Started at 2 seconds. It was that bad. Pathetic grip. And the pain felt like rusty razor blades ripping into my lumbar spine. But I survived. And now three weeks later I’m up to 60 seconds with a remarkably strong grip. Weak hands, arms, and shoulders are no longer an issue. But three weeks really isn’t long enough to build new muscle. So it seems something else is kicking in. I’ll take it. And the lumbar pain now only feels like someone smashing a concrete cinder block across my back. Progress! But the biggest surprise so far is actually way up top at the cervical spine. Can finally turn my head side to side and up and down! It almost moves like normal human being. Feels odd, actually. The thoracic spine is still mostly locked around a big brick in there, but I can finally feel it gently releasing. Just a little. And that’s all it takes. Just a subtle shift in awareness. Also, the fear of splitting in half and bleeding out right there while hanging on the bar is starting to slowly fade too. Must keep pushing, though. Not much time left.