The Pull-up is one of the more demanding exercise
and station for the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) in the
Singapore Armed Forces. Also known as Chin-ups or “Oh My Gawd Just 1 More”,
they involve griping a horizontal bar and lifting yourself up so that your chin
is above the bar. Sounds easy? When you try it you will find it otherwise.
What I say in this posts are based off my
experience when training to do Pull-ups. Some of the facts are probably wrong
so do take the information with a pinch of salt. Pull-ups are sort of an
obsession of mine back when I had to take the yearly IPPT. (ahh the good ol’
days) There are different ways of tackling a pull-up and different types of
pull-ups.
A proper pull-up involves muscles from all over
your body, from the triceps to your core muscles. They all play a part in
allowing you to pull yourself up in a smooth motion while maintaining a
straight posture. (By bending your knees, it becomes easier to pull but does
not really count as a “proper” pull-up)
Here is the interesting thing. By adopting
different postures when doing a pull-up, you will utilize different muscles.
For example, a wide arm grip will use more of the back muscles compared to a
narrow one, which uses the biceps more. A proper pull-up is supposed to fully
utilize the large back muscle yet not forgetting the other muscle groups such
that they work in unison to achieve an easy pull.
I feel that training for Pull-ups matches my
character perfectly. Doing ten pull-ups only takes a minute or so and I just
have to do it 3 times a day, once before my meals to maintain. Short, sweet and
simple.
I remember watching one of Bear Grylls’ series
about the French Foreign Legion. There, they require the recruits to do at
least ten pull-ups before they go for their meals. The instructor said
something that stuck in my mind.
“A man who cannot pull his own body weight is a
waste”
Here, a simple pull-up can mean so much more. After
all, the act of pulling oneself up is literally pulling your whole body up.
While that can be seen literally, it can also be viewed figuratively. Doing a
pull-up involves your own strength. By doing a successful one, it means that
you have just lifted your whole body up by
yourself. One small step to prove your own self-worth.
-ARP
No comments:
Post a Comment