The Pull Up Goal

I've always struggled with my weight. It sucks. But it's my reality, and the cycle of up-and-down is just part of living for me. I actually love to exercise (walk and run) but having the time or lifestyle to always get it done is just not always possible.

However, despite my love affair with exercise, something I have never been able to do are pull-ups. I mean the kind that made Linda Hamilton famous from Terminator II. I want to do that. And I want to do them well. And it has become my obsession for my 40th birthday.

So, I invoked the knowledge of my exercise guru, Steve My Husband. I've never in my life seen a man who could do pull-ups like him, and I have to admit, it was one of those initial reasons why I fell in lust I mean love with him. He told me that, first, I must learn to hang from a bar. My response was, "oh come on, that's just retarded!" So I hang for about 2 seconds and well, he was right. How can you expect to pull yourself up on that stupid bar if you don't even have the strength much less toughened hands to just HANG there?

So my first week started off as hanging for as long as I could from the bar. I hang in the pull-up position and the curl position.

Second week, I got smarter. I bought some workout gloves. They help! But I still get a painful red line where the skin on my hands revolts and resents me for even trying this cockamamie idea.

I'm now on my third week of trying to do pull-ups. I can hang for a while now, and I can even pull myself up a few inches! I know, baby steps. But hey, you get out there, at 40 years old and overweight, and act like Linda Hamilton. I don't even remotely care about skinny people who can do them - I'm 40 lbs overweight for pete's sake!! If I can do them at this size, I'll be mimicking Linda Hamilton with EASE when I get back down to a normal weight.

Bring it on, skinny show-offs.

More to come on the pull-up adventure including some way-too-funny pics of me attempting to accomplish this goal. :)