"So what is the best exercise for......legs? "Squats. "What about chest? "Pushups. "What about biceps? "Curls." Triceps? "Dips." And back?" Pullups.

" But I can't do pullups. "I don't know what to tell you.

And so goes the conversation I have at least once a month. We are all looking for that perfect exercise. The one that stands above all the others. The one that we can point to and use as a benchmark for our strength. It still amazes me how many people can't do a pullup. I love pullups. It's one of those exercises you can't fake or cheat. You either go up or you don't. Simple. When I joined the Navy, I had this dream of being a Navy Seal. Seriously, don't laugh. When I enlisted I weighed 201 lbs. I could barely run a half mile let alone do the 8 required pullups. Pullups became my mission in life. I would learn how to do pullups. Books would be written about my pullup abilities. People would travel from miles around to watch me do pullups. Ok maybe I've gotten ahead of myself.

So now at the age of 36 , nearly13 years after the Navy, I teach people how to do pullups.(amongst other things)

It was ironic that a young man came in to see me a few months ago with the same dreams I had at his age. Wade wanted to become a Navy Seal. "You don't say." I told him. Wade is a clean-cut nicely manicured young man, who looked more like a boy scout than a Special Warfare operative. He was.......too nice. So in my typical "Evil Tom" fashion I decided to see what this kid could do. Well, I must say, Wade has become a beast. I still think he is too nice, but he can probably do about 30 pullups nonstop.

So I gave him this drill.

1 regular pullup, transition to a close grip pullup, and then transition to a chin up. Three times through no break. It's miserable. Give it a shot.