Tag Archives: Slight Edge

Lessons from 5,500+ PULL-UPS

I’m writing this having surpassed my 2021 pull up goal by over 150%. But that in itself isn’t the lesson I’m hopeful to share here.

Wrapping up 2020 I knew I needed to do something different. Something challenging with my body and something different with my mind.

Starting the year I filled out Tony Robbins’ Rapid Planning Method worksheet (Follow the Link – I encourage you to use it!). The Rapid Planning Method is one part goal setting, one part reason for having the goal in the first place. I listed three goals. One of my goals was to complete 3,650 pull ups. Pretty simple math behind this one. Ten per day, every day, for an entire year. But achieving my goal was going to take consistency and time.

Easy to do. Easy NOT to do.

Slight Edge Principles. The time required to complete 10 pull ups is about 15 seconds (Maybe less). Let that sink in. A total of 15 seconds of output per day was my target. But, that wasn’t going to be the real challenge…the EVERY DAY part was! This wasn’t a goal for my biceps and back. It was a goal to flex my discipline muscle.

I Struggle with Discipline

Short term discipline I’m ok with. But the staying power required to complete looooong tasks is not a talent of mine. I become bored and typically move on to something else. I experience this finishing a book I’m less than interested in or staying with diet/lifestyle choices for long periods of time. This behavior has not proven to be detrimental, but I had a feeling I could do so much better if I pushed through the boredom.

So What Happened in 2021?

  1. In 2020 I had the exact same pull up goal – But I quit shy of 1,500 (insert bummer emoji). Not sure why, other than what I mentioned in the paragraph above. I simply quit showing up to the bar. I got bored I guess because if you think about it, a pandemic is a PERFECT opportunity to knock out home workouts.
  2. 2021 HOT START – As with my addictive personality, I was off and running in January 2021 and feeling pretty good. Ahead of pace with few “missed days” in the process. The early goal was consistency and not try and overdo it.
  3. Feb/March/April – I fell off the face of the earth as my Ulcerative Colitis flared up and my energy level was entirely zapped with work and parenting duties. I’d fallen behind…well behind and I was weak to boot! Signal – – – – > quitting time!
  4. QUITTING TIME – Goal: 3,650. I’d done a little over 400. I had 3,250 left to complete and 7 months to do so. Given my situation I could’ve easily thrown in the towel. No one would fault me…except myself. Realistically all that changed was my 10/day target, moved north to 15+. Still 100% achievable if I’d commit.
  5. MAY 2021 – Sometime after another colonoscopy, some helpful steroids and my body beginning to heal itself, I got back on the bar. I had work to. I was nearly 1,000 reps behind pace for where I “should have been” if I’d stuck to my 10/day/everyday commitment.
  6. MOMENTUM – Sometime in the summer/fall I hit my stride and momentum kicked in. There were days I was completing 50, 70, or 100+ reps. I was chasing down my goal like a hungry dog chasing a meat truck and I had the calluses to prove it.
  7. 11/3/2021 – I hit target and damn it FELT GOOD!! This also meant I had nearly 60 days left in 2021 to create separation from my goal. I even started adding weight of 10-20 lbs. between my legs on sets.

Thus a new and good habit is born, for when an act becomes easy through constant repetition it becomes a pleasure to perform and if it is a pleasure to perform it is a man’s nature to perform it often. When I perform it often it becomes a habit and I become its slave and since it is a good habit this is my will

The Greatest Salesman in the World (The Scroll Marked I)

In reality, the annual pull up target isn’t really impressive. After all, David Goggins once did just over 4,000 pull ups in 24 hrs. One day! That said, my goal achievement did give me the momentum needed to see what’s possible. I’m thinking next year the target is 10,000 (after all…it isn’t even 30/day).

Like many others, I can be impatient in the pursuit of a BIG goal or target. Sprinting when I should be jogging and also resting when I should also be walking. This duel edged sword can be both good and prove incredibly challenging for someone like me when pursuing a lengthy goal. What helped me the most in 2021 was breaking the annual target into daily achievable numbers and staying the course. Small efforts magnified by time.

Don’t Eat the Whole Elephant

Those who work with me know I frequently use the saying, “Don’t eat the whole elephant, but instead…keep taking bites!” Small, intentional bites in pursuit of accomplishing the target!” Progress > Perfection.

As we step forward into another year the word RESOLUTION will be thrown around wildly in the coming days and weeks. My advice would be, RESOLVE to set daily or weekly targets and PUNT the New Year’s Resolution nonsense. Let the daily work and accumulation take care of itself. You can accomplish a WHOLE LOT of anything x 365!

I’ll leave you with the image on the right. Every rep accounted for on the backside of the drywall in my basement (sorry honey!).

It’s Up to You

This year. This resolution. This habit. Whatever it is that’s hot in your mind right now…is up to you!

I chose to not wait for the new year to start my first habit/quest of 2019. I just finished listening to the book Mini Habits by Stephen Guise. It was recommended by the CEO of Traeger Grills Jeremy Andrus. (Thanks Scott Empringham for the recommendation!)

Starting on Dec. 26th, I began on a mission to complete 1,000 pull ups. As fast as possible, but with the minimum of 10 per day. The bar is in my basement. There is no real excuse standing in my way. Sooner I get to 1,000 the better. Every pull up completed gets a mark on the wall. I’m already past 150!

I often reflect back to Slight Edge principles when setting a target like this.

Easy to Do. Easy NOT to do.

Broken down into a daily mini-habit it is merely 10 a day, and that’s the bitch of it. It’s only 10 a day until I establish enough momentum to do 20, then 30, then who knows. But even at 10 a day I’ll be done by the end of February, and 1,000 pull ups into 2019. Nice little start to the year.

Do you know how long it takes me to do 10 pull ups? Probably 20 seconds. Maybe 30. It’s a joke if I don’t complete this by the end of January and yet that’s the funny thing about resolutions.

I’ll try and find reasons or days NOT to do it. It will be up to me!

Oddly enough, a friend of mine sent me a snap yesterday on New Year’s day sweating on his treadmill. Said he’s on a mission to run 1,000 miles this year…asked if I wanted in. I let him in on my 1,000 pull up challenge and here we are, already pushing each other along.

But here is the punch line. He’s not going to get my job done for me and I’m not going to run the miles for Josh. It’s up to me. It’s up to him.

Whatever stands in front of you in 2019 is going to be up to you. It’s not on your boss, or your spouse, or your team, or your kids, or your clients, or anyone other than you. If you get help along the way, fantastic!  But don’t count on it. Get there anyway.

ACTION ITEM: It’s up to me…so its up to me. Write it down, and go for it!

Ask me how I’m progressing toward my 1,000 goal. I can’t wait to tell you.