I don’t know what it is about pull ups, but I find them quite meditative. Some people find their center with yoga. I find my center with pull ups. There’s something about pulling my chest to the bar on my body weight pull ups that just clears my head. I love pull ups as much as I love pressing. Every time I get my head above the bar, I feel like I have conquered the earth.
I tend to have epiphanies while doing pull ups. Last week, I had gotten myself back on the 20kg drop set from my coach. It hit me then. The reality of my life is that I am a professional athlete, and that all my friends are now the people I once looked up to. I am in close contact with the very fitness professionals that I dreamed of one day meeting. Some of them were coaches. Some of them were celebrities. Now all of them. . .in my phone. I’ve even planned trips with a few of them too.
There was a time in my life that this all seemed impossible. I had no strength to pull myself up, let alone with an extra 20kgs around my waist. There was a time in my life where I questioned whether or not my life was worth living, and that time was actually a lot more recent than I’d like to admit. The thing is , I decided to start talking. I decided to start sharing my story with people I trust with my life. Some of them are coaches. Some of them are well published. Some of them some are very serious athletes. Now all of them, they have made the commitment to lift me up and help me be the person I am called to be.
I hope you have friends like this in your life. You need them.
There is a saying out there, that “you’re only as strong as your weakest link”. I don’t have any weak links in my tribe anymore. Everyone I know is ridiculously strong. Even my own clients have been giving me their two cents on pulling through life’s difficulties because of how strong they have become. Just today even, I had a man pull me aside at the studio to tell me that he and the rest of the clients at Primal Fitness Pittsburgh are committed to lifting me up through our transition because they value so much of what we have done for their health. Years ago i wanted to become a fit person, then I became one. I wanted to teach people how to lift kettlebells. I got certified. I dreamed of the day I would be surrounded by the very people I once looked up to. And that day is today, tomorrow, everyday moving forward. I became who I dreamed of becoming, and I’m here to tell you that you are capable of being the very person you dream to be. The key, dear reader, is to not just hold yourself accountable, but to surround yourself with the strongest people you can find that will continue to pull you up when you reach the times when you can’t do it yourself.
Surround yourself with people that love you, believe in you, that are strong as all hell and are committed to your success. You’ll have no choice but to be strong when you do this. Success is inevitable when people won’t let you fail. And the best part? People notice when you get stronger. People are awestruck when you over come the obstacles. I know this because Esquire network called me and I may end up on television. Fingers crossed. Prayers up.
I’m back to my pull up practice today. It’s going to be awesome. I can’t wait to pull through. If I have another deep epiphany I’ll be sure to write it all up for yinz 😉
20kg x 1
16kg x 2
12kg x 3
2 rounds.
Be the person you’re meant to be.
