Pull ups, school days and fitness

 Pull ups, school  days and fitness

At high school - in class IX, X and XI, we had physical efficiency test in the first term. Though our SSLC books had columns for entering the results of these tests, I find these columns are blank while in my dad's SSLC book, there are entries of the results achieved.

Our class of around 55 boys would spent half a day in our sprawling school ground on an assigned in first term in class IX. We had six events for evaluation.  All of us had to run 100 m and 800m. With severe knock knee and 100 % flat foot ( I discovered these when I joined Air Wing NCC in class IX ), I was not good at running. I performed well in broad jump ( long jump leaping from a stationary position ) and unassisted sit ups with hands behind the head . My effort at cricket ball throw was okay.

But pull ups with forward grip left me ashamed. Half the class could do two or more pulls and I could not do any. 

I told my dad about my dismal "pull ups" performance.  

One of the doors in our flat had a horizontal swinging ventilator with a iron bar at a tough to grip position. It could be gripped only for forward grip pull up. My dad would lift and hold me. I used to hang from the bar for sometime to build up some strength. Then I started attempting to pull myself up with dad watching me like a trainer to break my fall. He did this till I could do two pull ups which I achieved within couple of months.

From this stage I was on my own. I would leap to grip the bar, perform pull ups  and leave the grip and land in frog pose. I used to do pull ups several times a day till I finished college.


In class X, I did thirteen pull ups topping the class. Those days I could do infinite number of sit ups and in physical efficiency test, we were tested for number of sit ups we could do in a minute. I was in the twenty plus sit ups per minute category.


At home, I  used to do pull ups several times in a day. In class XI, I did seventeen pull ups and topped the class.


Age, lack of rigourous exercise and easy life have taken their toll. Pull ups are out of question. I can do sit ups if little pressure is applied on my large toes.


Those pull ups helped me develop strong shoulders and back muscles. Dad was insistent that I should do regular exercise. And I was reasonably regular...🙂🙂🙂

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