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Learning pull-ups leads MacColl to big life changes

The Fitness Track

9 min read

Can you perform a pull-up? You know, hang from a bar with your palms facing forward, then pull yourself upward with your chin over the bar. If your response is 'Of course, no problem,' then congratulations! You might also realize that you haven't performed a pull-up since high school or that is an exercise you never could accomplish. If you are a senior, don't feel bad if your answer is zero. Many in your peer group would echo your sentiments. What if you decided to focus on performing this one movement? How much training time would it take you to reach that goal and would it have a life changing impact? For Ginny MacColl, it required one year of intense dedication to complete just one pull-up, a pinnacle that became life-changing.

"I was a very shy child, and my parents put me in dance to bring me out of my shell. It was interpretive dance or modern dance, as they called it back then. Dance was my way of communicating. I loved it and kept up with it," said MacColl, who danced from childhood through adulthood.

MacColl attended the University of Georgia, where she majored in dance education. She loved dancing but found that dance education was not her path.

"My dance teacher and I came up with a formula to go to the American Dance Festival in Connecticut, and from there to New York. It was a huge difference for me coming from Knoxville, Tennessee. Suddenly I found myself in New York City. It was exciting! I had to be very careful with my money so that I could dance all day long and go to auditions," said MacColl, who learned to adopt a very frugal lifestyle to pursue her dreams.

"I would walk 40 blocks to my dance studio every day so I didn't have to pay the 35 cents for the subway. My roommate and I made our own yogurt. Day-to-day living was difficult, but it was also an exciting time," said MacColl, who also sold her car in Tennessee so she could subsidize her dance quest.

She gave herself three to five years to make her mark as a dancer. She not only beat that timeline but was able to dance on Broadway in the 1970's musical, Pippin.

"I did the roadshow first, and that's when I saved all my money. From doing the road show, which was probably about eight months, I got into the Broadway show. I was on Broadway for an entire year. An interesting thing about doing a Broadway show is that you know every step and every word of every song. We did seven shows a week. I was an understudy and was able to be in one of the lead roles for two weeks," MacColl explained.

Following her stint on Broadway, MacColl was married and because of her background she was able to appear in more than 100 commercials including Folgers Coffee, Mr. Clean and Stove Top Stuffing.

MacColl's life then took a turn.

Divorce and raising two children led her to the Poconos, where she and her family endured a challenging life, particularly during the extreme winters. She describes the setting in the Poconos as beautiful and remote. Teaching dance and working for a local radio station gave her the income to raise her children.

At the age of 16, she had made a commitment to always stay in shape. Her pregnancies did not thwart the promise she made to herself.

"When I was pregnant, I would exercise to Jane Fonda's pregnancy record. Now I really am dating myself, but that's what I would do every day. It was perfect because I was able to get back into doing commercials days after I had given birth. I didn't know it at the time, but it was an excellent system to keep me in shape during those months," said MacColl.

MacColl subsequently remarried and continued to act, but as time went on, phased out of commercials to spend more time with her son and daughter, who are currently 39 and 42 years old. Her daughter had a huge impact on her mom's physical progression.

Daughter Jessie Graff is a renowned "American Ninja Warrior" competitor, college pole vaulter, martial arts black belt and stunt woman. Her strength, agility and endurance are remarkable. Not only has she motivated many viewers of all ages to get fit, she also influenced her own mother.

"I saw Jessie doing 'American Ninja Warrior.' She was strong, graceful, healthy, and she had muscles, and that's one thing I didn't have. I saw her and thought she looked terrific. I said, 'Jessie, I want to learn how to get stronger,'" said MacColl, who then received a lot of sound advice from her daughter.

One of her suggestions was something she embraced and could not perform at that time. It was a single pull-up.

"I sent my daughter a video of my pull-up attempt. She said, 'Mom, that is not a pull-up. You need to get your chin above the bar, and you have to go all the way down.' So I went to a personal trainer. My goal was to perform five pull-ups. It took me an entire year to do just one pull-up," said MacColl, who was 63 at the time of that achievement.

Two years later, the producers approached MacColl about doing a human interest segment with her daughter. Ultimately, they wanted to see her tackle one or more obstacles on the program. Her daughter encouraged her to begin competing in regional competitions to hone her ability to deal with the many challenges.

"My first Ninja Warrior experience was in 2017, season nine, in Daytona. I didn't know what I was doing. Obviously, I could do one or two pull-ups at that point. I stood at the starting block, and I'm looking at that first obstacle, which is a series of five angled steps. They're far apart over water. I'm thinking, 'Oh my gosh, what have I done?' I hit the first step and on the second step I slipped right into the water. I'm under the water shocked and devastated. I let so many people down," MacColl explained.

MacColl was grateful that the network did not air her attempt on television. It was loved ones who gave her the best advice.

My daughter said, 'Don't let one fall define you. Look how far you've come.' My husband said, "You'll do it again. I'm like, 'What, are you crazy?' And he said, 'Because you can, you will do this.' That helped pull me out of my doldrums," said MacColl.

During the year following her Ninja debut, MacColl worked very hard to enhance her skills, particularly on the angled steps. In 2018 she attempted the same obstacle on "American Ninja Warrior."

"I got to the fourth step and fell again, but this time I didn't destroy myself," said MacColl.

She trained her legs to be strong enough to handle the obstacle that had been her nemesis. In trials, she was able to complete the angled steps, but the COVID-19 restrictions were implemented forcing her not to be able to compete again until 2023. This time brought surprises and success.

"They changed the first obstacle. You had to jump on a mini trampoline to a pole. You jump up as high as you can on the pole and it starts to fall. The platform is at the top of the pole, so you have to pull yourself up this pole while it's falling. I made it and they made a big deal of it. I didn't realize it, but I was the oldest person to complete the first obstacle," MacColl explained.

MacColl continued to compete in competitions displaying her ninja-like prowess at many regional events. Because of her worldwide achievement, she was recognized by Guinness as the oldest female ninja athlete, at age 70 years and 90 days. Her passion for fitness has been on display globally in magazines, podcasts, YouTube and other social media sites.

The daughter who has inspired so many viewers and ninja competitors in addition to her own mother is now returning the accolades.

"One of the teenage ninjas came up to me and said, 'I want to be like your mom when I grow up.' Seeing my mom compete at this level at this age has just shifted my perception of the world and the possibilities for me. There's a whole new generation of kids and they have superhuman powers. How much longer can I do this? Thirty more years, you're good," said her daughter.

Next month, MacColl turns 75. That one single pull-up has increased with her age to 17.

"Being a ninja warrior may not be your passion, but it could be something else that keeps you strong, and that is really the name of the game. You want to stay independent for as long as possible. None of us want to be in a wheelchair or have to carry a cane, not be able to go up and down stairs or pick up your grandkids. Strength train and do your cardio. Develop grip strength, balance, mobility and toe strength. All these things will help to keep independence for as long as possible, and that's my goal," said MacColl.

George Thomas Kattouf of Altoona is the developer of the website AgelessTimeless.com. He has been instructing martial arts for over four decades in the Altoona area at the Academy of Martial Arts and encourages seniors to stay fit through martial arts training. If you or someone you know in Blair County is age 50 or older and would be a good candidate for the Fitness Track, email Kattouf at george@agelesstimeless.com. Tune in to the YouTube channel AgelessTimeless to learn more.

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