Help!

Hi I am the Principal nominee from my district to West Point, but I cant do a pull up or flexed arm hang. I am training every day to get there… what do I do

First get a pull-up bar and hang it in the doorway to your room. Every time you go in or out of your room stop and work on some pull-ups. If you cannot do one now as you say, start with reverse pull-ups. Get a stool or small ladder and put it by the pull-up bar. Stand on the stool with your chin above the bar and your arms in the pull-up “up” position. Step off the stool and put your weight from your legs onto your arms, then slowly let yourself down to the floor. Do this as many times as your arms will allow (then do two more!) After a few weeks of doing this you should be able to start trying to do the pull-ups for real. Practice and dedication will get you there. Good luck.

If you don’t have access to a gym, get some rope and a bucket. You can use a pulley or just through the rope over a tree branch. Use the hand over hand technique to pull the bucket (weighted with rocks/water or weights) up. Do this as many times as possible. It will strengthen the muscles required. I was a swimmer (water polo), so most of my strength was in my shoulders and back. Build the muscle and keep at it. This is you first test. You can do it!