When I set out to get an unassisted pull-up, I was 60, soon turning 61, and coming out of a two-year ordeal with a torn rotator cuff.
I had run a half marathon in my 40s and learned a freestanding handstand in my 50s. I wanted another goal for my 60s, but pull-ups were not even on my radar until I interviewed @ginnymaccoll and started wondering whether that could be my next thing.
I had never done a pull-up in my life. It wasn’t even in the realm of things I thought I’d ever want to do.
I started training little by little, and this is the result two years later, two months shy of 63.
I got my first pull-up at 61, but looking back at the video, it wasn’t really a pull-up. And that’s okay. You have to start somewhere.
I’ve learned a lot about myself on this journey, and at this point, it’s not about getting more pull-ups just to say I can do more pull-ups. It’s about getting better at the ones I can already do.
Once I’m satisfied with my form, I’ll go for more reps.
It’s like anything else in life. You start. You learn. You have setbacks. You keep going. You tweak. You pay attention. And somewhere along the way, you realize the goal matters, but it’s the journey that teaches you the most life lessons.
On a day when I feel tired or not at my best, I can still say my worst day on the pull-up bar now is better than my best day even just a few months ago.
The discipline and grit I’ve built training for pull-ups in my 60s have spilled into the rest of my life too, including the book I’m writing now. It will be my first in English, but my 19th or 20th title, depending on how we count them. I started my career as a book author, and later became a blogger and social media content creator.
Funny how life loops back around.
What goal are you pursuing at an age you never thought you would?
#pullupdrills #activeaging #thisis62
