On Sunday, July 31st 2016 I got tagged on Facebook to an event called the August 1,000 Pull-Up Challenge.
The friend who tagged me to this event is a bit of a gym freak himself. I knew this was going to be a fun and doable challenge as pull-ups are one of my favourite exercises. What I didn’t know was that this ‘friend’ would challenge me to do the whole lot in just seven days… CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!
I accepted this challenge for two reasons:
1. I’ve not been able to train at my usual level because of injury. Now I’m at the back end of my rehab and can perform this particular exercise, I saw this as a major kickstart back to training.
2. My mind…
When you are injured it’s easy to feel down and let all your hard work fall to s**t, but you mustn’t let that happen. You must stay focused.
Although I was focused on what I had to do, my mind was suffering as I wasn’t able to do the things I love.
I’m a huge fan of calisthenics. Your body is arguably the greatest asset you’ll ever own. Make your body great! That’s what calisthenics does, but you must learn to walk before you run.
Anyway, they were my reasons for accepting this crazy challenge. So, here goes nothing…
Day 1 – 125 pronated reps complete. Felt good, probably could of done more in all honesty.
Day 2 – 195 pronated reps complete (320 in total). Started to feel sore around the armpits and stomach (yes, I said stomach), but pushed on through.
Day 3 – 200 pronated reps complete (520 in total). Really sore around the armpits and elbows. Forearms and hands in absolute pieces.
Day 4 – REST!!! I really needed it as my alarm went off at 5:30am to wake me for work and I could barley straighten my arms to hit the snooze button (yes, yes, yes, I’m a snoozer).
Day 5 – 230 pronated reps complete (750 reps in total). Felt much better after my day of rest and knew I had to have a good day on the bars.
Day 6 – 150 pronated reps complete (900 reps in total). Aches around my elbows and neck, but knew I would finish the challenge.
Day 7 – 100 pronated reps complete (1,000 reps in total). Job done! Body not as bad as I thought, but in need of a break from pull-ups.
I know some people reading this will think 1,000 pull-ups in a week is impressive, but I’ll tell you what it really is… BLOODY STUPID!!!
I risked injury tenfold and overtrained overused muscles. Not clever at all, but like I said, it was a challenge and good for my mind.
This had nothing to do with getting stronger or looking better. That I promise you.
Now I can get back to training sensibly and working on those muscles that didn’t get much love in the past week. I’ve set myself some big goals and I’m looking forward to achieving them… hopefully injury free.
Stewart (SMPT)