my hands were stretched above my head like V-Ups or Hollow Rocks. My 25 Loft classes allowed me to challenge myself at my own pace.
February arrived and I was definitely feeling myself. I was almost done my 25 Loft classes and was moving like I did before my surgery. Life was grand! I was feeling ready to head down to GZ and face the bar. So, I did and on my first GZ class I jumped up to the bar and my soft, supple hands held me for a few seconds. As I gingerly slipped off, I made a mental note to toughen up my paws, but do it carefully so that I don’t rip them. My plan was to toughen my hands, do beat swings, get used to using my thumb to hold onto the bar and play around with the bands. Before my surgery I could do about 8 kipping pull ups with the green band, which I was quite proud of!
On Feb 15 I broke my right hand.
I had just started on a run and was about 300 metres into it when I tripped over my very excited running companion. I flipped over myself, and as I was tumbling, the fingers on my right hand snapped back, hyper-extending the tendons and ligaments in my right hand. I had fractured two of the bones in my palm due to the force of the hyper-extension.
My cast encircled my index and middle fingers and went to the middle of my forearm. I was now left to navigate my world with my non-dominant hand. Try wiping your butt with your “other” hand for a change, it’s a different sensation. As you can imagine, a broken hand was not conducive to hanging on a bar.
I gave myself two full days to pout. On day three, I picked myself off the couch and sought some fitness advice from Dave. I broke two bones, but I still had over 200 other bones that required fitness. I was paired with Cody and he would look ahead on the programming and would tell me which class I should attend (either Loft or GZ) and what modifications I could do to get the most from my workout. And make the most of my workout I did! I spent several weeks using my left arm in ways I hadn’t before and focusing on my core. I also became best friends with the Safety Squat Bar and learned what a Zombie Squat was.
My cast was changed out after the first week for a slick form-fitted splint that I was able to remove and wash my hand. This was a godsend because my original cast was getting rather smelly after only one week. I couldn’t imagine having to wear it for 7 more weeks, which was the duration I would have to wear my splint for.
So, with my unique modifications I was able to push myself. Running a few days, a week and getting to the gym about 6 times a week, I was able to focus on what I could do. Getting to my 5 pull ups is more than just doing pull ups. I had to look at the whole picture, and what movements are needed to get a pull up. I didn’t think of my goal during this time. I just focused on what I could to do today, and the rest would come tomorrow.
Two months after my fracture I no longer needed to wear my splint, was diligently doing my physiotherapy exercises several times a day and walked into the gym with renewed confidence. I hung on the bar and did five beat swings, supported by the green band. And just like that Covid struck and we currently find ourselves in another lockdown. The gym is closed, and I don’t have access to a bar to practice my pull ups. I am determined not to let this recent setback cause me to lose my focus. Besides, I know of other ways I can move my body to achieve my pull ups when we return in a few weeks.
I’m dabbling in handstands and my hands are still baby soft.