Chin-ups or how we fell into a pit of shameless competition

For Christmas, which was about a month ago, my father received a chin-up bar. This is something that a number of us have been talking about acquiring for sometime, typically with the hopes of using it to sculpt and enhance our flabby and feeble upper bodies.

Within a few days the apparatus had been assembled, and temporarily placed in Neil's bedroom doorframe. Almost as soon as the device was installed we all had to take a turn to determine our base level capabilities. For the most part, I think people were pleasantly surprised with how many chin-ups they could do with no practice. While I can't remember how many everyone could do, I do happen to remember that I completed the most chin-ups with about 10 (of the regular variety). Unfortunately, I think that this was really pushing it and I ended up feeling the negative consequences of my exertions for the next day or so.

The device was used rather intermittently throughout the rest of our stay. I know that I was a little less than excited to try to beat my record, particularly as no one had even approached it.

In the weeks since our departure my father has been sending us chin-up reports, usually just outlining the advances that he and my sister are making. For the most part he has been able to stay ahead of her, which is his goal, but they have both been upping their numbers through regular practice.

The reports made clear to Neil and I that our twentysomething PBs were being shattered by a teenage girl and a fifty year-old man. At one point my father and sister both seemed to near 17, which is about 7 ahead of my Christmastime PB. And at this rate of progression we weren't even going to be in the same league in a few weeks. As should be clear, neither of us were particularly fond of this situation.

To rectify the situation, and hopefully to allow us to reclaim our preeminent positions in our family's chin-up hierarchy, Neil boldly purchased a chin-up bar for our Halifax apartment.

For the past two days we have both been logging regular work-out sessions on the chin-up bar (typically while dinner is cooking). While I am only at a PB of 13 (I think Neil is at about 7), I feel that my multiple repetitions of 10 will allow me to make good progress in the coming days. I am hoping that within a few weeks I will be able to overtake both my father and sister and reclaim my rightful position as the family capable of completing the most chin-ups.

Stay tuned for future updates.