Battle Coronavirus by Finding Fitness
Why sit around and wait to train when training opportunities are all around you?
Pavel would call this an opportunity to grease the groove. Phil Sabatini with East Coast Gold would call it raising the minimums. I’d say it’s a call to FIND FITNESS.
It’s your duty as a human to honor the effort of your genetic forebears and battle the sedentary plague sweeping the west. Yes, this is much more important than Coronavirus. For instance, according to the CDC, more than one-third of the population age 50 and older is sedentary. More so, according to the CDC, of the people over 50 who have hip fractures, 24 percent die within a year. I haven’t run the numbers but I bet that adds up to more than 19 (current Corona death toll as of 3/7).
Look, we didn’t become the most dominant species on the planet lying around. Somewhere in your lineage is a badass who sprinted, jumped, climbed, threw and fought so you could enjoy the comforts of modern day living. And, I’m willing to bet the farm that if as a society we collectively got stronger we’d all enjoy the benefits of living a higher quality of life.
To honor that effort search out and take advantage of the fitness opportunities all around you. This idea started for me in late August while dropping my kiddos off at school. For days I walked under a normal gate without giving it a second look. One morning I ran out of time training and had to axe pull ups from my training session. For whatever reason I noticed the bar at drop off walking the kiddos to class and hit a set of pull ups. On the way back to the car I hit another set. I repeated the effort in the afternoon and the next day.
Other parents started noticing and would smile. I started challenging kids and parents to join me. Some did. Most didn’t, and still don’t, but either case only fueled me to continue this project. I eventually ran the math. At four sets of three pull ups a day I get 12 bonus pulls ups in. Multiple that by 180 school days and I’m hitting 2,160 bonus pull ups over the kids school year!
That’s a nice bonus. Who wouldn’t like an extra 2G’s of anything?
More fuel was added to the fire. I have since started hitting sets of 3-12 pull ups at the kid’s school as I pick them up and drop them off. I also started doing chin ups at the school I teach at every time I enter the gym. On good days I get well over 50 bonus pull ups in a day. On bad days I always get my 12!
I have been at this pretty hard for a month and have noticed the impacts in some unexpected places. The constant pain in my shoulder and elbow from trying to master the kip and butterfly have vanished. Deadlift numbers are on the rise as my upper back can maintain shape as I break larger loads from the floor. Best of all, Wifey Pooh gives me the wink, nod, and that great “lat” slap only the most narcissistic of the male species can truly appreciate.
The bottom lines are that in terms of form, function, and appearance things have taken a turn for the better, and I wasn’t doing so bad before, because I took advantage of an opportunity and simply made the choice to do more.
You can do the same.
So, who’s coming with me!
I know pull ups are a toughie for folks but why would we start FINDING FITNESS with something easy. If you have a pull up do them. If you don’t have a pull up, jump up and hold your head high and over the bar. If you can’t hang high, hang below for a manageable amount of time and let gravity strengthen your grip while loosening up your shoulders. Heck, you’re a smart girl, find a bar and smash some body weight rows.
You owe it to way more than yourself to do what you can, when you can, however you can and FIND FITNESS where you least expect it!
I talk about this project here!
I have a video about this project here!
I offer up a bunch of fun and manageable pull up variation below!