So the story goes. I’ve been trying to find a place to keep up my pull-ups routine. So I was excited to find that the outdoors exercise areas - imagine a playground for retirees - had pull-up bars.
But just as I was heading out of the door last night, I reached down to pet my cousin’s dog. Unfortunately, my hand passed too close to a hidden bone and the dog pounced. I felt a tooth slam into my right index finger before I pulled away, and luckily I only had a bruise instead of a bite. My finger was swelling and I still wanted to do pull-ups.
[Great Idea Turned Bad While Studying Abroad #1]
I decided to try a one-handed left-hand pull-up for the first time. I used my right hand to assist a little by grabbing my left elbow. I managed a full pull-up, released myself and discovered that the muscles in my left torso were throbbing. Ok, a little overdone, I thought, but you’re supposed to rip the muscles a little.
[Great Idea Turned Bad While Studying Abroad #2]
The next morning, even my right hand stopped hurting, so I decided to practice some normal pull-ups. I completed a set of eight and was stretching my legs when all the muscles down the left side of my neck to my lower back snapped. I couldn’t stretch it out and ended up wobbling home, unable to turn, raise or lower my head.
To remedy the errors of youth, my aunt, Lu Wei decided I needed ancient medicine. She snuck me into the busy appointment schedule of a Chinese Traditional Medicine doctor who effortlessly inflicted leg-jerking pain on my neck - with his elbows. After a cocktail treatment of acupuncture, contortionist messaging (not picture - included repetitive high velocity elbow-to-neck blows) and fire cup heat therapy, I felt the same, but with an adrenaline rush from the additional pain. And then suddenly an hour later on the subway, the neck pain subsided all at once.
