Before I turned 40, I had one goal: I wanted to do a strict pull-up. Not band-assisted. Not jumping. A real, from-a-dead-hang pull-up. Now, I was not the gymnast kid. I don’t even remember ever doing one in my life. But I decided it was happening. I started by hanging from the bar. I’d climb to the top, hold as long as I could, then slowly lower down. Over and over. I worked with different coaches. I kept trying.
Eventually, I hired a coach — John. He asked, “What’s your goal?” I said, “I want a pull-up. I’ve been chasing this for years, I’m so close but I just can’t get there.” He built me a specific plan. Not random workouts. A targeted program designed around that one goal.
Within four to five months, I got my first pull-up. And once I got one? The next ones came quickly. But here’s the part no one talks about. When I focused on that pull-up, something else happened. I became more confident. I felt stronger in my body. And those 5–10 pounds I had been chasing for years? They quietly melted away.
Because I wasn’t focused on being less. I was focused on becoming more. At the gym, when I ask people their goals, I often hear: “I just want to lose 10 pounds.”
That’s what I call a “less-than” goal. It’s shrinking. It’s subtracting. It’s chasing a number. A pull-up? That’s a “more-than” goal. More strength. More capability. More confidence. More ownership of your body.
And here’s what I’ve seen over and over again: When you pursue a more-than goal, the less-than stuff often takes care of itself.
Showing up to class matters. But having a specific, meaningful goal? That changes how you show up.
Maybe your version of a pull-up is:
- Your first strict push-up
- Deadlifting your bodyweight
- Running your first 5K
- Feeling strong instead of “just trying to lose weight”
Whatever it is — you don’t have to figure it out alone. Sometimes a few one-on-one sessions are the bridge between wanting it and achieving it. A coach can build the roadmap, identify the gaps, and keep you accountable.
If you’ve been chasing “less,” maybe it’s time to aim for “more.” What’s your pull-up?
Book a 20-minute Goal Strategy Session with one of our coaches and let’s map it out.
