A Useful Routine

I’ve mentioned before that we have a pull-up bar. I don’t train with it to be able to do dozens of reps, but I do a few here and there throughout the week. It’s nice to know I could probably pull myself up out of the water if I fall off of a pier, or that I could pull myself over a tall fence if I’m being chased by a dog. Y’know, useful abilities to have if you find yourself in an 80’s or 90’s comedy film.

But another benefit I’ve found of being able to do a handful of pull-ups is that they can act as a diagnostic. There have been days when all of a sudden it seems like I can’t comfortably do as many as usual; sometimes the energy just isn’t there. I’ve come to take this as an early warning sign that, even if I feel fine in every other way, I might not be sleeping enough or that I’m on the verge of getting a cold.

I think because pull-ups demand a bit more intensity of effort than, for example, going for a walk or even a run it’s a little easier to notice when things aren’t quite right. The body can’t help but provide strong feedback when presented with a strong input.