Pull-Ups Video

“When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself.”

- Isak Dinesen

I experienced the power of kaizen in a dramatic way through my fitness trainer, Allie Gard. In the summer of 2022, while I was recovering from prostate surgery, Allie sensed my need for something fresh to focus on. And she devised a perfect way to challenge me.

“Ken, your surgery is behind you, and you now have a new body,” she told me. “Why not get in the best shape of your life? In fact, why not go for BSOGMA, which means you can say, ‘I’m in the best shape of any guy my age.’” Allie knew how much I loved acronyms and that BSOGMA would fire my imagination while playing to my competitive side.

“Love it,” I said. “I’m in. But how will we know?”

“Pull-ups,” Allie replied. “You’re building your VO2 max from swimming, but pull-ups are the easiest way to measure your body-strength efficiency. In six months, we’ll test your maximum reps against your age group.”

Allie mapped out a weekly kaizen training program with the goal of reaching eighteen reps, which would place me in an elite level for men in their sixties. We focused on high-quality strength workouts twice a week, concentrating on overall conditioning. I also managed two or three swims per week while cutting back on alcohol, bread, pasta, and rice. Our workouts were challenging but not ballbusters.

Over the next six months, I consistently put in the time and let kaizen handle the details. When Allie first floated the BSOGMA challenge in July 2022, I baselined at nine pullups. Six months later, I cranked out eighteen and a half.