P90X Day 38: Back & Biceps + Ab Ripper X

As with any P90X workout involving pull-ups, I approached Back & Biceps this morning knowing that I'm in for an hour of frustration.

It's not that I'm flat-out, fall-down horrible at pull-ups; thanks to P90X, I'm now able to crank out a full set of 12 wide-grip pull-ups in a row, and I can also manage to eke out 3 or 4 corn cob pull-ups before having to brace myself with a foot on a chair. But for the life of me, I can't even remotely come close to the insane number of pull-ups that Tony -- and in this particular video, Bobby Stephenson -- can do. Also? Their form is perfect whereas mine is shit; by the end of every set of pull-ups, I'm thrashing my legs around like a fish on a hook. (You know, the kind of fish with legs.)

My lack of pull-up progress really bugs me -- especially given that I've seen huge improvement in my ability to perform just about every other P90X move. I keep waiting for an "unlock" moment, when I suddenly figure out how to correct some biomechanical mistake I've been unwittingly making, and dramatically spike up my pull-up numbers. My gut tells me, though, that when it comes to pull-ups, I just need to lower my expectations.

On a more positive note: 70 Mason twists - no breaks!