5 before 30

Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure.

-George Edward Woodberry

I find this quote to be fitting for this post. On August 28th, I turn the big 3-0. When I started training back at the beginning of April, I immediately noticed pull-ups were a big part of the Spartan WOD's. Almost all WOD's include pull-ups. They are the ultimate body weight excerise. If you can do a pull-up, then you are in shape. You are a Beastly Haus! One day I randomly decided that I will do 5 unassisted pull-ups by my 30th birthday. Wow. That was ambitious. Haus Status at 30. Sure, I can do that. Plus I posted it on Facebook, so I have to put my money where my mouth is.

Jon found a doorway pull-up bar on clearance at TJ Maxx, and bought it for me. He likes his ladies with rippling muscles. :)  He got it out of the box, and we decided we were going to put it up on our second bedroom door frame. Its right next to the bathroom, so the strategy was to attempt a pull-up every time we head to the bathroom. Well, apparently our Sear's catalog home did not come with standard door frames. It fit nowhere. So, the pull up bar did not go up that night. Jon is amazing at rigging stuff. He can fix, rig, assemble, and build anything. After a trip to Lowes, he hung the pull up bar last night. Ironically, its on the way to our bathroom downstairs.

I've been doing Tricep training in lieu of not having a pull up bar. I also hung one of my bands over an I-beam and have been pulling on those. All of this in the hopes of doing at least one pull once the bar got installed. Fail. That bar put me in my place: on the ground with both feet planted. I wasn't going down withouth a fight though. I pulled up a chair. I hung a band to put my knee on for assistance. I climbed back up there. Ouch. The band was hurting my shin. Yelled upstairs to Jon to toss me down a kitchen towel. Alright, now I can do a pull up. Still hard, even with my right knee in the sling and my left foot on the chair. Jon came downstairs to check on me. "Let's see it." I showed him my greatly assisted pull up. "Well, you're doing the hardest one. Why don't you start with the side ones. You have to learn to crawl before you walk." My husband is a genius. So I switched to the bars that stick out to the sides, and that was definitely easier. Not easy enough to do unassisted, but easier. I hung out downstairs and kept at it. I vow to do this at least once a day. I had to tell myself, it will get easier, just like everything else. Just like the stupid planks. Chances are I won't be doing 5 unassisted pull ups by August 28th, but at least I will have tried and that counts for something. Just ask my rippling muscles when they're 30.


Frenemy

Oh, and if you noticed I added my Spartan Badges to the right. Instantly upped my Blog's BA factor.