Hanging up the Bands..... for Good

As I have said many times, the "pursuit of the perfect pull up" is a personal quest, defined by each goal we set and each milestone achieved. It is an evolution that moves over time and is as unique as each person who takes on the challenge.

I have had a blast watching the progress of my friends Lisa and Patricia over the last eighteen months. I had casually introduced them to CrossFit and that is all they needed. At first it was an introduction to CrossFit, but it quickly transitioned to a complete commitment to it; to the point where I feel like a light weight most times when comparing notes on recent PR's and work outs. They are loyalists at Potomac CrossFit in Virginia, one of the many great CrossFit affiliates in the DC area (and growing rapidly). As one would expect, I have been particularly interested in their progress with pull ups and Lisa's recent success (30 unassisted pull ups in a morning WOD) has once again confirmed my thinking on the subject. I asked Lisa to share her personal journey including the major milestones, obstacles and successes along the way :

* Started foundations in November of 2008, completed in December; initial introduction to kipping pull-ups
* Practiced kipping pre and post WOD’s in foundations
* Early encounter with PU’s in Foundations 21/15/9 – used green band for assistance
* Ended up with Compartment Syndrome – arms were swollen for days, muscles and tissue were rock hard in my arms
* Got the kip down pretty well with some practice but had trouble with stringing them together
* End of December 2008 was able to string together 3 or 4 consistently), still with the green band
* End of January 2009 I progressed to the blue band with Heavy Fran
* Mid February started experimenting with the tan band – one at a time; still using blue in the longer WOD’s – for higher reps
* In May, started using thin tan band in WOD’s with less reps – coaches comments compared it to a rubber band "so why bother"
* Started playing around with kipping not using a band, was lucky to get one, still needed a blue band for strict pull-ups
* By June pretty much gave up the blue band
* Mid summer was able to get a couple (max of 5) kipping without a band but not large number of reps – still a happy day!
* January 2010 focused more on flexed arm hands and negatives in order to improve strength for pull ups
* January 23, 2010 – MAJOR Milestone; first WOD sans band – was supposed to be strict but did kipping and was happy
5 Rounds
3 Front Squat, 70% 1RM from 100104
6 Strict Pull-ups
9 Burpees
* Coaches recommend reducing reps in the posted WOD in order to do them well and without a band
* Workout recently was highest number of pull-ups yet with no other exercise in between, not unbroken, but legit kipping pull-ups…YES!!!!!!!
20 DB Push Press, 25#
30 Pull-ups
40 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
50 Sit-ups
60 Burpees

Lisa says that It still depends on the day, depends on what the previous few workouts have been and how the arms and grip feel - some days are better than others but it is always a great feeling to do it! Off the record, she shared that all of the above came with the expected share of callouses and torn hands......of course.

What I personally love about Lisa's journey is that it once again proves that the pursuit takes each person down a different path and while she has reached a specific destination, another leg of her journey begins immediately....and The "Pursuit" Continues.

Lisa's final words; "Baby steps…have come a long way and looking forward to the continued improvement! Every day is a new challenge!"