I’m throwing a party after I do my first unassisted pull-up.

Not even joking.

I’ve never done a pull-up in my life. Not even in elementary school, when I was a tiny little wisp of a girl. (With no muscle definition in my arms.)

When I first discovered leg-assist pull-ups, I was astounded to learn that my arms could even move like that.

So yeah. Pull-up party for sure.

To get there, I’m trying out Ted Naiman’s basic workout routine 3 times each week.. It’s pretty simple:

• 5 mins intense cardio
• Pull-ups to failure, then three more, then a slow-mo rep
• Same deal with push ups, sit ups, pistol squats (or regular squats), and back extensions

Takes about 20 minutes, and so far it’s definitely felt like a workout. As I’m working to get in shape, I’m working up to 5 non-stop minutes of cardio (currently I go about 1:30 before I need a 15 second break), and I’m modifying pull-ups with leg assist and then a slow descent. My grip strength needs some work, too.

Anyway, all this led to me finding a most fascinating video on YouTube. I figure if I’m only doing one set of an exercise, I should try to execute each exercise properly.

I’m amazed at the expression of this man’s body. The way that you could watch the video without sound and still totally understand what to do, and not to do. The fluid and articulate way in which he moves, it’s mesmerizing.

Most of the guys I follow on twitter are gym bros, and their physiques show it. There’s nothing wrong with the “look at how much I can lift” look, but there’s something really appealing about the physiques of guys who do calisthenics. Like somehow they’re more svelte than the lifters. Beast mode vs Otter mode.

I certainly like the idea of spending 20 minutes a couple times a week much more than taking an hour in the gym. As much as I appreciate them, I still hate gyms.

Gym or no, I’m going to make it to a pull up.