Why I Trained for Unassisted Pull-Ups in My 60s & Why You Should Too

Por qué entrené para hacer dominadas sin ayuda a los 60 años

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At 61, I did my first unassisted pull-up, and let me tell you, it was a transformational way to start the year.

I usually set a physical goal for each decade, as an exercise in challenging age stereotypes. In my 40s, it was running a half-marathon. In my 50s, a freestanding handstand. And now, in my 60s, it’s the pull-up. Not with assistance. Not jumping. Just my own strength, grit, and breath pulling me chin-over-bar.

These aren’t just fitness goals, they’re markers of resilience. When I crossed the finish line of that half-marathon at 48, when I held my first handstand at 57, and when I lifted myself up for that pull-up at 61, each moment was a personal victory. A reminder that I’m still here. Still capable of the seemingly impossible.

I have videos to prove the progress I’ve made, but the real proof lives in me, in the way I walk through life knowing what I’m capable of.