Pull Up

We are doing some upper arm training around here.

Last December, The Referee bought himself a pull-up bar that hangs in the doorway.  He wanted to increase his own strength.  The kids were curious, so he let them check it out too.  That turned into quite the demonstration of skill, because Jersey #3 could already pull himself up multiple times.  

He was enjoying practicing pull-ups each time he visited his Dad's apartment, so The Referee bought a pull-up bar for the our house as well.  It hangs in the boys' bedroom doorway.  

It has been a big hit with all of the kids.  Every time I turn around, someone is hanging from the bar, swinging from the bar, and attempting to pull themselves up.

In gymnastics class, Jersey #2 is doing pull-ups as conditioning for the uneven parallel bars.  So, she is enjoying using the pull-up bar at home to continue to practice some of her strength drills.

Of course, being the monkey that she is, she also scales the walls for fun...

Big sister has become quite the athlete, due to swim team this summer.  So, she is enjoying showing her siblings a thing or two about the strength of her arms and core.

As impressive as it is that the kids can do all these things on the pull-up bar, it is still most fun to watch Jersey #3 pull himself up from a dead hang.  That boy has some serious upper body strength!

This is Summer

For some strange reason, I thought that the two weeks that we had swim lessons on the calendar would be more relaxed and slower paced than our previous summer schedule.  

I was very wrong.

We are super busy, and very active still.  It is just that the kids pretty much wear swim suits all day and most of our activities involve getting wet.  Swim team practice, swim lessons, and recreational swimming with friends fill our days.  Some days include lunch at the park, or gymnastics class.  

And, we call this SUMMER!

Gymnastics

What do you do with the child who swings from the rafters?

You put her in gymnastics class.

Jersey #2 does not appear to be cut out for contact sports.  I am not fully clear if it is her personality, or if it is a product of her heart experiences, but she is very set that she does not want anyone or anything  crashing into her torso.  She will run and duck from a ball that is tossed to her, instead of catching it.  She will step aside and let an opponent dribble a soccer ball right past her, or even step away from the ball if she has it and an opponent is approaching.  She does not understand the point of tackle football.  

Jersey #2 will also have limitations about the extent of aerobic activity her heart can sustain.  (Her surgeon warned us the day of her first heart surgery that she would not ever be able to be an Olympic level aerobic athlete).  That physical limitation is uncomfortable, and actually makes playing sports a challenge for her.  I suppose it would take the fun out of sports if you felt like you couldn't breathe well enough and your heart was pounding out of your chest.  (So far, she does not report pain, but a "strange" feeling).   

At the same time, we want her to be active and healthy.  It is my goal to introduce my kids to a variety of sports and activities, so that they can discover which ones they enjoy.  Being active is the best way to maintain fitness and health.  

As I watched Jersey #2 kick and stretch, and attempt the splits, it dawned on me that she might like gymnastics.  She also enjoys monkey bars.  She has an incredible amount of upper body strength, for a child who has had her chest muscle cut into twice.  When she started trying to do flips on the trampoline, I was certain that we needed to let her try gymnastics.

Jersey #2 LOVES gymnastics.  She takes 1 class a week, but wishes she could be at the gym every day.  She is such a determined child that she makes great improvements in her abilities each week.  She is still quite nervous about flipping over on the bars.  At first, she was a bit nervous about the balance beam too.  The beam height fear is fading quickly, as she gains confidence her own strength and balance.

Right now, she is enjoying a basic introductory gymnastics class.  As she progresses in that, we will consider a competitive class.  It looks like gymnastics might be a good fit for her.

Watching Jersey #2 in gymnastics class has inspired some younger siblings to attempt those cool tricks too...